BSAC Membership Information - DO Advice - Lost QRB

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR DIVING OFFICERS WHEN REPLACING A MEMBERS LOST QUALIFICATION RECORD BOOK

Should a member have the misfortune to lose his / her BSAC Qualification Record Book, the following steps should be taken to obtain a replacement.

The member should first apply to their Branch for a replacement. The Branch DO or Membership Secretary should apply to the BSAC Mailshop for either blue QRB or a new QRB binder and contents as appropriate, explaining the loss and giving the name and membership number of the member who requires the replacement. In the case of a replacement binder QRB the BSAC Mailshop will need to know what diver grade the member has achieved as a special replacement Qualification page will be supplied. The BSAC Mailshop will enter the members name and membership number on page 1 before despatching the QRB to the Branch. Any costs are to be met by the member (Costs for a replacement QRB can be obtained from the BSAC Mailshop).
From Branch training records, the Branch should be able to enter dates of original training, assessments and award of qualifications. While the signatures of those who originally signed the record may no longer be available, that of the present Branch Diving Officer is an acceptable alternative. The words 'Replacement Qualification Record' should appear clearly on each training record and the Replacement Qualification page also endorsed by the DO and the Branch stamp.
If the Branch does not keep detailed training record which allow the above action to be taken, or the information is not available for any reason, the Branch should be able to:

Review Branch Committee Minutes, which should contain a record of when qualifications were issued to members.
Find members of the Branch who can remember training the member and can vouch for qualifications achieved.

In either case, the following text - or words to the same effect - should be written over the training record pages of the replacement QRB, or onto an adhesive label that can then be applied to those pages. (This sort of statement on a computer generated adhesive address label is ideal):

Replacement Qualification Record Book
....(Name)..... originally trained while a member
of ....(Name of Branch).... BSAC, where he/she
qualified as a ...(title of highest qualification
gained)... in ...(date)...

............................
Branch Diving Officer

The Branch Diving Officer can then sign up the appropriate qualification certificate pages in the usual way, but showing the original date of qualification.

4 Members and Branches should note that BSAC HQ does not keep definitive records of training or qualifications gained by members within their Branch so is unable to provide information needed to prepare a replacement QRB. All HQ can do is confirm current membership and the qualification held (if such information was given) on the last membership renewal form. HQ keeps a 'Lapsed Member' file that started in 1991, but has no records of any members prior to that date.

5. BSAC HQ does keep registers of members who gain the nationally awarded qualifications of BSAC First Class Diver and Club, Open Water, Advanced and National Instructor, so can thus confirm that members achieved the appropriate diver grade entry level to take these examinations. HQ can also supply replacement Qualification Record Book Certificates for First Class Diver and Instructor grades.

6. BSAC HQ also keeps records of members' attendance at Skill Development Courses after 1st April 1996, and can issue replacement SDC certification. Independent confirmation of attendance is needed for SDCs run before 1st April 1996.

7. Persons who learned to dive at a BSAC School should apply to that School for evidence of training undertaken - but the School will not be able to provide confirmation of training received elsewhere.

8. Under BSAC Rules, the Club is not obliged to provide replacement QRBs or confirm that BSAC qualifications were gained by persons whose BSAC membership has lapsed. Thus, BSAC will not issue a replacement Qualification Record Book to a non-member. However, where former qualifications can be proved, plastic Qualification Cards will be sold to lapsed members or HQ is willing to issue a 'To whom it may concern' letter confirming that BSAC qualifications were gained in the past.

Guarding against the inconvenience of Qualification Record Book loss
A Qualification Record Book is likely to be your only record of diver training and qualification. Look after it. QRBs are not waterproof - keep it in a waterproof bag or container. As each BSAC qualification is gained, it is a wise safeguard to take a photocopy of the training record and certificate pages and keep it safely so that, in the event of loss, a new QRB can quickly and accurately be compiled. Routine use of the plastic BSAC Diver Qualification Card as evidence of qualification reduces wear and tear on your QRB, prolongs its life and reduces the risk of loss.

Novice Divers who have not completed Sports Diver training
Following the change to the Club and Sports Diver Training Programme in April 1998, existing qualified Novice Divers were given a year to complete their training up to Sports Diver. This transition period is now over and it is not appropriate for Branches or Schools to complete a student's training to the pre-October 2002 Sports Diver system. The BSAC recognises that some Novice Divers may not have been able to complete Sports Diver training by the published deadline. Rather than require them to retrain to the new Ocean diver programme, the most reasonable action would be to obtain a new Ocean diver QRB, and for the Branch Diving Officer to 'map over' the elements of Ocean diver they have completed as Novice Divers, and for the member then to complete any remaining Ocean diver lessons. However, if a long interval has elapsed since they qualified as Novice Diver, full retraining as an Ocean Diver might be appropriate.

To obtain a new Ocean Diver QRB, the branch should return the members existing QRB to the BSAC Mailshop, together with the appropriate payment.
The Mailshop will then enter the member's name and Membership number into the new QRB and attach a sticker to the 'old' Novice QRB to indicate it has been replaced by a new one. Both QRBs will then be returned to the member. The member should then pass them to the Branch Diving Officer who should 'map over' elements of completed training into the new QRB. The member will then be able to complete their training for Ocean and Sports Diver in the usual way.

It is strongly recommended that prior to sending any QRB to HQ that photocopies be taken of all relevant pages, to safeguard against loss of these valuable records

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Page last modified: 2nd Nov 2006 - 10:03:04