California Assembly Bill 506 effective January 1, 2022.
ALL BSA-registered volunteers must fully comply with California law AB 506, including taking the state’s 2 Hour Mandated Reporter Training for Volunteers, filling out the new Background Check Consent Form, and completing Live Scan fingerprinting.
Please note your Live Scan must be done specifically for “Pacific Skyline Council, Boy Scouts of America” and not another organization.
AB-506 FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
(Note: this is a combination of questions for all Scout Leaders as well as the Scout Unit Leaders)
AB506 Steps:
Step 1: Complete the 2 hour State Mandated Reporter Training for volunteers. You will receive a certificate of completion when the online training is finished.
Step 2: Use this link to upload your Mandated Reporter Certificate and completed Background Check Consent Form.
Step 3: Download the Live Scan request form, bring it with you to the Live Scan.
Step 4: Visit any Live Scan location of your choice. Find locations here. The results will be sent directly to the Pacific Skyline Council.
You must complete the online Mandated Reporter training, the Background Check Consent Form, and Live Scan fingerprinting (in any order) to fulfill the AB506 requirements. For more information, visit https://californiascouting.org/pacific-skyline/.
AB 506 requires administrators, employees, and regular volunteers of youth service organizations to:
- Complete training in child abuse and neglect identification and reporting
- Undergo a background check to identify and exclude any persons with a history of child abuse
- Ensure mandatory reporting of suspected incidents of child abuse to persons or entities outside of the organization
- Require two mandatory reporters whenever in contact or in the supervision of children
The BSA’s Youth Protection Training standards required of all registered adults, our two deep leadership policy, and the criminal background check performed with an adult volunteer’s registration appear to meet most of the requirements of this law. The BSA’s routine criminal background check does not meet this standard, thus a background check with fingerprint scan is required. Fingerprinting is already required in many schools, sports, and other organizations.
For more information:
- Check here for updates and further information (goes to California Legislative Information website). We are working with BSA’s National Service Territory 3 to develop a consistent plan of compliance across all councils in California.
- www.CaliforniaScouting.org
- Letter from Pacific Skyline Council PDF (12/17/21)
