GGAC Scouting Family:
Youth protection is a core value of the Golden Gate Area Council. We are pleased to update you with the latest news on California law AB 506, which adds new layers of protection to our already robust BSA Youth Protection and Barriers to Abuse policies.
All youth service organizations (e.g. church groups and sports teams) are required to meet AB 506 standards as of January, 2022. The BSA already meets some requirements with our two deep leadership policy and by having a clear process for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse incidents.
Two of the AB 506 standards will affect all adult volunteers, all employees, and many of our families. These requirements will be added to the BSA registration process and enhance our current background check. Anyone who supervises or has direct contact with children for more than 16 hours in a month or 32 hours in a year will undergo:
- Fingerprinting
- Mandated Reporter Training from the State of California
Mandated Reporter Training will be required in addition to our BSA Youth Protection Training. We have previously updated you on our council’s YPT policy, which requires that all registered adults 18 and over maintain YPT compliance for their entire registration period.
All California BSA councils are working together to implement these requirements consistently and in a timely fashion. Our youth members require the commitment of all adults involved in the Scouting program to keep them safe. Thank you for your dedication to this core value and for protecting our youth.
We will share further details about these new processes as they are established in the coming weeks to months at California Scouting and through our regular GGAC eNews updates. We appreciate your patience and assistance as we join all California Youth Service Organizations in improving youth protection.
Yours in Scouting
