When is a new Scout "registered"?

Is it when he fills out his Scout Application and turns it in to the Troop? Is it when the Troop turns the application in to the Council? Is it when the Council sends the boy his card? I've found lots of references that state that a Scout is registered when he fills out the form - but nothing "official".

We were told by our registrar that the official date is when he is entered into scoutnet system and it could not be backdated. We found out the hard way when 2 applications never got entered for 6 months. Boys went to summercamp and earned rank, when advancement reports were filed they were sent back as not registered. Now we are trying to unsquirrel the mess.

The scout is not registered until the Council registrar enters their info onto scoutnet. It the responsibility of the parents, and troop leaders to process the form quickly and correctly. It is council's responsibility to entrer it soon after they receive it.

Bob White

As the previous posts state, a scout is not registered until he is in the council data base. This is something that needs frequent follow up to ensure that it happens. In my experience the best person to handle this is the advancement coordinator on the unit committee. After the SM has a conference with the new scout and signs the application form, he should immediately get this to the advancement person who then gets it to the council. The advancement person has more frequent interaction with the council on paperwork matters and is in the best position to know if a boy has not been properly picked up in the system. This way the advancement person is also automatically informed when a new boy has joined.

I was a registered Scouter (Den Leader) and when my older son joined a Boy Scout Troop I filled out an application to be an ASM (continuing to be a den leader). Fast forward to two years later and I was asked to become Scoutmaster. Lo and behold, the previous SM never turned in my application for ASM (even though I took leader specific training and outdoor training for SM). Being dual registered with the den leader as my primary position, I was not aware that I should have received two registration cards. The only way I found out was when I was helping with rechartering and found out I was never properly registered in the first place! Live and learn.