Pennsylvania Law Changes

New Requirements for Organizations Serving Children

  • What are ‘clearances’? Who needs to get them, and how often?
  • Who is a ‘mandatory reporter’ in Pennsylvania, and what does that mean?
  • What is an ‘employment history review’ and what process is required [for schools]?

The Pennsylvania legislature was active during the 2014 legislative session. Governor Tom Corbett signed several new pieces of legislation aimed at protecting children, including several initiatives impacting all organizations serving Pennsylvania children. Other initiatives have specific application to named industries or situations (i.e. schools/higher education).

Sweeping new requirements are found, for example, in House Bill 435 (Act 153), signed by Governor Corbett on October 22, 2015. Significant changes relate to newly required ‘clearances’ for volunteers in child-serving organizations, and a broadening of the definition of mandated reporters. To read the final act, click here: Act 153. 

In order to provide necessary information to those who serve children, Gregory Love and Kimberlee Norris have co-authored an article that presents the legislation’s most relevant points.

The full article includes:

  • New terms utilized in the new legislation
  • Clearance requirements
  • Mandated reporters
  • Definition of child abuse
  • What to report, when to report and how to report
  • Mandatory training for professional licenses
  • Employment history reviews (for schools)
  • Resources for frequently asked questions

Read the full article here.