Reminder - 30 days to renew Safe Sanctuary

At the same time that BSA is requiring all Scouters to take the new Youth Protection course in order to have a current YPT certification, our Chartering Organization, Keller United Methodist Church, is requiring all adults who work with youth to renew their Safe Sanctuary certification.

Adult leaders who are Safe Sanctuary certified will be receiving letters from Keller United Methodist Church concerning the upcoming global Safe Sanctuary renewal. As part of this renewal, all Safe Sanctuary volunteers will be required to do a new background check, and are being asked to pay the $15 fee to process the background check. The reason for this $15 fee is it is a blanket renewal, involving hundreds of volunteers at once, and the large cost is not in the church budget.

These renewals must be done before October 31, 2018, or the Safe Sanctuary volunteer will be taken off the roster and must start the entire process over, including references. 

For those who are unaware of Safe Sanctuary, this is another level of youth protection that is required of our Troop by our Charter Organization. As a reminder, we must comply with Keller UMC policy for Safe Sanctuary rules at every Scout meeting, campout, trip, function, etc., so we need as many of our volunteers as possible to be Safe Sanctuary-certified.

If you are a current Safe Sanctuary volunteer, and you renew prior to October 31, you will not be required to submit references.

The process to renew is as follows:

1. Read the Child/Youth Protection Policy, which can be found on the Safe Sanctuary page at kellerumc.org under Quick Links, Safe Sanctuary. If you are not able to access the policy, stop by the church office and request a copy. 
2. View the Safe Sanctuary Training Presentation. The presentation is a video available on the Safe Sanctuary page of the website. 
3. Print and sign the Authorization for Information/Criminal Background Report, the Participation Covenant Statement and the Compliance with Attendance Policy Form and return all three signed documents to the church office. 

Forms can also be submitted to Kathy Warren at an upcoming Troop meeting. You can pay the $15 background check fee online by clicking the link on the Safe Sanctuary page of the website, or you can give a check to our troop Safe Sanctuary representative, Kathy Warren. If you have questions, you can email Kathy at warren0698@yahoo.com