Parents
Activity / Camping Permission Slip - required for all off-site Troop-sponsored activities
Adult Volunteer Background Check Information
More and more, organizations that have adult volunteers who have direct contact with, and/or supervision of, children under the age of 18, are required to complete child welfare and criminal background checks. School districts, youth sports organizations, and scout troops are just a few of the many organizations who are implementing these policies. As part of maintaining our troop’s charter, and to stay compliant with Pennsylvania Act 153, certain adult volunteers need to file background check or waiver documentation. If you volunteer for other organizations, and have completed some or all of the background checks outlined below within the past five years, you can submit those documents to fulfill the troop’s requirements.
There are a few scenarios that you might fall under:
Scenario 1:
You are a registered leader or volunteer who does not have contact with youth where you are providing care or supervision for their safety. This includes roles a committee member or chartered organization representative. Adults in this category must complete a Waiver of PA Background Checks, and submit it to Chester County Council:
http://cccbsa.org/images/pdfs/Waiver%20-%20State%20Mandated%20Background%20Checks.pdf
Scenario 2:
You are a registered leader or volunteer who does have direct contact with youth where they are providing care or supervision for their safety. This person could include Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, Merit Badge Counselors, or adults who volunteer to assist on camping trips or other troop outings where they have responsibility for the care of scouts. Adults in this category must complete the following:
· Child Welfare Check: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/Public/Home
· PA State Police Background Check: https://epatch.state.pa.us/Home.jsp
Additionally, if you have lived in the state of Pennsylvania for over 10 years, you may submit a waiver form to forgo an FBI Fingerprinting background check. The waiver can be found here:
Scenario 3:
If you volunteer as described in Scenario 2, but have not lived in Pennsylvania for more than 10 years, in addition to the Child Welfare Check and PA State Police Background Check, you must undergo an FBI Fingerprinting Check: https://www.pa.cogentid.com/index_dpw.htm
Submitting Your Paperwork
All volunteers who fall under Scenarios 1, 2, or 3 must submit their respective completed background check paperwork with Chester County Council. Options for submitting these checks can be found here:
Keep in mind that while the process is typically timely, there can be delays in processing some paperwork, and some lead time should be planned for prior to any volunteering commitments.
Chester County Council maintains up-to-date information regarding Act 153 on-line, and can be found at www.cccbsa.org/safety. There is also a list of Frequently Asked Questions which can be found at http://cccbsa.org/act153faq
Thank you for your willingness to volunteer for Troop 19, and helping to ensure the safety of our scout membership!
Please contact Mrs. Callahan at signups@BSATroop19.org with any questions, comments or concerns.
Thank you so much for stopping by!