Updates to the Guide to Safe Scouting Effective September 1st
Important changes to the Guide to Safe Scouting have been made, effective September 1st. These changes impact accommodations, the buddy system, and participation by parents and guardians. Please see the updates below, and refer to the Guide to Safe Scouting for additional information.
Accommodation
The older youth Scouting America programs (Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouting, and Exploring) encourage leadership development, growth, and independence by recommending that youth share accommodations with other youth (must be the same gender per Barriers to Abuse). However, we also recognize that exceptional circumstances may warrant a parent or legal guardian sharing accommodations with their same-gender* child if the parent/legal guardian meets all leader registration requirements.
Youth siblings of the same gender may share sleeping accommodations regardless of age with permission from their parents or legal guardians.
Campsites must be arranged to separate genders adequately. This separation could be achieved through natural barriers, physical distance, or by the campsite being divided, so long as the separation achieves privacy for both adults and youth, as well as by gender. Adult leaders are responsible for establishing the barriers and reminding Scouts that members of one gender must not enter the tent/housing of another.
The Buddy System
The buddy system is designed to provide an additional layer of safeguarding by ensuring no youth member/participant is alone and that a buddy can get help in an emergency.
The buddy system is used whenever members/participants are outside the line of sight of qualified adult leadership and specific activities where the buddy system is required for participation. Of note:
- The adult unit leadership oversees and approves buddies.
- Buddies are two and can also be three to prevent members or participants from being alone.
- If the original pair for a buddy group is mixed gender, a third youth/participant must be added (for a buddy group of 3).
- Youth siblings of the same gender may serve as buddies regardless of age with permission from their parents or legal guardians.
- Except for siblings, it is recommended that the age gap between buddies be at most three years for all non-sleeping activities but must be no more than two years for all tenting.
- When exceptional circumstances warrant, a parent or legal guardian may serve as a buddy for their child’s Scouting activities, but youth buddies meeting the above criteria, if available, are always preferred.
Participation by Parents and Legal Guardians
Parents and legal guardians are encouraged to participate in Scouting activities with their children. However, to meet youth protection policies, some participation—including all overnight activities*—requires the parent or legal guardian to be a registered adult in their child’s unit.