Youth Protection now required before registering

[Scoutfish]

Interesting point John.....

 

As I understand the rumor about training....So far, what I have heard is thst leaders will have to have their specific training in order to stay leaders...or be dropped as a leader during recharter.

 

Yeah, as far as i know, it's just a rumor, but people who should know better or not, and have strong ties to my local council are not doing anythimng to dispell this rumor ( if it is one).

 

Of course, I really don't have a problem with BSA mandating that leaders have YP and training to their specific levels that they work with kids through.

 

The timing isn't so bad either. If your pack starts the new year ( for the most part) in Sept..then you have until Dec/ Jan to get the training you want before recharter drops you. 4 months is a long time.

[John-in-KC]

That's not a rumor.

 

HOAC is part of the pilot group. We are two years ahead of most Councils. Last year, all Program Officers (CM, SM, Coach, ADV) had to be position specific trained. This year, all direct contact leaders must have the appropriate position specific training, or they will not re-register to that position. I presume ScoutNet is being tied off in such a way that the data dump for online recharter includes position specific training.

 

For the rest of the US, implementation begins next recharter. There is a course week at Philmont Training Center called "Implementation of Required Training." The 1 paragraph blurb is: Implementation of Required Training Learn about the new unit level adult mandatory training requirements in order for the unit to be rechartered. The course will include training requirements for the top leaders (going into effect in 2011), and the contact leaders (going into effect 2012). Also included: updating the council training committee to meet the needs of trained leaders; and changes to training courses which will need to be taught in the district/council to meet these new requirements. June 20-26

 

It's going to happen.

 

 

[John-in-KC]

Sent this to my District Director.

 

He confirms it as true. YP done before the app, and YP has a 2 year lifespan.

[moosetracker]

Either they will need to get us new reports before recharter time, or during recharter time you will need in hand training cards for all your volunteers..

 

Currently the only report you can get from Council for your district is a YPT report that states unit Type Unit number and 20% trained or 60% trained.. Now from that, how do you tell who from the unit can recharter and who cannot unless you have a unit that says 100% trained?

 

The reports for the other training info is just as good.. You have Adult leaders trained, and only the courses they took that are required for the specific job, minus youth protection & Fast start.. Fast start who cares if you took the other training it is a**-backwards to go back for that. 95% correct but some people are listed trained & have no courses listed..

 

Then for the untrained people you only know the classes they need to take, not the classes they have taken.. Minus Fast start and Youth protection. I got some people listed as untrained when they have no courses listed that they need to take..

 

Don't you think they would improve the reports before putting this into effect..? Rechartering is going to be a nightmare!!

[Nike]

Whether it's official or not, Trans-Atlantic is enforcing it as of today with no grace period.

[nolesrule]

I just received an email sent from scouting.org which confirms and details the new YPT rules.

 

---------------------------------------

 

Youth safety is the No. 1 concern of the BSA.

 

To increase awareness of this societal problem and to create even greater barriers to abuse than already exist today in Scouting, the Boy Scouts of America is implementing several important changes to further enhance its Youth Protection policies.

 

Effective June 1, 2010:

 

* -- Youth Protection training is required for all registered volunteers.

* -- New leaders are required to take Youth Protection training before they submit an application for registration. The certificate of completion for this training must be submitted at the time application is made and before volunteer service with youth begins.

* -- Youth Protection training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer's Youth Protection training record is not current at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered.

 

To ensure these policies are fully implemented, please take the following steps: BSA Card

 

* -- If you have not taken Youth Protection training within the past two years, please log on to MyScouting and take the training. Be sure to have your member ID number. The number can be found on your Boy Scouts of America membership card.

* -- If you do not know your member ID number, contact your unit leader or committee chairman. Your council can also assist.

* -- A person does not have to be a registered volunteer or have an ID number to take Youth Protection training. To take the training, log in to MyScouting and create an account. From the MyScouting portal, click on E-Learning and take the Youth Protection training. Upon completion, print a certificate and submit it with an application or submit to the unit leader for processing at the local council.

* -- If you have taken Youth Protection training online but did not input your member ID number, please log on to MyScouting and input your member ID in the My Profile section so the training will be linked to your records.

* -- If you have taken Youth Protection training within the past two years but did not take the course online, log on to MyScouting to ensure your records are up-to-date, or contact your council for verification that your Youth Protection training records are accurate.

* -- Finally, please share these important changes with other Scouters.

 

To find out more about the Youth Protection policies of the Boy Scouts of America and how to help Scouting keep your family safe, see the Parent's Guide in any of the Cub Scouting or Boy Scouting handbooks, or go to http://www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx.

 

Thank you for your commitment to our nation's young people and to Scouting.

