On September 5, 2023, Toronto Police Service (TPS) launched a new system requesting police record checks. This platform now enables online requests for Vulnerable Sector Checks, along with Criminal Record Checks and Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Checks. Let’s explore the major changes to the process:

Accessing your Agency Account

If your agency is already registered with TPS for Vulnerable Sector checks, you received information about the change by email. Check your junk or spam email if you haven’t seen the details yet!

You will have received login information with a unique username and password. You can login to the organization-facing portal here: https://www2.policesolutions.ca/checks/services/toronto/organization.php

Once logged-in, you’ll retrieve your Program Number. This is your Agency/Organization Code. The number will include a combination of numbers and letters. Use this code when asking a volunteer candidate to get a Vulnerable Sector Check. More on this below.

NOTE: Vulnerable Sector Checks are now $26.72. A new service charge has been added to the cost of all checks, but Criminal Record Checks and Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Checks remain FREE for volunteers. Have you considered if a Criminal Record Check or Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check might meet your needs? Learn more about what you’ll find on each type of check from the Government of Ontario.

The New Request Process

Volunteers can now request their Vulnerable Sector Check directly on the TPS website. Here are the steps they will need to follow to request a check online:

1. Go to the TPS police check site: https://www.tps.ca/services/police-record-checks/
   
2. In the yellow bar with the text “Register for an Adult Police Record Check Account”, click the “FILL OUT FORM” button. View an animated GIF to help volunteers find the form.
   
3. The volunteer will need to provide their:
   1. Name,
   2. City and province of residence,
   3. Contact information, and
   4. They will also need to create security questions and answers (for password retrieval) and agree to the user agreement (EULA) and consent to Forrest Green (TPS provider) and TPS themselves for searching their data.
4. Volunteers will get a temporary password on the next screen, which will also be emailed to them. Remind volunteers to save this password OR change the password when they login.
5. Once the account is made, a volunteer can login with their account to make the request here: https://www2.policesolutions.ca/checks/services/toronto/login.php
6. Once logged in, a new application will be automatically started – the first step is to scroll down and choose the appropriate check.
7. After choosing the type of check, the form will expand to ask for more information: (View an animated GIF to see how this works)
   1. For Criminal Record Checks or Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Checks, it will ask for the Position name and Organization.
   2. For Vulnerable Sector Checks, it will ask for the:
      1. Position name,
      2. Organization Code,
      3. Vulnerable Clientele Duties, and
      4. Which vulnerable sectors the volunteer will be working with.
8. After selecting “submit and continue”, the volunteer can proceed through the stages of the application, providing personal information, ID information (which is verified through Toronto Police Service’s provider) and payment (credit or VISA debit).
9. After submission, volunteers can track the progress of their police check through this portal.
10. It is the volunteer's responsibility to share the results of the police check with you. They can send you the PDF to view. You will need their date of birth in the format YYYYMMDD to unlock the PDF file.

We have created a version of these instructions for your volunteers. Find them here.

Other Options for Applying

You can still use a physical form for Vulnerable Sector Checks. This should be filled out with the volunteer and either mailed to or dropped off at Police Headquarters (40 College Street). The form has been updated and will require your Organization Code/Program Number and brief details about how the role works with vulnerable populations. This is to ensure that the request aligns with the requirements and rules around Vulnerable Sector Checks. If you haven’t received the new version of the form, please contact us. If you use the old form, or fill out any part of the form incorrectly, it will be returned to you with a letter stating that requests can only be made online. You can still use the NEW form by mail.

Volunteers can also now go directly to Police Headquarters (40 College Street) to request and pay for their police check (any level) in-person at the Information Access counter on the main floor. The counter is open Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They will need your Organization Code/Program Number to request a Level 3 check in-person, along with the vulnerable duties and clientele. Prepare them with this information so they won't be turned away.

Changes for Youth Applicants (Under 18 Years)

There are specific rules around requesting checks for people under 18. TPS will now only process applications for any level of check if the under-18 volunteer is working with a government (of any level). More details are listed under “Youth Applications” here: https://www.tps.ca/services/police-record-checks/

Terms of Service Replace the Memorandum of Understanding

In the past, organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with TPS to be able to request Vulnerable Sector Checks. This has been replaced with a Terms of Service you will agree to when logging into the organization portal.

The Terms of Service:

• Clarify that the Vulnerable Sector Check will only be sent to the volunteer,
• Confirm that the decision to recruit the volunteer upon receiving this information is up to the agency,
• Remind organizations that completed checks they receive should be destroyed after or kept safe (Section 5.3), and
• Affirm that organizations have already screened the volunteer candidate.

Section 6, regarding the roles and responsibilities of organizations requesting Vulnerable Sector Checks, should be read in detail. Human Rights Training (section 7) also remains a requirement. The online course on “Ontario Human Rights Code and Police Checks” fulfills this requirement. 

Not a Registered TPS Agency?

Does your organization want to become a registered with TPS to be able to complete Vulnerable Sector Checks? Contact PRCPRegistration@tps.ca with a letter on your organization’s letterhead outlining your interest in joining the Police Reference Check Program (PRCP) including the agency’s name, mailing address and phone number, your email address, and a description of the organization and how it connects with the vulnerable sector.

More details will be added to this post as they become available.