The Boy Scouts of America takes great pride in the quality of our adult leadership. Being a BSA leader is a privilege, not a right. The quality of the program and the safety of our youth members call for high-caliber adult leaders. We work closely with our chartered organizations to help them recruit the best possible leaders for their units.

The BSA’s rigorous volunteer application and screening process works toward the goal of having all our adult volunteers represent the values and character outlined in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. It includes local selection and screening, national criminal background checks, and verification that the applicant is not listed in the Ineligible Volunteer Files maintained by the National Council. Unfortunately, there is no current screening technique that can identify and screen out everyone who is unfit for Scout leadership, but the quality of our volunteer base is significantly enhanced by learning as much as possible about an applicant for a leadership position.

Mandatory Youth Protection Training for Adult Volunteers

Youth protection is of paramount importance to the Boy Scouts of America. Recognizing that this commitment requires sustained vigilance, the BSA has continued to develop and enhance its efforts to protect youth. BSA has taken the following steps:

• Youth Protection training is required for all BSA registered volunteers, regardless of their position.
• New leaders are required to take Youth Protection training.
• Youth Protection training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer’s Youth Protection training record is not current at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered.

Other Resources

Barriers to Abuse Within Scouting

Questions and Answers About Youth Protection

Youth Protection Information Graphic

Youth Protection Timeline

Know the Facts: BSA Ineligible Volunteer Files

 MyScouting.org – for online training