Apple Valley, Minnesota
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Cub Scout Pack 292 Apple Valley, Minnesota |
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Youth Protection Policy Adopted May-4-2003 Cub Scout Pack 292, Apple Valley, Minnesota |
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I. OBJECTIVE
Consistent with the policies of The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), it is the objective and purpose of Pack 292 to maintain and enforce Youth Protection policies that eliminate opportunities and minimize risk for abuse within the Cub Scout program. BSA and Pack 292 want its youth members to learn the "three R’s" of Youth Protection, so they can: - Recognize situations that place boys at risk of being molested, how child molesters operate, and that anyone could be a molester - Resist unwanted and inappropriate attention. Resistance will stop most attempts at molestation - Report attempted or actual molestation to a parent or other trusted adult. This prevents further abuse and helps to protect other children. Let the Scout know he will not be blamed for what occurred II. LEADERSHIP Cub Scout Pack 292 takes pride in the quality of our adult leadership. Being a leader in Pack 292 is a privilege, not a right. The quality of the program and the safety of our youth members depend upon high-quality adult leaders, so we seek to recruit the best possible leaders. Every leader in Pack 292 must fully complete and submit to the Pack committee an ADULT APPLICATION form approved by the BSA. When an adult leader applicant is not well known to the Pack committee, background information will be checked by designated members of the Pack committee or the chartered organization before accepting an applicant for Pack 292 leadership. While no current screening techniques exist that can identify every potential child molester, we can reduce the risk of allowing a potential child molester to become a Cub Scout leader by learning all we can about an applicant for a leadership position--his or her experience with children, why he or she wants to be a Scout leader, and what discipline techniques he or she would use. All Pack 292 leaders are expected to become familiar with and abide by these Youth Protection policies, and to help ensure that these polices are followed by all members of the Pack. III. POLICY BARRIERS TO ABUSE Pack 292 has adopted the following BSA policies for the protection of our youth members. These policies ensure that the basic values of Scouting are preserved, and they also operate to protect adult leaders from false accusations of abuse. - Two-deep leadership: Two registered adult leaders or one registered leader and an adult partner of a participant, one of whom must be 21 years of age or older, are required on all trips, outings and organized Pack events. The chartered organization is responsible for ensuring that sufficient leadership is provided for all activities. - No one-on-one contact: One-on-one contact between adults and youth members is not permitted. All situations that require personal conferences are to be conducted in view of other adults and youths. - Respect of privacy: Adult leaders must respect the privacy of youth members in situations such as changing clothes and taking showers at camp, and intrude only to the extent that health and safety require. Adults must protect their own privacy in similar situations. - Separate accommodations: When camping, no youth is permitted to sleep in the tent of an adult other than his own parent, guardian - Proper preparation for high-adventure activities: Activities with elements of risk should never be undertaken without proper preparation, equipment, clothing, supervision, and safety measures. - No secret organizations: The Boy Scouts of America does not recognize any secret organizations as part of its program. All aspects of the Scouting program are open to observation by parents and leaders. - Appropriate attire: Proper clothing is required for all Scouting activities. For example, swimming nude (skinny-dipping) is not permitted. - Constructive discipline: Discipline used in Scouting should be constructive and reflect Scouting's values. Corporal punishment is never permitted. - Hazing prohibited: Physical hazing and initiations are prohibited and may not be included as part of any Scouting activity. (Hazing includes harassment, ridicule, criticism and all forms of initiation that are inconsistent with the purposes and objectives of Scouting.) - Junior leader training and supervision: Adult leaders must monitor and guide the leadership techniques used by junior leaders and ensure that BSA policies are followed. IV. TRAINING AND EDUCATION All Pack 292 leaders are required to complete Youth Protection training (as approved by the Indianhead Council) at least once every two years. Pack 292 will also conduct an annual youth protection meeting, separate from a regular monthly Pack meeting for the purpose of educating youth members and parents about youth protection issues and the youth protection policies of Pack 292. All Cub Scout members of Pack 292 will be encouraged to attend the youth protection meeting, and all Cub Scouts who attend must be accompanied by a parent or other adult family member. A BSA approved video such as It Happened to Me, that addresses the problems of sexual abuse in an age-appropriate