Office of Children, Youth and Families Bulletin 3490-22-03, Changes to the Child Protective Services Law

The Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) has released Bulletin 3490-21-03, entitled “Changes to the Child Protective Services Law, 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344, as it pertains to Clearances.” This bulletin replaces the most current information regarding clearances and rescinds and replaces OCYF Bulletin 3490-21-04.

The full updated Bulletin is below. The document is highlighted in areas with changes.

OCYF has amended the process for submitting the Out-of-State Child Abuse clearance to ChildLine for prospective foster and adoptive parents.  Please refer to page 17 for detailed information on the change.  Additionally reflected in the updated bulletin are changes made to provisional hiring, which can be found on pages 3 and 8.  These changes are in connection to Act 12, which amended § 6344(m) of the CPSL (relating to employees having contact with children; adoptive and foster parents).

OCYF’s goal with releasing the updated guidance is to provide a document with all relevant clearance information in one location. Please replace the previous version you may have saved so you have the most accurate document for reference.

For questions, please reach out directly to your PA DHS OCYF Regional Office.