Youth Protection Mission Statement
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 Scouting America to maintain a culture of Youth Protection awareness and safety at the national, regional, area, council, district, and unit levels.
Required Training
- Safeguarding Youth Training is required for all registered volunteers and is a joining requirement.
- Safeguarding Youth training must be taken every year. If a volunteer’s Safeguarding Youth training is not current at the time of annual registration renewal, the volunteer will not be re-registered.
You do not have to be a registered member of Scouting America to take Youth Protection training.
To take the training, go to My.Scouting.org and create an account. You’ll receive an email notification with your account information, including a member ID/reference number.
From the My.Scouting.org portal, you can launch the Safeguarding Training from the home page. Upon completion, you may print a training certificate to submit with a volunteer application, or wait for an email with your certificate to be sent to your email address. Your training will automatically be updated in our system and associated with the member ID/reference number issued when you created the account.
Youth Protection Reporting Procedures for Volunteers
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—See “Mandatory Report of Child Abuse” below.
- When you witness a violation of the BSA’s Youth Protection policies—See “Reporting Violations of BSA Youth Protection Policies” below.
Mandatory Report of Child Abuse
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.
Reporting Violations of Youth Protection Policies
If you think any of the Youth Protection policies have been violated, including those described within Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse, you must notify your local council Scout executive or their designee so appropriate action can be taken for the safety of our Scouts.
Steps to Reporting Child Abuse
- Ensure the child is in a safe environment.
- In cases of child abuse injury or medical emergencies, call 911 immediately.
- In addition, if the suspected abuse occurred in the Scout’s home or family, you are required by state law to immediately report/contact the local child abuse hotline.
- Notify the Scout executive or their designee, at 207-517-6196. If they cannot be reached call the 24/7 Scouts First Helpline at 1-844-726-8871 or email, [email protected]
Click here to download the Youth Protection/Membership Infraction Incident Information Form.
Click here to directly enter the Youth Protection/Membership Infraction Incident online.
Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse
Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse are published in the Guide to Safe Scouting and the online version is maintained as the most current. Frequently-asked questions are also addressed in this FAQ.
Digital Privacy
A key ingredient for a safe and healthy Scouting experience is the respect for privacy. Advances in technology are enabling new forms of social interaction that extend beyond the appropriate use of cameras or recording devices (see “Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse”). Sending sexually explicit photographs or videos electronically or “sexting” by cell phones is a form of texting being practiced primarily by young adults and children as young as middle-school age. Sexting is neither safe, nor private, nor an approved form of communication and can lead to severe legal consequences for the sender and the receiver. Although most campers and leaders use digital devices responsibly, educating them about the appropriate use of cell phones and cameras would be a good safety and privacy measure. To address cyber-safety education, the BSA has introduced the age- and grade-specific Cyber Chip program, which addresses topics including cyberbullying, cell-phone use, texting, blogging, gaming, and identity theft. Check it out.
Scouting America Social Media Guidelines
Although using social media is not a Scouting activity, their use to connect with others interested in Scouting can be a very positive experience. But the creation and maintenance of these channels requires forethought, care, and responsibility. Read more about the Scouting America Social Media Guidelines here.
Youth Protection During COVID: Digital safety and On-Line Scouting Activities:
https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/safety-moments/digital-safety-and-online-scouting-activities/
Key Resources
Guide to Safe Scouting
Single source of information for safe scouting. The guide is designed for adult leaders; topics include Youth Protection, Health and Safety and Reporting information. Frequently-asked questions are also addressed in the Youth Protection and Barriers to Abuse FAQs.
How to Protect Your Children From Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide
These booklets are a basic resource to help parents understand how child abuse happens and keep their children safe. Exercises for parents and children are included. Several versions of the booklets are available:
- For Cub Scouts and their parents
- For Cub Scouts and their parents (in Spanish)
- For Scouts BSA members and their parents
- For Scouts BSA members and their parents (in Spanish)
- For STEM Scouts and their parents
Bullying Awareness
These fact sheets will help with bullying awareness and direct you to resources provided by Scouting America and other entities we work with to protect children.
Download the Bullying Prevention Guide
Camp Leadership … A Guide for Camp Staff and Unit Leaders
Brochure for unit leaders and camp staff who are responsible for providing a safe and healthy camp setting where Scouts are free from the worries of child abuse.
Youth-on-Youth Training Materials
Scouting America places the greatest importance on creating the safest environment possible for our youth members. To that end, Scouting America’s ScoutingU has created some additional Youth Protection training to professionals, volunteers, and leaders regarding the prevention of youth-on-youth incidents that might occur within the context of Scouting, especially in a camping or overnight setting. It is designed to help prepare adult leaders to prevent and appropriately respond to these incidents.
This informational document with an accompanying PowerPoint presentation for leaders, parents, volunteers, and professionals should be delivered at the council, district, or unit level by a Youth Protection Champion, training chair, district chair, district executive, or other appropriate Scout leader to leaders for camping and overnight activities.
Suggested training opportunities include:
- Existing facilitator-led Youth Protection training sessions
- Pre-camp leaders’ meetings for summer camp and first-time leaders’ meetings at all outings
- Camp schools
- Scout executives’ and district executives’ trainings on responding to youth protection incidents
- Other training events that include the “Youth Protection Training for Volunteer Leaders and Parents” DVD
Staff Understanding and Preventing Youth on Youth Abuse for Unit Leaders and Staff 20181217
Understanding and Preventing Youth on Youth Abuse for Unit Leaders and Staff Facilitators Guide_430-149
Camp Leadership – Youth Protection Begins With You Brochure
