Safeguarding Youth Training (SYT) & PA ACT 15 Clearances
To assist unit leadership in maintaining the required standards for Scouting America safeguarding youth training, Washington Crossing Council enacted the following changes went into effect on April 15, 2024.
PA Act 15 Reminders: For units meeting in Pennsylvania, the council digitized PA Act 15 clearance records and will be able to proactively remind individuals of a pending expiration.
Unit Key 3 Notification: Approximately 45 days before an individual’s SYT or PA Act 15 clearance expires, the council will send a reminder message to the individual volunteer and copy the unit key three. This is in addition to the 30/60/90 reminders about SYT that an individual volunteer receives from the Scouting America national office.
Suspension: Recognizing the importance of being fully compliant with Scouting America policy and PA state law, individuals with expired SYT or PA Act 15 clearance will be suspended from their Scouting America roles. This will happen immediately after expiration, and unit leadership will be notified. The suspended individual should refrain from being involved in Scouting America until the suspension is lifted by completing the necessary training or clearance.
Record Clean Up: Through some instructions in the notification messages, unit leadership will be able to alert the council that that someone has left the unit and remove them from the unit’s rolls mid-year.
Online Registration: At the same time as applying to be an adult leader, new adults must take SYT and submit Act 15 clearances. All can be done online. Someone who does not complete these items will be treated in the same way as a person with an expired training/certification.
Reminder - Criminal Background Checks: New adult applicants and unit leadership will receive a message that an applicant has received a clean (or “green”) background check or if it is flagged (or “red”). New applicants may not function in a leadership role until a “green” CBC message has been received.