After thorough discussion and review, the ACA National Standards Commission felt it appropriate to change the status of two current accreditation standards to "mandatory" status and add a mandatory standard specific to camps that serve rental groups. This means that all currently accredited camps will need to come into compliance with these standards for the 2019 season.
The two standards that have been moved to mandatory status are:
SF.3 Contact with Local Officials. The slightly revised standards states: Does the camp make annual contact with all applicable local emergency officials to notify them of the camp’s dates of operation and relevant scope of programming (including items such as clients served, significant elements of the program, and overview of the facilities)?
As more camps are being impacted by severe weather and other natural disasters (such as forest fires), establishing the relationship with local officials becomes even more critical.
HW.19 Medication Storage and Administration. HW.19.1 Does the camp require: A. All drugs to be stored under lock except when in the controlled possession of the person responsible for administering them; B. For prescription drugs—they are given only under the specific directions of a licensed physician; C. For nonprescription drugs—they are given per the camp’s written procedures (see standards HW.11 and HW.12) or under the signed instruction of the parent or guardian or the individual’s physician?
The added standard is in HW.28 Health Information.
The following part has been added to this standard: HW.28.2: Does the camp require short-term resident camps and/or advise rental group leaders to store and lock all medication (both prescription and over-the-counter) except when in the controlled possession of the person responsible for administering them?
As more participants bring medication to camp, the potential of “sharing” medication or someone “borrowing” medication becomes greater. Locking of all medication can help prevent this from occurring to some extent.
"Pull and replace" pages that include the revisions and mandatory status for these two standards for the Accreditation Process Guide, 2012 Edition are available on the ACA website. These three standards are part of the newly revised 2019 standards.
