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Incident Reporting 

The BSA is ramping up its efforts to increase Safety for our Scouts.  Here is some important information for leaders.

The new webpage has been created  called “Safety First” https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/safety-moments/scouts-first-helpline/ on the National BSA site www.Scouting.org There are 3 things you should be aware of.

  1. Incident Reporting – in the past the BSA asked councils to report “Major Incidents”. We qualified those incidents where an over night stay in the hospital was required, or incidents that involved a Youth Protection Violation. Going forward we are asking units to report ALL incidents no matter how small. A Scout injured on a camping trip, A Scout injured at a meeting, including any incident that may come before the unit committee, such as, the reprimand/discipline/or removal of a Scout from your unit.
  2. Youth Protection issues MUST be reported within 24 hours. The process for reporting should be as follows;
    1. Ensure the Safety of the Scouts or Victims
    2. Ensure that the parents of the Scouts involved are notified.
    3. Ensure that Child Protection Services (CPS) has been notified.
    4. Notify the Scout Executive or Scouting Professional
    5. Enter the incident through the online reporting system.
  3. Incident Reviews & Recommendations – At one time this information was only accessible to Camp Directors and Council Staff. Now incidents can be reviewed for an number of Scouting activities. Having the ability to review this information will help leaders plan their trips and prepare their Scouts for things that they might encounter along their Scouting Adventure.

Timely reporting to the Council is critical and should be done as soon as safely possible.  See the Incident Reporting inforgraphic for guidance on which tool to use.

The Incident Reporting Tool is for events that fall under the incident/general liability category;
The Youth Protection/Membership Infraction Reporting Tool is for membership infractions;
and the Near Miss Reporting Tool is for near misses.

For more information visit Incident Reporting on the BSA website.