Youth Protection

YOUTH PROTECTION BEGINS WITH YOU!

Scouting is a place where young people can come together for fun in a safe environment. We take this seriously! The Scouting America and the State of Pennsylvania have strict requirements when working with youth. Background clearances required by Pennsylvania law are good for five years.

An updated Youth Safety Fact Sheet can be found here.

TO SERVE AS A REGISTERED ADULT LEADER IN THE SCOUTING AMERICA, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DO THE FOLLOWING:

Complete a BSA Adult Volunteer Application and give approval for a background check.

Go to www.my.scouting.org and take Youth Protection Training. Once you have completed the training, please print out the certificate and attach it to your application. You are required to complete this training every two years.

Successfully complete the mandatory PA Clearance checks.

Once you have completed and received all the required clearances upload them here.

UPDATED YOUTH PROTECTION TRAINING

Over the past 115 years, the Scouting America have instilled the values of the Scout Oath and Law in millions of youth, preparing them to make ethical decisions while facilitating a secure environment for their development. Safe Scouting practices and youth protection are at the heart of the Scouting America and the Laurel Highlands Council’s mission.

In order to continue providing a safe and secure environment for today’s youth, the Scouting America have developed a new version of the Youth Protection Training program taken by all volunteer and staff. The new training, which is fully supported and endorsed by the Laurel Highlands Council, launched to the public this month.

Here are three things you need to know about the launch of the new YPT2:

What is Youth Protection Training 2 (YPT2)?

Youth Protection Training 2 (YPT2) is the new youth protection training for the Scouting America that covers all programs within the Scouting America. YPT2 is a comprehensive training that covers a variety of best practices for preventing, identifying and dealing with abuse.

Who is required to be YPT2 trained?

All registered adult leaders and volunteers and any adult who will attend an activity that lasts 72 hours or longer. All Scouting America employees. All registered adults must also obtain their Pennsylvania State Background Clearances.

How do I complete YPT2 training?

YPT2 can be accessed by logging into my.scouting.org. Once logged in, click on the youth protection logo and continue to follow the prompts until the training begins. YPT2 includes three learning modules followed by a 25-question assessment; total time to complete is 60-75 minutes.

MANDATED REPORTING

Every adult, regardless if you are a parent, a registered leader, or a volunteer, is a Mandated Reporter. If you suspect abuse, report it. If you hear something that could be abusive, report it. If someone tells you they were abused, report it.

If you suspect or know of abuse but don’t report it, you are liable and be charged a large fine or go to jail. Any person making a good faith report is protected.

If you see abuse happening, call the police immediately.

There are two ways to report abuse: Call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 or Report electronically.

REPORTING CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT

Trained specialists are available 24/7 to receive referrals of suspected child abuse and general child well-being concerns. Mandated reporters are certain adults, who are legally required to report suspected child abuse if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child abuse. The law requires that the mandated reporter identify themselves and where they can be reached. In addition to having documentation that the report was made, this information is also helpful so that if clarification on the situation or additional information is needed, the children and youth caseworker can contact the mandated reporter.

Mandated reporters may report by telephone or electronically through the Child Welfare Portal. In addition, permissive reporters are individuals who are encouraged to report suspected child abuse, although not required by law. Permissive reporters can make a report at any time they suspect a child is the victim of child abuse. Permissive reporters may report anonymously. Permissive reporters can report by telephone by calling 1-800-932-0313.

Once you have made your report, please contact the Scout executive at 412-471-2927 and provide them with the report number and/or person you talked to. This will allow the SE to take additional steps that Scouting requires.

Thank you for your dedication to protect our youth.

Pennsylvania Clearances and Verification Forms

Who needs background clearances?

Pennsylvania laws requiring mandatory background checks require many Scouting volunteers to get two (possibly three) background checks. These clearances must be renewed every five years.

Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.

Once you have completed and received your clearances, you must upload all three of the state required copies to here. For additional information on the state required documents, go to keepkidssafe.pa.gov.

If you need assistance or have questions, please contact the council registrar by phone at 412-471-2927.

What Clearances Are Needed and What Do They Cost?

Pennsylvania State Police Response for Criminal Background Check – Free
Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance – Free
FBI Fingerprint-Based Record Check – $22.60
Volunteers who have lived in PA for at least the past 10 consecutive years may complete the Laurel Highlands Council Residency waiver in lieu of the FBI Fingerprint-Based Record Check.

How Long Does It Take to Obtain Clearances?

Some of the clearances come back within a few minutes but it could take up to four weeks. The online application process depends on several factors but could take an hour or more in total.

How Does a Person Apply for the Clearances?

The Department of Human Services clearances page has all of the state information and links needed.

If I Already Have Current Clearances, Can I Use Those for Scouting?

Clearances are transferable for volunteers. Clearances are good for five years from the date they were obtained so if you recently completed the background checks for another organization, you can use them for your Scouting position as well.

PA State Police Criminal Background Check (PSP)

The fastest (and easiest) way to obtain your PSP clearance is to go to the Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History (PATCH) website and apply for the criminal record check online with the Pennsylvania State Police. You will need your social security number.

If you prefer not to submit your request online, please print out this form (SP4 164A) and mail it to the address indicated. If you have questions about the Pennsylvania State Police Request for Criminal Record Check form for volunteers, please call: (717) 783-9973 or toll-free at (1-888) 783-7972.

PA Child Abuse History Clearance

The Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance can be submitted through the Child Welfare Information Solution (CWIS) self-service portal. Submitting an application online allows individual applicants to receive their results through an automated system that will notify them once their results have been processed. Applicants will be able to view and print their results online. You will need to create an account and then fill out the application. You will also need a list of everywhere you have lived since 1975 and everyone you’ve lived with. Results will be received more quickly if applied for electronically through the self-service portal.

If you prefer not to submit your request online, please print out this form (CY113) and mail it to the address indicated.

For questions related to the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance, please contact the ChildLine Verification Unit at (717) 783-6211 or toll-free at (1-877) 371-5422.

Fingerprint-Based FBI Criminal History Clearance

Estimated cost – $22.60

The commonwealth contracts with IDEMIA (also referred to as IdentoGo or MorphoTrust) for digital fingerprinting. You can register with IDEMIA and be fingerprinted at an IdentoGo site. The fingerprint-based background check is a multi-step process.

For questions about FBI clearances, contact the ChildLine Verification Unit at (717) 783-6211 or (1-877) 371-5422. For IDEMIA registration, processing, or billing questions, please contact IDEMIA/IdentoGo at (1-844) 321-2101.

For more information and to begin the registration process, go to www.identogo.com and use the code 1KG6ZJ.

This clearance requires you to visit one of the authorized fingerprinting locations. The link above gives a list of locations and the identification a person must bring with them to the fingerprinting site.

Do you have all of your clearances?

If you are ready to upload, click here.

Still need some help? Check out the How-To-Guide here.