[MR] Society Notice

[Amy Heilveil]

seneschal at sca.org wrote:
> The SCA has long had a policy of parents being ultimately responsible for
> their children at SCA activities. We have policies in place prohibiting a
> single adult from being alone in supervising youth that are not their
> children by birth or legal document. These have not sufficed to prevent
> harm to some of our minor participants at the hands of adult participants.
> Since 2002, there have been 88 revocation and denial of membership
> decisions rendered by the Board of Directors. 29 of these have been for
> conviction of predatory crimes. 24 of these have been with regard to abuse
> of minors. It would seem clear that the old policies are not sufficient to
> protect our minor participants. Any number greater than zero of these
> incidents is profoundly unacceptable.
>
> There are many organizations similar to the SCA in that they have
> well-defined programs for minor participants. These organizations conduct
> a due-diligence check of volunteers who would like to be in positions of
> control, teaching, or supervision of minor participants. The vast majority
> of these organizations vet possible volunteers via background check. There
> are a variety of methods used.
>
> The SCA feels a responsibility to the wellbeing of our minor participants
> and will implement a program of background checks to enhance their safety.
>
> Some Questions and answers about this endeavor follow:
>
> Q: Are Kingdoms required to implement the Society policy?
> A: Once upheld by the Board of Directors, the Kingdoms will have a
> timeline to implement the policy or cease offering youth-activity
> programs.
>
> Q: I had a background check for work. Can you just use that?
> A: No. All checks for this program will be performed according to the same
> criteria and by the same vendor for all participants. The vendor is a
> licensed, bonded provider of background examinations.
>
> Q: Will the SCA be privy to specific details of my background, whether I
> pass the exam or not?
> A: No. The SCA will only receive a pass or a fail notice from the
> background-examination provider.
>
> Q: Will my personal information be exposed to other SCA participants?
> A: No. Information is provided directly to the vendor in order to perform
> the background examination, and does not go through the SCA.
>
> Q: How long is my pass status good for?
> A: It is planned that the pass status will be good for two years.
>
> Q: Will all existing officers have to be checked?
> A: All officers/volunteers with supervisory positions, teaching, or direct
> control of minor participants – new or existing – would require a
> background examination.
>
>
>
>
> +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
> | To: sca-seneschal | From: <seneschal at sca.org>
> | Mailing list for the Kingdom and Deputy Seneschals of the SCA
> +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>