AEthelmearc Chancellor of Youth

          Baroness Clarice Roan - Chancellor                                                                             


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Æthelmearc Chancellor of Youth

The Laws and Policies of the Kingdom of Æthelmearc

AS XLIV (2009)

This office is a deputy office to the Kingdom of Æthelmearc Seneschal. The Office of the Chancellor of Youth will encourage and support safe and appropriate activities at sanctioned SCA events for children and their families to participate in. Youth Activities Officers at all levels are required to pass a background check per SCA policy.

All policies of the Chancellor of Youth will consider first and foremost the safety and welfare of the children within the kingdom during children's activities. Policies will also consider parental rights and responsibilities, and will be superceded by any of the following:

  1. Federal, State and Local Law.

  2. Policies of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. including their governing documents (known as Corpora) and the Policies of the Society Chancellor of Youth.

  3. Policies and Procedures of the Kingdom of Æthelmearc including legal edicts of the Crown and changes in policy necessitated by the Kingdom Seneschal.

I General Policies:

  1. The care and welfare of the youth within the Kingdom of Æthelmearc is the sole responsibility of their Parents or Guardians.

  2. No child aged 5 yrs or under should be left without continual super-vision by an appropriate adult (either a Parent/Guardian or their designee), including during planned children‘s activities. Children aged 6-12 may be supervised using the ―Sight and Sound Rule, which states that children should be in eyesight/earshot of the parent or designated adult or teenager (as determined by the parent.) The children should not be allowed to wander freely at official events and should be checked on periodically by the parent/guardian to ensure their safety and suitable behavior.

  3. Children's Officers are not babysitters, and as such it is expressly forbidden for ANY OFFICER of the SCA to assume responsibility for the welfare of any child other than their own or their "guest children", even during planned children's activities.

  4. Children under the age of 12 are not considered suitable babysitters by State Law in most of the areas covered by the Kingdom of Æthelmearc. Thus, it is policy in the entire Kingdom of Æthelmearc that Parents/Guardians must arrange for suitable childcare in the event of their absence while their children participate in SCA events.

II Responsibilities of Parents/Guardians at Events and Planned Activities

  1. Parents or legal guardians (or temporary guardians as recorded on the ―designated adult in charge of a minor form) are responsible for children brought to an event. Parents/guardians should be aware of their children‘s location and activities at all times while attending SCA functions. The ―sight and sound rule may be in effect for children aged 7-12, however, children are not permitted to wander freely at events.

  2. In the event that there are children exhibiting lewd, violent, or otherwise severely problematic behavior at organized activities, the responsible adult will be approached with courtesy and asked to remedy the situation. Per SCA policy :―SCA children‘s officers or other adults supervising children‘s activities have no authority to discipline or restrain children other than their own, unless the children are in immediate danger of hurting themselves or others. Children‘s Officers will not be held responsible for correcting the con-duct of children attending activities. Likewise, as parents and children must follow rules attendant to participation in events, Children‘s Officers are not responsible for children who leave activities unsupervised.

  3. Æthelmearc‘s children‘s activities at events are parent-supervised and coordinated by the Event Steward/local group Seneschal and the Youth Officer, where applicable. If the group has no Youth Officer, the person in charge of the youth activities must have a pass certificate through the SCA, and must follow all relevant policies and guidelines concerning minors and the running of activities. The ―2 Deep Rule will be in effect during all children‘s activities, or the activity will be cancelled.

  4. Parents are encouraged to notice which of the several styles of activities are being offered, so as to make better use of their talents and time:

    1. Safe-play area. This type of activity is entirely parent-run and will consist of a safe area wherein children can play either alone or with others. If no parents are present to supervise children, the activity is considered closed. This activity generally is for younger-aged children. Other adults or children may or may not share toys they have brought to the activity area at their own discretion.

    2. Timed craft or activity: This type of activity functions as a "class," and is over at a specified time. ―Parents/Guardians observing the sight/sound rule should be prepared to collect their children in a timely manner at the end of the activity.

    3. 3. Long-term activities: May consist of several "class" type activities, a group of materials children may explore at will over a period of time, or will simply be a progression of activities throughout the day or time period. Responsible Adults should check schedules to note whether or not activities will change locations at the event, or whether all activities are age-appropriate for their children.

III Responsibilities of Event Staff:

  1. Seneschals and Autocrats (Event Head): The Parent or Legal Guard-ian of ALL NON-MEMBER children must sign a Minor Waiver Form for children under 18 years of age, before admittance before the minor may be gained to an event. Please train Troll (admissions) personnel to ask for this paperwork and other necessary paperwork.

