Thank you so much for volunteering to share your faith with children or vulnerable adults. In ongoing efforts to maintain a safe environment, there are training sessions and paperwork to complete before you are able to volunteer. These steps will guide you through that process. If you are unsure about whether your volunteer position at St. Thomas requires this training or if you have any questions, reach out to Mary Wright at mwright@stapostle.org.

  • If you are 18 and over and completely new to volunteering with children or vulnerable adults, complete the steps in the New Volunteers.
  • If you are under 18 years of age, complete the steps in the Teen Volunteers (under 18 years old) Working with Children or Vulnerable Adults.
  • If you think you have started this process but are not sure if you completed the training and paperwork, go to the section If You Had or Might Have Had Protecting God’s Children Training in the Past to help you determine the requirements that still need completion.

New Volunteers

Create your VIRTUS Account

You can create your own VIRTUS account by clicking here and clicking on “First Time Registrant.” Follow the prompts to create your account from there! If you need some additional guidance in creating your VIRTUS account, please click here.

Complete the Prompted Documents

After you create your account you should immediately be prompted and taken through the process to submit your acknowledgement form for reading two documents.

Complete PCG Training and Upload your PGC Workshop Certificate

Every potential volunteer with children or vulnerable adults and all members of staff across the diocese are required to participate in a Protecting God’s Children Workshop, currently being offered online. Information is provided when you log into your account. You must complete the online Protecting God’s Children workshop within 30 days of establishing your VIRTUS account or your account will automatically become inactivated.

Complete your Background Check

You will then be prompted to submit your background check through Fastrax. VIRTUS should automatically take you to the secure Fastrax site where you can follow the given prompts in order to complete this task. (Please note that your social security number is NOT needed for the background check. this field will be pre-filled with 999-99-9999 and should be left as is.) Once submitted, Background Checks need to be pushed through by the local administrators. Contact Mary Wright at mwright@stapostle.org when you have approved your Background Check.

Complete Mandated Reporter Training

In January 2020, Illinois began requiring volunteers who work with children to take online Mandated Reporter Training to learn to look for signs of child abuse and to report them. This training is automatically prompted through the VIRTUS website for new catechists as they sign on and complete their PGC training. Employees and any ongoing catechists, youth helpers and classroom aides, or volunteers with youth whether serving in-person or virtually, will need to complete this training from DCFS. Again, this is a State of Illinois requirement. You can learn more about the new law here.

DCFS Mandated Reporter Training Includes:

  1. A pre-training assessment (13 multiple-choice questions)
  2. 60-90 minutes of self-paced interactive training
  3. A post-training assessment (13 multiple-choice questions)
  4. A Certificate of Completion

DCFS MANDATED REPORTER TRAINING WEBPAGE

IMPORTANT! After Completing Your Training: Two items need to be sent/given to Mary Wright (MWright@stapostle.org) to complete this portion of your PGC requirements:

These items must be entered manually into your account to show completion.

Complete Adult Volunteer Application

All adults in a recurring volunteer role with children must complete an Adult Volunteer Application. Submit the application to the person in charge of the activity for which you are volunteering so that the references can be checked. The application will then go Mary Wright at mwright@stapostle.org to be logged into your account.

Teen Volunteers (under 18 years old) Working with Children or Vulnerable Adults

Thank you so much for volunteering to share your faith with children or vulnerable adults. In ongoing efforts to maintain a safe environment, there are training sessions and paperwork to complete before you are able to volunteer. These steps will guide you through that process. If you are unsure about whether your volunteer position at St. Thomas requires this training or if you have any questions, reach out to Mary Wright at mwright@stapostle.org.

Create your VIRTUS Account

You can create your own VIRTUS account by clicking here and clicking on “First Time Registrant.” Follow the prompts to create your account from there! If you need some additional guidance in creating your VIRTUS account, please click here.

Complete Healthy Relationships for Teens 2.0 Expansion with Safe Environment Components and Upload your Workshop Certificate

Every potential volunteer and all members of staff across the diocese are required to participate in a Protecting God’s Children Workshop (for adults) and Healthy Relationships for Teens 2.0 (if under 18 years of age), currently being offered online. Information is provided when you log into your account. You must complete the online within 30 days of establishing your VIRTUS account or your account will automatically become inactivated.

Complete Teen Volunteer Application

All teens in a recurring volunteer role with children must complete a Teen Volunteer Application. Click here for the application. Submit the application to the person in charge of the activity for which you are volunteering so that the references can be checked. The application will then go Mary Wright to be logged into your account.

NOTE: Once you turn 18, the adult safe environment requirements will apply to you.

 

If You Had or Might Have Had Protecting God’s Children Training in the Past

If you do not have a VIRTUS Account

You can follow all of the steps above under “New Volunteers” as all of the items you will need to complete can be done easily through the creation of your Virtus Account.

  • A Note: For the most part, if you have done a PGC workshop in the past that will cover you for volunteering in our Diocese provided you still have your certificate or can get it from the parish you previously helped at or did the training at. If you have completed the training and previously volunteered here at St. Thomas the Apostle, the administrator (Mary Wright, mwright@stapostle.org) may be able to access your file with your training as well. This information can be updated into your account when you create it.

If you do have a VIRTUS Account

You may already be PGC Compliant! Please verify your primary location includes St. Thomas the Apostle and verify you have the proper roles listed. (e.g. if you are volunteering as a catechist or aide, etc.). The dashboard/homepage of your VIRTUS account will highlight any areas you need to complete – you can complete all of the required items relatively easily though your VIRTUS account. Upon your next login you will be asked to complete those items before doing anything else in your account. These items may include the following:

  • Attending a Protecting God’s Children workshop online if you have not previously attended.
  • Acknowledging that you have received the required documents.
  • Completing the information required for a background check.
  • Completing Mandated Reporter Training
  • Completing the volunteer application.

Any outstanding items will be shown in red. If you need assistance in completing these steps, see the detailed instructions for new volunteers (above). Once submitted, background checks need to be pushed through by the local administrator. Please contact Mary Wright at mwright@stapostle.org to complete your background check