Youth Protection
Youth Protection & Adult Leadership
The BSA has adopted the following policies to provide additional security for our members. These policies are primarily for the protection of our youth members; however, they also serve to protect our adult leaders from false accusations of abuse. Among them are:
Two-deep leadership
No one-on-one contact
Separate accommodations
The full text of these guidelines can be found in the Guide to Safe Scouting.
Youth Protection Training
This training covers:
BSA’s Youth Protection policies
Youth Protection Training is required for all BSA registered adults.
No new adult can be registered without first completing Youth Protection Training at the time of registration.
Youth Protection Training must be taken every two years.
If a volunteer's Youth Protection Training record is not current at the time of charter renewal, the volunteer will not be reregistered.
Adults who will be present at a Scouting activity for 72 hours or more must register with BSA and complete a criminal background check and Youth Protection Training. The 72 hours need not be consecutive.
Kinds of abuse
Signs of abuse
How to respond to disclosure of abuse
Proper reporting procedures
It does so by taking you through situations that require choices and produce consequences.
We encourage ALL Pack 802 parents to take the time to review this training. It’s available on-line at no cost. It will take about 60 minutes. To access this training, go to BSA’s Online Learning Center. At a minimum, all parents/guardians should have reviewed How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide.
To get started, follow these directions for creating an account on the my.Scouting Website:
https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/idg/Create_Account.pdfFollow the prompts through the account set-up process. It is crucial you verify the e-mail address you provide is correct, as this is where log-in and password reset information will be sent.
IMPORTANT: Please be sure to write down or save your user name and password before doing anything else!
When you have successfully completed the process click the Continue button that will take you to the my.Scouting home page, where you can elect to take the online Youth Protection training.
Click on the following link for instructions on how to take the Youth Protection Training
https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/How-to-Guide-for-Taking-Youth-Protection-Training-as-of-5-16-2018.pdfThe training is divided into 4 modules, please make sure to pick the CLOSE COURSE button after completing each module. This will officially record the completion of that module.
Once you have completed the course, please send your Pack Cubmaster an email (cubmaster.pack802@gmail.com) with an attached copy of your training certificate.
Questions
The following are answers to some of the questions we have received about this policy:
Q: When did this policy go into effect?
As of June 1, 2010, all registered adult volunteers–no matter what their position entails–must complete Youth Protection training prior to beginning their volunteer service.
Q: Why was this training policy established?
Youth safety is the No. 1 concern of the Boy Scouts of America. It is important to implement this training at all levels of the organization. The BSA is always reevaluating and reassessing its policies to ensure the safest youth program and the best training are offered. The BSA’s Youth Protection training has been in existence long enough for it to be understood and accepted as a mandated training for all registered BSA adult volunteers. The latest change requiring an annual update is to ensure that volunteers stay up-to-date on changes that occur regularly to the BSA’s youth protection guidelines.
Q: What is the deadline to meet the Youth Protection training standard?
All registered leaders should take or renew their Youth Protection training so that it is current.
Q: If a person is not a registered leader, how can he or she log in and take the Youth Protection training?
A person does not have to be a registered volunteer to take Youth Protection training.
To take the training, log in to my.scouting.org and click on create an account. After you have confirmed your new my.scouting account user name and password, log in to my.scouting.org and click on e-training to begin the Youth Protection training.
Upon completion, print a certificate to submit with a completed adult leader application to the unit leader or your local council representative for processing. Remember to keep a copy for your records.
Q: Does “all volunteers” mean all volunteers — even unit committee members, board members and council presidents?
Yes. The goal is to have all registered volunteers Youth Protection-trained. This is an important statement for the Boy Scouts of America as a youth organization and reinforces the BSA’s commitment to the well-being of all youth members and volunteers.
YPT-How-to-Protect-Your-Children-from-Child-Abuse.pdfHow to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse - A Parents Guide 100-014.pdf
The Protect Yourself Rules Preview Adventure
The Boy Scouts of America is committed to creating safe environments for Scouts and leaders. Child abuse is an uncomfortable topic but an important one for us to cover to ensure the safety and well-being of our Scouts. The Boy Scouts of America has partnered with subject-matter experts from the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Foundation to present the “Protect Yourself Rules” that help children recognize, respond to, and report abuse.
Resources for Reporting
Here are some other resources for reporting neglect.
State Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Numbers
Reporting Alleged Abuse, Neglect or Exploitation at Texas Youth Camps
Reporting Alleged Abuse, Neglect or Exploitation at Youth Camps (texas.gov)