Youth Protection

True youth protection can be achieved only through the focused commitment of everyone in Scouting. It is the mission of Youth Protection volunteers and professionals to work within Scouts, BSA to maintain a culture of Youth Protection awareness and safety at the national, regional, area, council, district, and unit levels.

The "three R’s" of Youth Protection convey a simple message for the personal awareness of our youth members:

• Recognize that anyone could be an abuser.

• Respond when someone is doing something that goes against your gut or against the safety guidelines.

• Report attempted or actual abuse or any activity that you think is wrong to a parent or other trusted adult.

Youth Protection policies apply to in-person as well as online activities.

All persons involved in Scouting shall report to local authorities any good-faith suspicion or belief that any child is or has been physically or sexually abused, physically or emotionally neglected, exposed to any form of violence or threat, exposed to any form of sexual exploitation, including the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child pornography, online solicitation, enticement, or showing of obscene material. You may not abdicate this reporting responsibility to any other person.

The Boy Scouts of America takes great pride in the quality of our adult leadership. Being a leader in the BSA is a privilege, not a right. The quality of the program and the safety of our youth members call for high-quality adult leaders. We work closely with our chartered organizations to help recruit the best possible leaders for their units.

The adult application requests background information that should be checked by the unit committee or the chartered organization before accepting an applicant for unit leadership. While no current screening techniques exist that can identify every potential child abuser, we can reduce the risk of accepting a child abuser by learning all we can about an applicant for a leadership position—his or her experience with children, why he or she wants to be a Scout leader, and what discipline techniques he or she would use.

There are two types of Youth Protection–related reporting procedures all volunteers must follow:

• When you witness or suspect any child has been abused or neglected.

• When you witness a violation of the BSA’s Youth Protection policies.