RememberSchiff 3680 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) Any more details of this new process? Specially what company/agency will be doing the CBC. And if rejected will email include reason(s) along with appeal process? Related: Edited January 24 by RememberSchiff Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle1993 2161 Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 Nothing beyond that screenshot. I would think everything else in the process is unchanged. I do think this could open up the option of adults having to directly use a third party for the background check. I have to do that for other youth orgs, get the certificate and then can submit my registration. We will see .. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 3680 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) 21 minutes ago, Eagle1993 said: Nothing beyond that screenshot. I would think everything else in the process is unchanged. I do think this could open up the option of adults having to directly use a third party for the background check. I have to do that for other youth orgs, get the certificate and then can submit my registration. We will see .. I like that idea. Get a single background check and YP certificate and one is good to volunteer at any youth organization - scouts, FIRST, sports... Edited January 24 by RememberSchiff Link to post Share on other sites
AwakeEnergyScouter 247 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Plus, coordinating on checking practices makes it easier to incorporate learning from all youth-serving organisations. One got through somewhere? Let's plug that hole everywhere. While protecting scouts is our job here, all normal adults want all children everywhere protected and if we could get there with a little coordination of procedures then let's do it! Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 3680 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Yes, IMHO this could integrate with a national volunteer database being discussed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/01/08/2805671/0/en/BSA-s-New-CEO-Visits-the-National-Center-for-Missing-and-Exploited-Children.html 1 Link to post Share on other sites
curious_scouter 134 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Ugh. If the councils were able to process paperwork quickly, this would all be fine. Our recharter was due Nov 16, 2023 and district/council practically flogged the volunteers in units to get in on time. They even sent out an email calling out units who had not submitted on time by name! Yet recharter is still in process two months later by council. In fact, we recently hand-delivered a new adult application to council as we need this adult at a campout this month and they need to be registered to do that. We were told then they are only about 25% through recharter processing! It could take another 4 months to complete. How on earth can it take 2-6 months to process the most fundamental function we ask from our "professionals" and it's okay? Especially when they hold the volunteers at units to such a standard on getting things in on time? My entire unit currently shows as "not on official unit roster" in Scoutbook because of the lag in recharter processing. New Scouts coming into my unit "off the street" or via Cubs crossing over will not even show up on my roster and in Scoutbook for months. MONTHS. So, if they want to put these new (very practical and wise) rules in place - fine. But... you have to get good at paperwork. It all hinges on paperwork and processes and I can't put the program on hold for 6 months while we wait on paperwork. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dk516 29 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 The process is neither new nor changed. It simply became transparent because of the electronic applications and the various status steps that are now visible. Realistically a unit was never supposed to let adults join scouting functions before they were not fully cleared. The difference was that units simply assumed that once they sent the adult application to the registrar that the process would take care of it and you're good to go. The larger problem is that BSA, again, did not think this through in practicality. Since it takes Councils 3+ months to recharter units, and since the electronic application option is disabled once a unit expires until it is fully rechartered, it ultimately harms the recruiting process. Our Council' statement was that when the electronic sign up is disabled during recharter, we can submit paper applications for adults and youth. Except that our Council' track record of processing paper applications is 2-4mts IF they don't lose them altogether. So the only thing this going to bring now is that as a unit leader I will either have to turn away interested volunteers until Council maybe eventually get around to either process registrations or recharter or I am forced to violate policies and keep doing what we did for years but really improved has nothing. Link to post Share on other sites
PACAN 220 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Maybe one or more of the professionals can chime in on why in the h*** it takes 4 months to process a charter. Our units updated the adults and scouts, hit verify, system said no errors, paid the bill and we were done. Less than 30 minutes. Link to post Share on other sites
AwakeEnergyScouter 247 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Something's not right in at least some councils, I see. What mechanism is supposed to create transparency on the progress of the paperwork? Who's accountable, the SE? Link to post Share on other sites
