Merit Badge Counselor Registration

[Herms 10]

Our council also requires a seperate registration. Besides the background check, the MBC's are then added to the pool for their district (unless they specifically request to be an MBC for their troop only) which makes it a lot easier to find a MBC for all 100+ merit badges!

[Bob White 20]

Well that's what happens when you forget to sign in, you see posters you have marked as squelched.

 

Ed,

1. National pays for the background check not the council

 

2. You haven't the slightest idea who they have contracted with, or what their cost structure is. For all you know it is a corporate donation.

 

3. The possibility that duplicate reports are taking place is only a possibility. It is just as likely that the data system catches it.

 

4. Your pessimism and lack of facts is always anticipated if not ever appreciated.

 

I will be more carefull to sign in, so that we can both avoid this situation in the future.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Hunt 11]

"There is nothing you need to explain."

 

Since all the counselors are volunteers, when they ask me why they have to do this, I would prefer not to tell them that theirs is not to reason why, theirs is just to obey or take a walk. "Why do we need to do this?" is a simple question that ought to have a simple answer. You seem to be suggesting that the answer is, "BSA may not have done a background check on all unit Scouters, so

[Hunt 11]

"BSA may not have done a background check on all unit Scouters, so they want all MBCs to register again to ensure a background check is done." I have no problem with that, it it's the reason.

[Bob White 20]

No Hunt, it's that the BSA wants all adults with direct contact to youth to be be registered ad trained. This has always been the case, including merit badge counselors. Now that background checks are being done the BSA wants to make sure it is doing everything it can to protect its youth membership.

 

Why can't you just say that "in order to be a merit badge counselor you are required to register as such with the BSA. There is no charge just read and complete these two forms."

 

I do not understand your hesitation, or the need to go into further specifics with a counselor candidate or any other volunteer. They either want to do this or they don't. If they don't that's fine say thank you and move along.

[Eamonn 61]

Bob,

I am not sure what part a unit has to do with a Merit Badge Counselor?

We have Merit Badge Counselors on our list that have no unit affiliation what so ever.

In our district if you want to be a Merit Badge Counselor you fill out the Adult Application and the Application to be a Merit Badge Counselor. A person can choose if they want to be a Counselor for the entire District or just the unit. Merit Badge Counselors can pay the registration if they wish.

At rechartering time the entire list of Merit Badge Counselors is on the District Charter.

As I said earlier we ask that an adult application be completed for every position. I have no idea if these all go through the "System" again. To be honest I don't care. However I would think that if the system had given Eamonn the District Chair. The all clear when Eamonn came up again it wouldn't need to recheck Eamonn.

One reason we ask that everyone fills in an application for each and every position is that we were losing people. John Smith the ASM, is also a Unit Commissioner and because he is a cheap / frugal chap he has his primary registration with the Troop (They pay the membership fee.) We were falling short on Commissioners.

Eamonn.

[Bob White 20]

Hi Eamonn,

The advancement procedures of the BSA allow for units to recruit and train merit badge counselors for the District. The District or Council advancement committees (depending on how your council choices to administrate it) have the responsibility to approve or deny the application.

 

As you point out the counselor has the ability to choose to serve the entire council or just select scouts, and actually that is an unnecessary box to check since the counselor is a volunteer that can decline or accept to work with anyone they wish at anytime.

 

So while the counselor does not actually have a unit affiliation the units of a District share in the ability to recruit counselors for the scout of the specific unit or the District in general.

[Hunt 11]

Bob, HOW does registering with BSA twice protect the boys more? Is it, or is it not, because background checks may not have been done for the unit Scouters? If background checks have, in fact, already been done for all the unit Scouters, how are the scouts protected more by having the unit Scouters register again a second time? When I ask people to do something inconvenient, even if it is a minor convenience, I would prefer a reason that's a little better filled out than "because BSA says so." And isn't this registration information computerized anyway? How does having an additional registration form enhance recordkeeping? I just don't get it. But yes, we will all dutifully file the forms, even if we don't get any explanations.

 

[Bob White 20]

"HOW does registering with BSA twice protect the boys more?"

 

You don't even know if that is happening or not. Why are you concerned about something that:

A) Doesn't affect your ability to deliver the program.

B) May not be happening.

C) Has no negative consequences to anyone.

 

"If background checks have, in fact, already been done for all the unit Scouters, how are the scouts protected more by having the unit Scouters register again a second time?"

 

The better question is, how can it hurt. The worst that can happen is nothing new is discovered. The best that can happen is that information not previously on their record the first go around is now discovered and that person can be removed from direct youth contact in the program. So where would it be detrimental to the scout?

 

"How does having an additional registration form enhance recordkeeping?"

 

There is no such thing as a paperless office, even where there are computers. Most councils keep a hard file of registrations separated by unit ID and by membership classificiation.

 

So a hard file of MB Counselors in alpha order with their adult application and current merit badge applications are kept in most council offices.

 

"I would prefer a reason that's a little better filled out than "because BSA says so.".......

But yes, we will all dutifully file the forms, even if we don't get any explanations."

 

You pretty much answered that one yourself. Why do most rules exist? To please the needs of the people responsible for maintaining order in a society. Why Ten Commandments and not nine? Cuz them's the rules. If you choose to be a part of that society then you accept their rules.

 

BSA says ALL MB counselors need to have a a separate registration (period). Them's the rules.

 

Hope this helps,

Bob White

 

 

 

[evmori 11]

Hunt,

If the BSA says so, then it must be right! At least in BW's eyes! He follows whatever the BSA says blindly!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10(This message has been edited by evmori)

[Hunt 11]

Bob, do you actually know why BSA is requiring multiple registrations? If you do, is it a secret of some kind? If you don't know why they're doing this, it's certainly within your rights to assume they have a good reason for doing it. They probably do. But the semi-explanations I've heard don't make much sense--if they're trying to obtain new background checks for unit Scouters, why not just require background checks for everybody periodically, even if they've had one before?

[Bob White 20]

NO, it is not to get background checks on previously registered unit leaders. If they wanted that they would just require that.

 

What the BSA wants is a registration and background check on all merit badge counselors. Hence the requirement for all merit badge counselors to be registered. It really is just that simple.

[Hunt 11]

But...but...they already have a registration and background check for all merit badge counselors who are already registered for another position. Don't they? Why do they need another one? To rephrase this, what, if anything, is inadequate about the information that they already have for registered unit Scouters? Is the check they do for merit badge counselors somehow different from the check for other positions? This would be a good explanation. Are the records maintained by different segments of the BSA bureaucracy? This would be an understandable (although less good) explanation. But the mere statement that they need background checks for merit badge counselors is an explanation that makes little sense when applied to people for whom background checks have already been done.

[Bob White 20]

But Hunt,

Not all Merit Badge Counselors are unit leaders, and not all unit leaders have had criminal background checks due to the fact that background checks were not always mandated.

 

So the easiest way to achieve the goal of getting all merit badge counselors registered and checked is to require all merit badge counselors to register on the new applications.

 

What is the difficulty in understanding this?

 

[evmori 11]

It's redundant! The leader info is on file for those who were in the system prior to the mandate! Just do background checks on the info in the current system! Why force people to re-fill out applications?

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10