 

Sincerely,

 

James Terry

Assistant Chief Scout Executive

[John-in-KC]

Moosetracker,

 

This one is not too difficult. Lots of ways to spread the word. As long as charter turn-in isn't in the next two weeks, all should come out ok

[ScoutNut]

Yes, this is official. It is posted on the BSA National Website on the Youth Protection page

 

As for mandatory training nationwide, that too is no rumor. However, per the May Training Updates on the BSA National Website, BSA seems to be slightly backing off from their earlier statement that all councils will have top leaders required in 2011, and direct contact in 2012.

 

The May Training Update states -

 

"The plans for a national effort are still undetermined, as the outcome of the 20 pilot councils will greatly affect the direction we take in 2011 and beyond."

 

 

[DeanRx]

Sorry to play devil's advocate on this one....

 

What the HELL is BSA going to do when they have hundred's if not thousands of units trying to recharter and the adult VOLUNTEER leaders' records are either out of date (or more often not correct with council or the national web site)? Close down the units overnight for untrained leaders? Bah.

 

I understand the push for trained leaders - I'm taking OWL this weekend. BUT, the idea that I need to RETAKE YPG now as my son goes into Web I because I last took it when he was a Tiger is bull-Sh*t - period. The guidelines haven't changed, the rules haven't changed, the things we need to be doing to keep kids safe haven't changed. All that's changed is an increase in beuraucrtic red-tape pushed down the throat of UNPAID VOLUNTEERS by those who we sell popcorn for so they can have a paycheck!

 

Have a leader YPG trained BEFORE they can submit an app? Are you nuts? I'm doing good to have an adult be brave enough to raise their hand and say they'll be the Tiger Cub DL at a round-up. Its made known that they will have to submit application and that the app includes background checks and that certain training must be accomplished in short order (i.e. YPG, NLE, Fast start). I'm not even opposed to having a policy that states one must have YPG completed before holding any den meetings.

 

BUT - I just got my Tiger DL's ID card in the mail from national at recharter in Jan of this year... he'd been the DL since last June!!!

 

Do we have to wait to know if the background check cleared? That's a bigger issue than YPG, I would think.

 

This (like a good number of things hastily brought into an organization) - is born of good intent, but stinks when the reality of the situation is revealed. I hope BSA national rethinks this stance. Its just another nail in the coffin of poor BSA policy if they don't reverse course.

 

Trained - absolutely

Trained in a reasonable timeframe - YES

Trained before you can start? - Why would anyone sign up to help?

Accurate tracking of training - is a JOKE in most councils (sure is in mine) - I've had to resubmit less paperwork when I was in the Army. My rule for all leaders in my unit is - Submit only copies of certifications, under no circumstances surrender an original, and they probably have it worng at council and therefore wrong on the national database, so take your copies with you to trainings to PROVE you've already completed things.

 

Scout units will be brought to a grinding halt due to inaccurate data records if this policy is truely enforced as described. The youth will NOT be any safer, and the program will suffer as a result. But, some honcho at national will be able to show what 'they' did in their tenure to increase BSA's vigillance in YPG.

 

DeanRx

[DeanRx]

Sorry to play devil's advocate on this one....

 

What the HELL is BSA going to do when they have hundred's if not thousands of units trying to recharter and the adult VOLUNTEER leaders' records are either out of date (or more often not correct with council or the national web site)? Close down the units overnight for untrained leaders? Bah.

 

I understand the push for trained leaders - I'm taking OWL this weekend. BUT, the idea that I need to RETAKE YPG now as my son goes into Web I because I last took it when he was a Tiger is bull-Sh*t - period. The guidelines haven't changed, the rules haven't changed, the things we need to be doing to keep kids safe haven't changed. All that's changed is an increase in beuraucrtic red-tape pushed down the throat of UNPAID VOLUNTEERS by those who we sell popcorn for so they can have a paycheck!

 

Have a leader YPG trained BEFORE they can submit an app? Are you nuts? I'm doing good to have an adult be brave enough to raise their hand and say they'll be the Tiger Cub DL at a round-up. Its made known that they will have to submit application and that the app includes background checks and that certain training must be accomplished in short order (i.e. YPG, NLE, Fast start). I'm not even opposed to having a policy that states one must have YPG completed before holding any den meetings.

 

BUT - I just got my Tiger DL's ID card in the mail from national at recharter in Jan of this year... he'd been the DL since last June!!!

 

Do we have to wait to know if the background check cleared? That's a bigger issue than YPG, I would think.

 

This (like a good number of things hastily brought into an organization) - is born of good intent, but stinks when the reality of the situation is revealed. I hope BSA national rethinks this stance. Its just another nail in the coffin of poor BSA policy if they don't reverse course.

 

Trained - absolutely

Trained in a reasonable timeframe - YES

Trained before you can start? - Why would anyone sign up to help?