Jameson76 1485 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Remember, those of us that work and support scouting as volunteers (GROUP A) DO NOT have the same goals as the professionals and their selected board folks (GROUP B) that run Scouting. Group A wants to bring a vibrant program to youth. We work hard to provide program and have to work within the BSA bureaucracy to make that happen. We feel it is worth the struggle because of the positive changes we can see in participants lives. Give us a campfire, a hike, and Scouts making their own decisions and we are happy. Group B is only concerned with how to monetize the program and raise money to support their salaries. Very much like an MLM group. If they could raise money for Scouts and not have any actual Scouts, that would be their happy place. Though, they would miss belittling and ignoring volunteers. Anything that helps the units is not their concern. Raising money; FOS, popcorn, camp cards, lavish luncheons for big donors; that's what they want to focus on and is their reason for being. Once you understand that the groups DO NOT have the same goals or reasons for being, the answers to questions on why such foolish decisions are made become clear. Cubs cannot camp for more than 1 night, oh wait, maybe they can. All adults have to be registered to be on an outing, oh wait, if you are a parent with your kid on a cub outing forget that. And so many more. BSA National DOES NOT CARE and DOES NOT PLAN TO CARE about the customer experience of the volunteers and the units. If they are hard or impossible to deal with, THEY DO NOT CARE. Group A wants more units and more participants, more challenges out in the field. Group B wants to raise more money. If you don't believe me, I submit THE SUMMIT as exhibit A. Largest vanity project ever in the BSA and an underlying pin in the financial issues. A white elephant that will never be utilized or come close to generating revenue over expenses. Link to post Share on other sites
DuctTape 1231 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 I do not see how it takes so long to re-Charter. IMO there should not be an annual Re-Charter. Chartering is a completely separate issue from individual memberships.. The Chartering Agreement between the Council and the CO does not need to be redone annually. The Agreeement can and should remain in force until one (or both) parties agree to sever the relationship. Any changes to personnel do not require a change in the Chartering Agreement. Name/title changes can be a separate document and can be modified whenever changes are necessary. As individuals join a Unit either as Scouts or Adult Scouters, their paperwork is submitted to Council for processing. This process should be expedititious for Scouts and the only time issue for Scouters is a background check. If one is on file, then no time needed. The entire system is antiquated, and it is ridiculous how long it seems to process . I bet 3 or 4 of us here could revamp the entire system in a single day. The way i see it, there are 3 separate parts (and before it is suggested that the Annual Re-Charter does all of these, IMO that is the problem.) 1. Chartering Agreement. The contract between Council and CO. This Agreement is done once and signed by the Council and IH on the date of Charter. The Charter continues to exist until one or both parties sever. Re-Charters are reserved for the rare occurence of a former Charter is being re instated. 2. Leadership Documents. Document which details names of IH, COR, SM, etc... this is updated continuously as changes are made not saved for an annual event. 3. Individual Membership Documents. These would include Application for joining. Change in Status/Unit form, etc... These must be processed immediately. For Scouts, membership should be considered conferred when the Unit signs the paperwork. For Adults, the only delay is for background check validation. I have rambled enough. Link to post Share on other sites
scoutldr 732 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 This is where the CO/COR has power. Spin them up and send them over to Council to DEMAND action...or else they will consider the Charter agreement null and void. When 75% of the council's units threaten to walk, along with any associated FOS pledges, it might get their attention. If the Pros' goals are Members, Units and Money, YOU control all of that. Link to post Share on other sites
mrjohns2 582 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 1/29/2024 at 3:43 PM, PACAN said: Maybe one or more of the professionals can chime in on why in the h*** it takes 4 months to process a charter. This is 100% the staffing choices of your council. I can speak to our district’s posting since I could see it in commissioner’s tools. Our charters were submitted like many in early December. Our registrars hit them hard between Christmas and new years. Many were pre-posted. We had like 35 posted on January 3rd. Then another 15 by January 10th. The other 15 were slow since those units didn’t have their act together. I don’t know how long the CBC takes. If you send your adult app (photos) at night, the registrar will process it first thing the next morning. They hit the system late in the day and are about 90% in the system overnight. By the following day the show up in all systems. Link to post Share on other sites
InquisitiveScouter 1656 Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 On 1/29/2024 at 10:39 AM, curious_scouter said: Ugh. If the councils were able to process paperwork quickly, this would all be fine. Our recharter was due Nov 16, 2023 and district/council practically flogged the volunteers in units to get in on time. They even sent out an email calling out units who had not submitted on time by name! Yet recharter is still in process two months later by council. In fact, we recently hand-delivered a new adult application to council as we need this adult at a campout this month and they need to be registered to do that. We were told then they are only about 25% through recharter processing! It could take another 4 months to complete. How on earth can it take 2-6 months to process the most fundamental function we ask from our "professionals" and it's okay? Especially when they hold the volunteers at units to such a standard on getting things in on time? My entire unit currently shows as "not on official unit roster" in Scoutbook because of the lag in recharter processing. New Scouts coming into my unit "off the street" or via Cubs crossing over will not even show up on my roster and in Scoutbook for months. MONTHS. So, if they want to put these new (very practical and wise) rules in place - fine. But... you have to get good at paperwork. It all hinges on paperwork and processes and I can't put the program on hold for 6 months while we wait on paperwork. @curious_scouter, it wasn't your recharter paperwork that was due on 16 Nov, it was your recharter PAYMENT that was due!! 😜 Never forget... it is all about the money. The service (even four months later) to youth is just a collateral benefit of having your cash. <sarc off> Link to post Share on other sites
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