Mount Baker Council Merit Badge Policy

Mount Baker Council, BSA

Council Advancement Committee
Policy and Procedures

Merit Badges

The following are official policies and procedures of the Mount Baker Council, Boy
Scouts of America and shall apply to all registered members and units of the Council.

Procedures for Boy Scouts
1. Any registered Boy Scout, Varsity Scout or qualified Venturer may earn
  merit badges until his 18th birthday.
  1. It is the responsibility of a scout’s unit leader to assess a scouts
    physical, educational or emotional readiness to complete the
    requirements of a given merit badge.
  2. There is no maximum time limit, other than a scout’s 18th birthday,
    for completion of the requirements for any merit badge.
2. The scout must obtain an “Application for Merit Badge” (Blue Card),
  signed by his unit leader prior to beginning work on any merit badge.
  1. Summer Camps and sanctioned merit badge clinics may elect to
    use an alternate form to facilitate group instruction.
  2. Alternate forms shall be approved by the Council Advancement
    Committee.
3. The scout obtains a referral to a registered Merit Badge Counselor.
  1. Registered Merit Badge Counselor lists are maintained by each
    District and disseminated regularly to units in the District.
  2. It is the responsibility of the Unit leader or Unit Committee to
    assure that the scout is referred to a properly registered Merit
    Badge counselor.
  3. Unit leaders should strive to have scouts work with a variety of
    different merit badge counselors during their scouting career.
  4. A scout may be counseled by his parent as long as the parent is a
    registered merit badge counselor for that merit badge, and subject
    to subsection iii above.
4. The scout makes an appointment to meet with the merit badge counselor.
  1. Meetings between merit badge counselors and youth shall follow
    all Youth Protection and Guide to Safe Scouting guidelines.
5. When all requirements for the merit badge are completed:
  1. The Merit Badge Counselor completes the Application for Merit
    Badge (Blue Card) indicating that all requirements have been
    completed.
  2. The completed blue card is returned to the scout
  3. The scout presents the blue card to his unit advancement chair.
Procedures for Units
1. Unit Leaders and Unit Advancement Committees shall maintain a current
  list of registered Merit Badge Counselors.
  1. This list shall be obtained through the District Advancement
    Committee.
  2. Merit Badge Counselors not properly registered as a Merit Badge
    Counselor shall not be used. This includes adult volunteers
    registered in other scouting positions but not registered for the
    specific Merit Badge the scout is seeking.
2. Unit Leaders must sign a scout’s application for merit badge (Blue Card)
  prior to the scout being referred to a merit badge counselor.
3. Units may conduct group merit badge sessions so long as a properly
  registered merit badge counselor for that merit badge leads the group
  session.
  1. Each participating scout must be approved by the unit leader and
    possess a signed blue card.
4. Units shall not conduct boards of review or additional testing for merit
  badges.
  1. It may be appropriate, during a board of review for rank
    advancement, for a unit to inquire as to a scouts experiences or
    growth associated with merit badges earned, however this shall not
    constitute additional testing, nor shall the unit withhold a merit
    badge or require additional work in order to receive it.
5. When a scout submits a completed Blue Card, the Unit Advancement
  Committee shall complete an advancement report, either a paper copy or
  the online report. They must then bring a copy of the report with blue
  cards attached (or a quality photocopy thereof), a copied page of the
  current merit badge counselor list with the counselor’s name highlighted,
  and submit the package to the council service center to obtain the merit
  badge award.
  1. After Sept 1, 2010 the Council Service Centers will not accept
    advancement reports that are not accompanied by completed blue
    cards (or approved alternatives as in section I. B (i) above).
  2. After May 1, 2011 the Council Service Centers will not accept blue
    cards signed by unregistered merit badge counselors.
  3. Scouts are encouraged to keep a copy of each completed blue card
    for their records. This is especially critical if a scout transfers from
    unit to unit or Council to Council.
Procedures for the District Committee

Merit Badge Counselor is a function of and reports to either the District or
Council Advancement Committee.
1. The District Advancement Committee is responsible for the
  following:
  1. Assessment of the District’s need for merit badge
    counselors
    1. Districts should avoid simply registering every
      person who applies as a merit badge counselor.
    2. District need for counselors in any given merit
      badge should take into consideration:
      1. District size (number of boys and units)
      2. District geography (how far a boy might
        need to travel to meet with a counselor)
      3. The demand for the merit badge
      4. The number of active, qualified counselors
        already available for that merit badge
  2. Recruiting and maintaining an adequate amount of trained Merit Badge Counselors
    1. Districts should strive to have a minimum of 2-3
      qualified, registered counselors for each merit
      badge.
  3. Merit Badge Counselor Application and Approval Process
    (see attached matrix Registration, Re-Registration and
    Approval of Merit Badge Counselors)
    1. All Merit Badge Counselor applicants shall
      complete the Merit Badge Counselor Information
      Form #34405
    2. Standard Adult Applications (BSA form 28-501)
      must be completed on all initial merit badge
      counselor applications if the applicant is not already
      a registered scouting volunteer in another position.
      1. All forms shall be turned in to the Council
        Service Center and forwarded to the Council
        Registrar and Scout Executive or designee
        for approval of the adult application.
      2. Volunteers who submit an application to
        become a merit badge counselor shall be
        given an acknowledgement communication
        from the council registrar that includes:
        
