*** IMPORTANT – a new Youth Protection Training course has been developed. All direct-contact leaders MUST take the new course by recharter time, to remain active in BSA.
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.
To this end, a revised Youth Protection Training (YPT) program has been developed. There are sufficient changes incorporated in this new Youth Protection Training that all current adult leaders are required to take the training by October 2018 – regardless of their current YPT trained status. The YPT course is available on-line through my.scouting.org.
We recognize that this requirement may be somewhat burdensome, especially for those who recently updated their Youth Protection Training using the previous syllabus. But we also know that our volunteer and professional leadership recognize the importance of protecting our youth and maintaining the integrity of the Boy Scout program. Thank you all for your understanding and commitment. Here are the key aspects regarding youth protection in BSA:
- All current direct-contact leaders MUST take the new Youth Protection Training by recharter time, to remain registered with the Boy Scouts of America.
- No new leader can be registered without first completing youth protection training.
- No council, regional, or national leader will be allowed to renew their registration if they are not current on their Youth Protection Training.
- 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.