11/02/2022 - BCU has published new ORCHARDS videos
What is ORCHARDS
The Background Check Unit (BCU) announced the implementation of the Oregon Criminal History and Abuse Records Data System (ORCHARDS) on 7/31/2020. We have made many fixes and improvements to the system since then. Updates and current news regarding ORCHARDS are available to users on its Home page after logging in.
ORCHARDS is more secure and easier to use than our previous system, CRIMS, and provides more options to the users and subject individuals. ORCHARDS was developed on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the National Background Check Program (NBCP). The foundational software of ORCHARDS is currently in use in 27 states and U.S. territories participating in the NBCP. We have had many features customized for Oregon which have now led to new innovations for other states.
Who can use ORCHARDS
Use of ORCHARDS is only available for individuals subject to BCU’s statutes and administrative rules (see Policies and Rules) or for organizations or businesses under the Clearinghouse (see Clearinghouse).
SI portal to ORCHARDS
Note for all users submitting background check requests into ORCHARDS
You are submitting a background check on a subject individual (SI). In order to perform the criminal records check and abuse checks included in a background check, BCU must have authorization from the SI.
To provide the SI privacy and time to enter the authorization and any disclosures, as well as to remove any liability from you in seeing the SI’s disclosures, the SI has special access to ORCHARDS.
- You are required to enter an email address for the SI when submitting a background check request so the SI can access the SI portal to ORCHARDS.
- The
Subject Individual section below includes documents to help the SI set up an email account if they don't already have one.
If it is not possible to set up an email, or the SI is at your office and you can give them private access to a computer with online access, please use these links:
Note: You are still required to include a private email address for the SI in the application (see training videos below).
Other documents that the SI will see when completing the Authorization and Disclosure are available to you in ORCHARDS, in the Help Section.
Frequently asked questions for SIs
Frequently asked questions about the background check and fingerprinting process are available for SIs in multiple languages.
FAQ for Subject Individuals (PDF)
اللغة العربية / Arabic |
Soomaali / Somali |
Español / Spanish |
简体中文 / Simplified Chinese |
繁體中文 / Traditional Chinese |
Русский / Russian |
Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese
ORCHARDS Training Videos
BCU is relying heavily on videos for training of all users of ORCHARDS. Below is a list of all currently available training videos.
QED (Qualified Entity Designee) or CHAD (Clearinghouse Authorized Designee)
If you are a QED or CHAD using the ORCHARDS background check system, please review the following videos for training purposes.
ORCHARDS Overview
Background Check Process overview
New Application overview
Person Summary Page
Portability
QEI (Qualified Entity Initiator)
Subject Individual
If you are applying for a job and your background check is processed by the ODHS Background Check Unit, you will need an email address. You can complete your authorization and any disclosures for the background check on a computer or other device (table or smart phone). Here are some examples of how to get an email address:
Also, please review the following videos to learn about our ORCHARDS background check system.