Youth Protection and Barriers to Abuse FAQs - Updated on August 2, 2023

 We have posted it below.  However, I have decided to include the text here, and if you want, here is the link:  https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/yp-faqs/

 +++++++

Adult Supervision

Q: If my son or daughter is meeting with a registered merit badge counselor and is the only Scout present, is supervision by two registered adults still required?

A:  No, provided you as the parent or legal guardian are present during the merit badge counseling session.  If more than one Scout is present, all Barriers to Abuse supervision requirements must be met. 

Q: If my son or daughter is the only Scout present for a unit fund-raising activity such as neighborhood or storefront sales is supervision by two registered adults still required?

A:  No, provided you attend with your child during the entire fundraising activity.  If more than one Scout is present, all Barriers to Abuse supervision requirements must be met.    

Q: Why is a female adult 21 years of age or over required whenever female youth are present, but not the other way around?

A. The requirement to ensure that a registered female adult is present at activities serving girls is not dissimilar to policies we’ve enacted in the past for Venturing when male and female adult leaders were required for certain co-ed activities. At this time, we believe that these are the best, most appropriate measures for our movement. We hope you understand that these requirements were given substantial and thorough consideration.

Q. Do Lion and Tiger Den meetings require two-deep leadership since adult partners are present?

A. Yes.  A Lion or Tiger adult partner is not considered a registered leader for meeting two-deep leadership requirements.  Lion or Tiger partners, as well as other pack leaders, provide a pool of adults who could be registered as an assistant den leader to meet this requirement.

Q. If only one leader shows up, does that mean we have to cancel the meeting or activity?

Q: Does a Cub Scout parent or legal guardian have to be a registered leader to participate in a Cub Scout overnight program with their own child/ward?

A. No. However, they cannot serve as unit or den two deep leadership or supervision. 

Q: What is an adult program participant?

Q: I am an adult attending a pack, troop, crew, or ship overnight activity, do I have to be registered?

Q: I am an adult attending a district or council overnight activity, do I have to be registered?

A. Yes, if you participate/stay overnight, you must be currently registered as an adult volunteer or an adult program participant. Adult volunteers must register in the position(s) they are serving in.

For example, an adult volunteer attending an overnight Order of the Arrow event must be registered in a unit, district, or council position. Adults may select from the list in the FAQ below of adult leader position options provided in the “Registration Guidebook of the Boy Scouts of America” that is available for their unit, district or council position. Registration as a merit badge counselor does not meet this requirement.

Q: What position should I register in to stay/participate in overnight programs?

A. Adults may select from the list below of adult leader position options provided in the “Registration Guidebook of the Boy Scouts of America” that is available for their unit, district or council position. Adult volunteers must register in the position(s) they are serving in.  Adults registering in a unit position must be accepted and approved by the head of the chartered organization or the chartered organization representative.

Unit Positions 

•  Assistant Cubmaster
• Assistant Scoutmaster
• Assistant Webelos Leader
• Assistant Den Leader 
• Chartered Organization Rep. 
• Committee Chairman 
• Committee Member 
• Cubmaster  
• Den Leader 
• Explorer Post Advisor 
• Lion Coordinator 
• Lion Den Leader 
• Mate 
• New Member Coordinator 
• Pack Trainer 
• Post Explorer Post Associate Advisor 
• Post Committee Chairman 
• Post Committee Member 
• Principal / Executive Officer 
• Scoutmaster 
• Skipper 
• Tiger Den Leader 
• Unit Chaplain 
• Unit College Scouter Reserve 
• Unit Scouter Reserve 
• Venturing College Sctr Reserve 
• Venturing Crew Advisor 
• Venturing Crew Assoc. Advisor 
• Webelos Leader  

Council and District Positions 

• Assistant Council Commissioner  
• Asst Roundtable Commissioner 
• Asst. District Commissioner 
• College Scouter Reserve  
• Council Advisory Council 
• Council Assistant Treasurer 
• Council Associate Member 
• Council Camp Staff (Adult)  
• Council Camp Staff (Youth) 
• Council Chaplain 
• Council Commissioner 
• Council Committee Member 
• Council Executive Board Member 
• Council Expl/LFL Committee Chr 
• Council Expl/LFL Committee Mbr  
• Council Honorary Member 
• Council Member-at-Large 
• Council President 
• Council Religious Emblems Coord 
• Council Scout Alumnus 
• Council Service Team Chair 
• Council Service Team Member 
• Council Treas 
• Council Vice-President 
• Dist Exploring/LFL Committee 
• District Chairman 
• District Chaplain 
• District Commissioner 
• District Exploring / LFL Comm Chr 
• District Member-at-large 
• District Religious Emblems Coord 
• District Service Team Chair 
• District Service Team Member 
• District Vice-Chairman 
• LFL Stem Day Camp Staff (Adult) 
• LFL STEM Day Camp Staff (Youth) 
• Neighborhood Chairman 
• Neighborhood Committee 
• Roundtable Commissioner 
• Scouter Reserve 
• Unit Commissioner 

Q: Why does registration as a merit badge counselor not meet the registration requirement to participate/stay overnight?