  2. Autocrat/Troll: If a minor child attends an event within the company of a responsible adult who is NOT their parent or legal guardian, the following paperwork must be submitted to the Troll prior to admittance:

    1. An SCA Waiver form and a Medical Authorization form, signed by the Child's Parent or legal Guardian (available from local Children's Officers, Local Seneschals and from http://www.sca.org/docs/waivers.html ).

    2. 2. A copy of a signed permission slip from the Parent or Legal guardian which contains the following information:

      1. The minor's Legal and SCA names

      2. Allergies or Medical conditions that need to be taken into ac-count by the accompanying responsible adult.

      3. c. The Parent or Legal Guardian's Legal Name, Address, Phone and the contact information regarding where they can be reached during the entire event time, in case of an emergency. The SCA inc. does not accept responsibility or liability for the treatment of the child in the case of an emergency or medical need. It is the responsibility of the responsible adult to seek the permission for treatment from the Parent or Legal Guardian, and to act accordingly.

    3. Autocrats should take into consideration what space may be most appropriate for children's activities and coordinate with the Local/designated Children's Officer to determine specific needs and en-sure compliance with the SCA Children‘s Activities guidelines. Activities and activity areas are encouraged to meet or exceed these standards:

      1. Bathrooms are near the proposed area, so that children can visit them on their own.

      2. No unsafe feature of the room/area will endanger the children.

      3. The room or area is close enough to the center of event activi-ties that it will be easy for the parent to participate without giving up other event activities. The ideal space for children's activities is in or near the center of event activities, but it is understood that site circumstances may vary.

      4. Sufficient tables and chairs exist so that the children can easily complete crafts and projects.

      5. Funds have been provided for the children's activities (suggested: a minimum of $30.00).

      6. Children's activities and the policies of those activities (time schedule, special needs, call for parent volunteers, etc.) are a part of the published event schedule.

      7. A warranted youth officer and at least 2 responsible people are present to run the activities. These can be parents, volunteers, or other officers.

      8. If activities are outside for a prolonged time, sufficient shelter should be available so that the children will not sunburn and if necessary are sheltered from the weather.

IV Responsibility of Local Children's Officers:

  1. Organize and help implement appropriate children's and family activities.

  2. Encourage and support others to integrate children and family activities in their field of interest at SCA events and meetings. Such support could include: Pages School, Guild activity, classes, craft sessions, games, etc...

  3. Reports: Local Children's Officer Reports will consist of a description of activities at local events, specifically listing any good ideas and successful activities, the number and approximate ages of children attending specific activities, and a detail of any problems encountered. Such reports are due within 2 weeks of an event, and can either be shared with the members of ae_chancellor-minors list serve or can be sent privately to the Kingdom Chancellor of Youth.

  4. Become Warranted and Re-warranted. Warrants (affirmation of holding office) will occur at the discretion of the Kingdom Chancellor of Youth. To be warranted, proposed children's officers should submit complete Contact Information, Proof of Membership (copy of membership card or Aestel label), a letter from the local Seneschal affirming election/appointment, and a letter stating that the pro-posed officer does indeed want the position. Re-warranting occurs every year. Proof of Membership is to be submitted each May 1 after initial warranting.

  5. Ensure that event and meeting facilities for children's activities are appropriate and safe for children, and that planned activities are appropriate for children.

V Removal of Local Children's Officers

Local Children's Officers serve at the discretion of the Superior Kingdom Officers: Kingdom Chancellor of Youth and Kingdom Seneschal. Any children's officer who does not comply with reporting procedures, who falls out of contact with the Kingdom Chancellor of Youth office for a pro-longed period of time, who does not honor the responsibilities of the office, or who experiences recurring difficulty working with children and/or their families OR the officers of their local group, can be removed from office. A local Seneschal may contact the Kingdom Chancellor of Youth in writing to express concerns. It is the responsibility of the Kingdom Chancellor of Youth to contact the local children's officer in question, and to address the situation to the satisfaction of the parties involved. In the event that the Æthelmearc Chancellor of Youth cannot remedy the situation to the satisfaction of the parties involved, the Æthelmearc Chancellor of Youth will contact the Kingdom Seneschal for help in accomplishing resolution.

These policies will be revised as need arises, to best serve the youth and families of Æthelmearc.


The Laws and Policies of the Kingdom of Æthelmearc

AS XLIV (2009)