        A “thank-you” for their interest and
        application;
        
        An explanation of the approval
        process;
        
        Notification of the training
        requirements for the position;
        
        Notification that they may not begin
        counseling youth until their
        approval, as communicated by the
        district advancement chair or
        designee, and training process has
        been completed.
    3. No merit badge counselor may work with youth
      until their application has been fully processed,
      approved (including the adult application and
      background check), and the counselor has
      completed Merit Badge Counselor training and
      Youth Protection Training.
    4. Upon completion of the adult application approval
      process the Scout Executive or designee shall sign
      the Adult Application. All materials pertaining to
      the Merit Badge Counselor Application will be
      scanned and e-mailed to the District Advancement
      Committee for processing of the Merit Badge
      Counselor Application form.
      1. As the Merit Badge Counselor is a District level
        position.
      2. The District review process should assure
        that Merit Badge Counselor applicants are
        vocationally or avocationally qualified for
        every merit badge applied for.
      3. If the applicant has not completed Youth
        Protection training and Merit Badge
        Counselor training the District Committee
        shall notify him/her of the requirement to
        complete those courses before being
        approved to work with youth.
        
        The applicant should provide
        relevant proof of training to the
        District Advancement Committee.
    5. Upon approval of the merit badge information form
      by the District Advancement Committee, the
      Committee shall notify the Council Registrar which
      badges they have been approved for and to input
      them into Scoutnet, and the volunteer shall be
      contacted, by the District Advancement Committee,
      to insure that they have taken all required training.
      At which point the District Advancement
      Committee should notify the Merit Badge
      Counselor that their application has been approved
      and that they may start counseling youth in the
      assigned merit badge(s).
  4. Maintaining and disseminating a current list of registered
    Merit Badge Counselors.
    1. The Council Registrar shall develop a Scoutnet
      Report listing all registered Merit Badge Counselors
      by District and Merit Badge.
    2. District Advancement Committees shall obtain
      updated merit badge counselor lists from the
      registrar at least quarterly. These lists shall be
      disseminated to the Unit Leader and/or Unit
      Advancement Committee of every registered Boy
      Scout troop, Varsity Team and Venturing Crew in
      the District.
    3. Merit Badge Counselor lists shall not be posted on
      Council, District or Unit web sites.
    4. The District Advancement Committee shall follow
      up on complaints of inaccurate information
      contained in the merit badge counselor list.
  5. Renewal of Merit Badge Counselor Registrations
    1. Merit Badge Counselor is an annual District level
      position and renews or expires on the District
      registration cycle (May-April).
    2. Prior to April 1 of each year the District
      Advancement Committee shall contact each
      registered merit badge counselor to determine:
      1. If the Counselor is still active;
      2. If the Counselor wishes to renew his/her
        registration for the upcoming year;
      3. If there have been any changes to the
        Counselor’s contact information (address,
        phone, email);
      4. If the Counselor wishes to add or delete
        merit badges from the list they are approved
        to counsel.
    3. Merit Badge counselors who are not re-registered
      shall be notified in writing by the District
      Advancement Committee that their registration has
      lapsed and that they are not to counsel youth unless
      they are properly re-registered.
    4. The District Advancement Committee shall update
      the merit badge counselor list with the above
      information and submit it to the District Chairman
      for inclusion in the District recharter.
      1. This shall happen no later than April 1 of
        each year.

Processes for approval of Merit Badge Counselor:

Adult & Merit Badge Applications filled out by Counselor
Forms get turned into District Executive/Council Offices.
A Standardized e-mail (III 3 B ii) sent by the Council Registrar/District Executive (if
Skagit or Island) to applicant.
Adult Application is reviewed/signed by the District Executive.
Merit Badge Application & supporting documents scanned & E-mailed to the District
Advancement Committee.
District Advancement Committee approves/denies each merit badge on the application.
District Advancement Committee communicates with registrar as to their decisions.
Registrar posts them, or doesn’t, to scoutnet.
District Advancement Committee communicates with applicant about decision & insures training completed.
If training is not completed instruct them to get training before they get approval to
council.
Merit Badge Counselor is ready to meet with kids.

Merit Badge Process:

Scout gets card.
Scout talks with Scoutmaster.
Scout gets name from Scoutmaster/Advancement Chair in unit
Scout contacts Merit Badge Counselor.
Scout Meets with Merit Badge Counselor.
Scout completes requirements for the badge.
Merit Badge Counselor signs card.
Cards go to Scout, Unit, and the Merit Badge Counselor.
Unit when given copy makes an Advancement Report.
Unit brings in Advancement Report, blue cards, and page with the Merit Badge Counselor’s name highlighted
If Units is using the paper form, bring in original, if the unit is using the online form print
off copy to sign and bring in.
Office collects blue cards to be held in the office.
A monthly random audit will be preformed by the District Advancement Team.
All cards will be placed back into the Unit mail boxes.

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