Accurate tracking of training - is a JOKE in most councils (sure is in mine) - I've had to resubmit less paperwork when I was in the Army. My rule for all leaders in my unit is - Submit only copies of certifications, under no circumstances surrender an original, and they probably have it worng at council and therefore wrong on the national database, so take your copies with you to trainings to PROVE you've already completed things.

 

Scout units will be brought to a grinding halt due to inaccurate data records if this policy is truely enforced as described. The youth will NOT be any safer, and the program will suffer as a result. But, some honcho at national will be able to show what 'they' did in their tenure to increase BSA's vigillance in YPG.

 

DeanRx

[packsaddle]

DeanRx, I'm sensing some tension on this.

I'm with you on the sloppy record-keeping by the councils. And I'm with you on the effect it might have on leader recruitment. And I'm with the spun communication thread on the ham-handed way this organization seems to implement things. But the tension thing...this is not the end of time. It is, as noted, a bumbling way to add red tape. And I note that the Army has an actual critical job to do for the entire country, BSA's job seems mostly to make sure BSA leadership keeps their paychecks.

 

Yes, the life of the volunteer is going to be harder. But as volunteers we need to realize that we are the ones actually in control. There is NOTHING that we are being forced to do...we're volunteers. Simply decline. If necessary, allow BSA to remove us from the role. They'll get the message very quickly...ok, that may be giving them too much credit. They'll get the message eventually.

But don't sweat this. Sweat the economy. Sweat your children's education, or their future in general. But this is not an essential ingredient for life. Don't sweat it.

[Nike]

MyScouting.org sent me an automated e-mail this morning (Central European Time) with the new policy. Yes, it is going to hold up re-charters for the next few months. And, they should have let everyone know this was in the hopper months ago, or at least weeks

 

However, you can take this training, import the picture of the certificate into Word if it won't print, and attach that printed document to your charter paperwork.

 

I wonder if MyScouting will crash.

[Snow_White]

I too am concerned about the impact of this new rule on recruiting leaders, particularly at the Cub level where you are more likely to be looking for new leaders among new parents that do not have prior scouting experience. Also, from the information that I have received locally, I understand that this applies as well to Tiger registered partners. I can see it now - Mr. Smith, we'd love to have Billy join our Tiger den, but before he can, you need to go home, take this online training, print out a certificate of completion, and bring it back to us along with your completed application authorizing the background check. I'm not sure we'll see Billy again after that...

[moosetracker]

DeanRx - Youth protection has always been a retake every two years.. If going on trips that need the special (I think 500+ mile trips) it needed to be less they 1 year prior to the trip date. That is not new..

 

What is new is that you have to pay attention to it.. And that committee as well as Youth Leaders must take it, and that you have to take it prior to registering.. Which means taking it without a valid ID #.. They say that once you get the ID # & plug it in it will send all the training in your area to your council under that ID #.. Anyone know if that truely works?

 

Well from being on this forum I know that some Advancment chairs have been running this YPT before registering to be a MBC.. They say it is going well for them.. Let's hope the same will be true for YPT before registering to be a BSA leader..

 

My one poor YPT report indicates I have many units in my district with 0% trained in Youth protection.. This is bad, this is sad. Other types of training in my district is not fareing any better. I am trying to learn this job and figure a way to whip everyone into shape, and not have a hostile audience throwing rotten fruit & veggies my way.

 

Besides the registered Adult members. If they are stating "ALL".. Then wouldn't that mean Charter Org Reps.? Or are they excluded? Some reps are extremely uninvolved. They may not even know what a child looks like for all we know. Now imagine trying to get these COR's to get youth protection trained.

 

I figure ScoutNet might be able to get some reports going before recharter time to help. But seeing the poor quality of the reports we currently have, I am not too sure how helpful they will be.. Hopefully if all the troops recharter electronically before heading off to recharter day then all the headache will be done before you get there. You will just go to recharter day to find out that half your volunteers were kicked out due to not having one training or the other.

 

[Eagle92]

Moose,

Once upon a time, YPT was one of those that you took once and that was it, no need for recert every two years, unless a council didn't input the data that you attended the course. That happened to me and if memory serves when I last took YPT in 2000 or 2001 in the online format, there was no expiration date on the training. So for some of us old fogeys, having a 2 year expiration on YPT is new.

 

I will repeat some questions I have asked elsewhere.

 

#1 Will Venturing YPT, a separate course, meet tyhis requirement?

 

#2 Will Camp Staff YPT, again a separete course, aslo meet this requirement?

 

#3 Will the YPT Quize meet this requirement? I've heard yes it will and no it won't.

 

I have mixed emotions on this new requirement. On one had I do see it making recruiting leaders more difficult. That will be challenging, esp. with packs. On the other hand, I have dealt with YP issues on both a volunteer and professional basis, and know how important it is.