YOUTH PROTECTION
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For more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. We believe – and, through more than a century of experience, know – that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible and productive society.
Over the decades, the Boy Scouts of America has been a leader in developing training and policies designed to keep young people safe. Over time, these policies have become standard with organizations across the nation. Now, the Boy Scouts of America is releasing fully updated training to further strengthen our ability to protect youth. These changes include:
• Updated Youth Protection Training, including insights from experts and survivors and the latest strategies for recognizing and preventing major forms of abuse. This is the designated Youth Protection Training for all adults.
• An expanded ScoutsFirst Helpline to aid volunteers and families in addressing potentially dangerous situations.
• Unlimited counseling and support for healing to anyone who has ever been abused in Scouting.
• Youth Protection Training for youth members available in 2019.
BSA 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 the Boy Scouts of America to maintain a culture of Youth Protection awareness and safety at the national, regional, area, council, district, and unit levels.
The Boy Scouts of America places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for our youth members. To maintain such an environment, the BSA developed numerous procedural and leadership selection policies and provides parents and leaders with resources for the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing programs.
LEADERSHIP SELECTION
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 molester, we can reduce the risk of accepting one 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.