A. A merit badge counselor is an important position supporting Scouts BSA units; however, a merit badge counselor is not a unit position nor does their district/council role require overnight participation.

Merit badge counselors may select from the list of adult leader position options provided in the “Registration Guidebook of the Boy Scouts of America” that is available for another role they serve in within their unit, district or council to stay/participate in overnight Scouting events and activities.

♦ Q: Do the September 1, 2023, changes mean that third party vendors must be registered with the BSA?

A. No.  Youth Protection and supervision remains the responsibility of the unit and Scout leaders. Vendors and other third parties must be licensed businesses that carry proper liability insurance, units should be sure that they use reputable services.  Vendors such as museums, climbing guides, hiking guides, rafting services all fall into these categories. Unit leadership must ensure that all BSA policies and guidelines are followed when using these services, unit leaders must still have proper training.

Q: Do “Unit Functional Position codes” like Unit Advancement Chair or Unit High Adventure Chair found in the “Registration Guidebook of the Boy Scouts of America” fulfill this registration requirement?

A. No.  

Q. Our Scouts BSA boy troop and our Scouts BSA girl troop are linked and would like to host a joint outing or activity. Do we have to provide adult leadership from each troop?

A. Yes, each troop is a separate unit, and therefore, each troop/unit must provide its own two-deep leadership, meeting the leadership requirements outlined in Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse.

Q. The Barriers to Abuse states “One-on-one contact between adult leaders and youth members is prohibited both inside and outside of Scouting.” What does ‘inside and outside of Scouting’ mean?

A. The BSA has adopted its youth protection policies for the safety and well-being of its members. These policies primarily protect youth members; however, they also serve to protect adult leaders. All parents and caregivers should understand that our leaders are to abide by these safeguards. Registered leaders must follow these guidelines with all Scouting youth outside of Scouting activities. There are careers that may require one-on-one contact with youth, however aside from those roles, volunteers must abide by the youth protection policies of the BSA even outside of Scouting activities.

This policy is in place to prevent abuse in and out of Scouting.   Adults should never be alone with youth who are not their children.

Q. Does this mean my son cannot have a sleepover if I am the only adult present?

A. Yes, if any of the children other than your own child is a Scout, we strongly encourage all adults to use the Barriers to Abuse in and out of Scouting.

Q. Are there times when youth can gather, meet or conduct activities without adult supervision?

A. No. Two-deep adult supervision by registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required for all Scouting activities and must meet the leadership requirements outlined in Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse. This includes patrol activities.

BSA Youth Protection Update

The Boy Scouts of America have announced a series of updates to our Youth Protection Training and Policy.  Below you will find part of the announcement.  For the complete article, please go here. 

+++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Scouting Friends:

Over the decades, the Boy Scouts of America has been a leader in developing training and policies designed to keep young people safe. These comprehensive policies were considered groundbreaking when they were developed and soon became the standard used by other organizations for safeguarding youth. But when it comes to the safety of children, our goal is to continually improve.

Sustained vigilance on youth protection is a central part of our culture.

Over the past two years, the BSA has worked with experts in the field of child abuse, child sexual abuse and maltreatment to develop new training and resources that will further strengthen our ability to protect youth. These changes include:

• Fully updated and revised Youth Protection Training developed with leaders in the field of child abuse prevention and includes insights from experts, survivors and the latest strategies for recognizing and preventing major forms of abuse. This is the designated Youth Protection training for all adults.
• Expanded youth protection content across all our communications channels will inform and engage our volunteers and parents.
• An expanded National ScoutsFirst Helpline to aid volunteers and families in addressing potentially dangerous situations.
• The BSA also provides unlimited counseling and support for healing to anyone who has ever been abused in Scouting.
• Youth protection training for youth members will be available in 2019.

In addition to updated training and resources, the BSA announced new policies to ensure compliance with mandatory training requirements. These policies have been in place in the NCAC for a number of years. These policies include:

• As of January 1, 2018, no new leader can be registered without first completing youth protection training.
• As of January 1, 2018, no council, regional or national leader will be allowed to renew their registration if they are not current on their youth protection training.
• As of September 1, 2017, no unit may re-charter without all leaders being current on their youth protection training. Registrars no longer have the ability to approve charters without full compliance.

Archdiocese of Washington Youth Protection Policy

The Archdiocese of Washington requires that any adult who seeks to give volunteer service with an Archdiocesan school, parish, agency or ministry that will involved substantial contact with children, must prior to beginning service:

1. Complete this application and return to the Parish Coordinator responsible for this program.  Form:   http://site.adw.org/pdfs/cpp_volapp2006.pdf.

2. Register online on www.virtus.org for a child protection workshop. The current schedule can be found here: http://site.adw.org/schedule-and-sign-up It really does not matter where you take it, as long as you take it.

3. Call for an appointment for fingerprinting and use the Authorization form when you go to the appointment.

4. Undergo a criminal background check at the time of fingerprinting and have the results cleared by the Office of Human Resources.