manner for Cub Scouts will be shown to all who attend the youth protection meeting. Pack 292 will follow a BSA approved format for the youth protection meeting, which will include reporting instructions, information about how to contact the police or social services for assistance, and questions and answers for discussion after the video has been viewed. Pack 292 will maintain copies of a BSA approved Youth Protection training video and the videotape described in the preceding paragraph, for the purpose of making them available upon request of any leader or parent for viewing and return. Pack 292 also encourages all members and families of Pack 292 to feel free to bring forth all questions and concerns about Youth Protection issues, by contacting any member of the Pack committee, or any BSA executives or leaders. V. EXPECTATIONS OF PARENTS Parents need to be involved in Scouting activities, and parents are expected to participate in the protection of their children in a variety of ways. To protect our children, we must all work together to establish and maintain open lines of communication so that the children feel free to report any inappropriate or worrisome contact with adults or older children. We also must educate our children to enable them to understand what abuse is and that they have the right to resist any offensive contact. All parents and/or adult guardians of Cub Scouts in Pack 292 are expected to read and follow the booklet, How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent's Guide, inserted in every Cub Scout handbook. The information in this booklet should be the subject of discussions between Cub Scouts and their parents or guardians when they join Pack 292, when they receive the Bobcat badge and/or at least once every year. If any deviations from these policies or any other youth protection policies of the BSA are noted, parents should call these to the attention of the chartered organization or a member of the pack committee. If the problems persist, parents should contact the Scout Executive at the Indianhead Council (651) 254-9130 in St. Paul, Minnesota for assistance. VI. REPORTING A victim of child abuse is under a great deal of pressure to keep the abuse secret. In many cases of child molestation, the molester has threatened to harm the child or a member of the child's family. The molester might have told the child that he would not be believed even if the child did tell. Another common situation is that the molester will tell the child that if the child tells about the abuse, he will get into trouble. The clear message is given to the child that if another person finds out, something bad will happen to the child. This pressure to maintain silence can often be successfully overcome by establishing open communication between children and adults through a proper educational program for children. How an adult responds to a child when he tries to disclose abuse can influence the outcome of the child's victimization. Respect the child’s privacy - take him to a place away from other children, but within sight of others. The adult should stay calm and help reassure the child that everything is going to be okay. Let the child know that he is not to blame for what happened, that he should not keep secrets that hurt him, and that it is okay to talk with appropriate adults. By not criticizing the child, we counteract any statements the molester made to the victim about the child getting into trouble. Reassure the child that you are concerned about what happened to him and that you would like to get him some help. Since these reports are required, the child should be told that you have to tell the proper authorities but that you will not tell anyone else. All suspected abuse in Scouting must be promptly reported directly to the Indianhead Council Scout Executive at Indianhead Scouting/BSA, 393 Marshall Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. (651) 254-9130. In the alternative, you may contact any other Scouting Leader within the Indianhead Council or Pack 292 for assistance in making the report to the Scout Executive. The disclosure of abuse should be kept strictly confidential, telling only the Scout Executive and child protection authorities. The Scout Executive will advise you of any responsibility to make a report to child protection or law enforcement authorities; take your guidance about next steps from them. Although people are often concerned about the possible legal consequences for reporting child abuse, you are not required to know for certain that a child has been abused. When a child abuse report is based upon reasonable suspicion and is made in "good faith", you are immune from liability for reporting the suspected abuse. VII. CONCLUSION Through the collective effort of all families in Pack 292 in maintaining and enforcing these Youth Protection policies, we sincerely hope that no youth member of Pack 292 is ever the victim of abuse. Yet at the same time, if it should ever happen, we are all prepared to promptly identify any abuse that may occur, report the offender to the proper authorities, provide appropriate assistance to the victim and take immediate steps to prevent any further harm to the victim and all other members of the Pack. |
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Thank you to all who assist in this important Youth Protection mission. |