Q: What Are the Youth Protection Certification Requirements for Counselors and Facilitators

Q: What are the Youth Protection Certification Requirements for Counselors and Facilitators of Scouting Catholic Religious Emblems?

BSA Youth Protection

ACCS requires that all AAD counselors and PP XII facilitators have current youth protection training and follow the requirements for youth protection defined in the guide to safe scouting. The following information will assist adults, parents and leaders in maintaining this certification level in order to help keep our youth protected and safe.

Guide to Safe Scouting link:

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss01.aspx

Online training link:

http://training.nsbsa.org/info/OnlineTraining.aspx

The online training link will ask the participant to create a MyScouting account if they do not already have one. Choose a username and follow the prompts. One screen will ask whether you are a registered BSA member and with what council the participant taking the training is associated and their member number. (If you don't have your member number, call the council service center, ask to speak with a registrar, and the registrar can look it up for you.)

Once you've chosen to accept the Terms of Use, you can create your account. The site will then automatically log you off and send to the email address you provideda link to set yourpassword. Set your password and you’ll be able to log in and begin taking training.

Keep track of your username and password, so that you'll be able to log back in to update your training when it is due.

VIRTUS

Virtus certification is not a requirement of the ACCS at this time. However, most parishes that sponsor scouting units require volunteers working with scouting youth to receive this certification in addition to BSA youth protection. Check with your local unit or parish for their youth protection expectations. It’s never a bad idea to go ahead and take Virtus training.

Most parishes in the Archdiocese offer Virtus training at least once a year. Any parent, counselor or facilitator can attend a Virtus training at their local parish.

Parents, counselors, and facilitators may go to the Archdiocesan web site to see when Virtus training is offered and where. From a web browser go to http://www.archspm.org/departments/pcyi/virtus.php and click the link to find “Current VIRTUS Sessions”. This page displays all Virtus sessions schedule in the Archdiocese of St Paul & Minneapolis. From here you can sign up for a session.

For more information Virtus in the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis, contact Rita Beatty, PCYI Coordinator at (651) 251-7742. For additional Youth Protection staff contact information, see the Protection of Children and Youth Initiative (PCYI) web site (http://www.archspm.org/departments/pcyi/staff.php)