Youth Protection Training (soon to be known as Safeguarding Youth)

The Boy Scouts of America places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for our youth members.

Youth Protection Training

(soon to be known as Safeguarding Youth)

Scouting America Launches

Enhanced Safeguarding Youth Training

Scouting America has unveiled a new comprehensive Safeguarding Youth Training (SYT) program, reinforcing its unwavering commitment to creating the safest possible environment for young people. This updated training represents a significant step forward in Scouting America’s multi-layered approach to youth protection.

The new training is mandatory for all registered adult volunteers and has been developed with insights from leading experts in child safety, law enforcement, and child psychology. It incorporates the latest strategies for recognizing, responding to, and preventing various forms of abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

Reminder: The Midnight Sun Council requires all registered adults to complete their youth protection training on an annual basis.

Key Features of the Updated Training:

Comprehensive Focus: Our new Safeguarding Youth Training (formerly Youth Protection Training) program reflects the more comprehensive nature of the training and its focus on safeguarding youth from all threats.
Inclusive Content: The training covers a wide range of topics, ensuring volunteers are well-informed about potential risks and best practices for youth protection.

Annual Refresher Courses: Recognizing the ongoing need for education and awareness, Scouting America will now require annual refresher courses, estimated to take 15-20 minutes, to keep youth protection knowledge current.

Alignment with Best Practices: Scouting America regularly consults with experts to ensure its policies and training reflect the most up-to-date knowledge and prevention techniques in the field of youth safety.

Focus on Prevention: The training emphasizes proactive measures to prevent abuse and create a culture of safety within Scouting.

Your existing Youth Protection Training remains valid until its expiration date, at which point the new Safeguarding Youth Training will be required.

Scouting America’s proactive approach to youth safety underscores its dedication to providing a secure and enriching environment where young people can learn, grow, and thrive. The launch of this enhanced Safeguarding Youth Training demonstrates a continuous effort to adapt and improve safety measures, ensuring the well-being of all Scouts remains the top priority.

Starting September 1,2024, changes were made to our Youth Protection Guidelines.

The first change is that Youth Protection is now being known as Safeguarding Youth.

Some highlights are changing the buddy system, sleeping accommodations, and reiterating some already known rules.

Please click here to view/download a breakdown of the changes

The Unit Key-3 will no longer be able to edit the YPT dates. As of March 4th, 2024, the BSA will be requiring that the Criminal Background Check is completed before you can become an active adult leader.

Units that are rechartering, should encourage their leadership to check on and update their YPT if it has been at least a year since they last completed it. Remember that this can be done individually or the leadership can set up a training date for their unit to complete it all at the same time. Please remember that if your unit does their Youth Protection Training as a unit to turn in a Training Attendance report to the Council with the updated information. This form is available at the Council office or click here to download.

As a reminder the Midnight Sun Council requires our adult leaders and merit badge counselors to complete their YPT yearly.

Please check your YPT training as some members are past the one year date required by the Midnight Sun Council

The Boy Scouts of America’s updated youth protection training doesn’t just talk about the dangers of child predators – it shows how they work to gain access to their victims.

The BSA introduced newly updated youth protection training that is required for all volunteers.

The updated training, which includes three modules and a test that take a little over an hour to complete, draws on research from experts in the field of child abuse and maltreatment to identify the contributing factors and threats across the spectrum of child abuse, including: bullying, neglect, exposure to violence, physical and emotional abuse, and child sexual abuse. Once completed, volunteers will not have to retake the training for two years.

New to this version of the training program are video interviews with psychologists and law enforcement professionals who discuss the root causes of abuse, how to recognize it, and how to respond.

“There is no substitute for hearing directly from experts who have spent their careers studying child predators and abusers,” said Michael Johnson, the BSA’s director of youth protection. “They shine a new light on the challenge we all face in protecting kids and how parents and volunteers can put barriers in place to keep them away.”

Some of the most impactful aspects of the training are interviews with abuse survivors, who give their first-hand perspectives. “In developing this training, we discussed whether or not to include survivor videos,” said Johnson. “It was the right decision. Their testimony is powerful and highlights how predators work and the tragic impact like nothing else.”

In addition to updated training, the BSA recently announced new policies to ensure compliance with mandatory training requirements, including:

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.

Effective June 1, 2018, adults accompanying a Scouting unit who are present at the activity for 72 total hours or more must be registered as a leader, including completion of a criminal background check and Youth Protection Training. The 72 hours need not be consecutive. All together, it’s a bold new approach that will serve as just one part of the BSA’s ongoing effort to enroll the entire community in the fight against child abuse both in and out of Scouting.

Need help with the training? Find out more in the How-to Guide for Taking Youth Protection

Youth Protection Training Now Available on Mobile

The Youth Protection (Y01) online training course will now work on mobile devices.

Volunteers can access YPT at my.scouting.org and complete the training from their tablet!

IMPORTANT: The training certificate is not automatically produced upon completion of the training course!
Volunteers will need to return to the My Training page to print their certificate. Improvements are in the works to prompt the volunteer to return to print the certificate.

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