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Two-deep leadership updates

By now, you should have taken the new Youth Protection Training course online to bring your training current. As we’ve discussed before, everyone must take the new course, which was released in February, regardless of the expiration date of your YPT. If you haven’t taken the new YPT, do it now!

The recent revisions to the Boy Scouts of America’s youth protection practices include updates to the policy requiring two adult leaders at all Scouting activities. The national youth protection team has provided some important clarifications and answered many questions about the new policy: Continue reading “Two-deep leadership updates”

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It’s time to retake Youth Protection Training!

As we have discussed recently, the revised Youth Protection Training is now available, and all Scouters are required to take it regardless of when your current training expires.

If you have not taken the new course, which was released in mid-February, your YPT expiration date has been reset to September 30. Now would be a great time to re-take YPT if you haven’t done so since February.

This training is mandatory for all registered adults regardless of position and highly recommended for all non-registered parents. Scouters who do not take the new YPT prior to October 1 will have their registration cancelled, meaning they are no longer a registered leader – ineligible to lead a den or pack, serve as Scoutmaster or on the committee, or counsel Scouts in merit badges.

Go to https://my.scouting.org to check your training status or to retake Youth Protection Training. Do it now before the program year gets going and you’re short on time and before the site gets overloaded by last minute re-trainers!

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Three things you must do now

It’s already mid-August, which means school will be starting very soon for most, and with it the Cub Scout program year. Packs should have been planning their recruiting activities – Boy (and Girl!) Talks, exhibits and demonstrations at school activity nights, School Nights for Scouting (evening presentations and orientation for new Scouts and families) and the first whiz-bang pack meeting.

But there are three things you need to do as soon as possible. Continue reading “Three things you must do now”

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Double-check your adult registration requirements

Recently, the Boy Scouts of America updated (overhauled, really) its youth protection training and related requirements, which I wrote about here.

Among the changes is the new requirement that adults staying at a long-term Scouting event, such as summer camp, must be registered with the BSA if they attend the event for more than 72 hours (three nights). The time need not be consecutive, which means the 72 hours is reached if the adult camps, say, two nights at the beginning of the week and returns for the last night of summer camp.

I’ve been hearing, though, that some camps and councils are tightening the requirement, Continue reading “Double-check your adult registration requirements”

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Major updates to youth protection training and procedures

As anticipated, the Boy Scouts of America has issued some major updates to our landmark Youth Protection procedures.

The program is being expanded and strengthened, and will include youth training in youth protection for the first time (aside from our traditional A Time to Tell and It Happened to Me programs). The requirement for all adult volunteers to take Youth Protection Training, often spotty in the past, will be strictly enforced, and there will be professional help and guidance available for those having questions about what to do as well as for those who have experienced abuse under Scouting’s umbrella in the past. There’s also new training for camp staff covering youth-on-youth situations.

Here is a summary of the changes affecting volunteers and units that are now in effect: Continue reading “Major updates to youth protection training and procedures”