Youth protection and security

Youth protection is structural, not a setting

DenBuddy holds data about children, so the protections are built into the shape of the software rather than left to a checkbox. Scouts have no accounts. Nobody can message a Scout. Leaders see their own den only. The Scoutbook connection reads always and writes only when you press Send, and every change to youth data is logged. DenBuddy writes to Scoutbook only from your own signed-in session, only after a pack admin has turned on Write to Scoutbook, and only after you press Send on a plan you have read.

If you are a parent deciding whether your den leader should use this, the short version is on this page and a person will answer any question you have at hello@denbuddy.com.

Six things that are true by design

Not settings a leader could switch off. These are properties of how DenBuddy is built.

No accounts for youth

There is no signup path for a child, and no role a Scout can hold. A Scout in DenBuddy is a record that adults maintain, not a user who logs in.

No direct messaging to Scouts

DenBuddy has no channel that reaches a child. Communication goes to parents and leaders, which keeps every conversation two-deep by construction.

Parent-mediated check-in

The public check-in page is designed to be handled by a parent or the adult who brought the Scout. It carries no full last names and no internal identifiers, and it cannot be used to create an account.

Den-scoped access

A den leader sees their den. A pack admin sees the pack. A parent sees their own Scout. The scope is enforced on every request, not hidden in the interface.

Writes to Scoutbook only when you press Send

DenBuddy imports from your own Scoutbook Plus session. It writes back only when a leader presses Send, only the completions that leader approved, and only after showing the exact rows it will file. Every send leaves a receipt in Scoutbook and in DenBuddy. The CSV upload path still works if you prefer it.

An audit trail on youth data

Changes to Scout records, completions and attendance are logged with who made them and when, so a pack can answer questions about its own records.

What we hold about a Scout

The minimum a den leader needs to plan and record: enough to know who is in the den and what they have done.

Name, den, rank and, where a leader supplies it, the BSA member ID used for the Scoutbook export.
Completed requirements and adventures, with dates and approval state.
Attendance at the den's meetings.
A photo or medical notes only if a leader adds them, which requires the parent's permission.

Consent and photos

Scout data belongs to the family. Leaders are expected to have parent consent for what they record, photo permission is explicit rather than assumed, and DenBuddy never publishes a Scout's photo or name anywhere public. Nothing about a Scout appears on the public check-in page or in a shared community plan.

Sharing a plan strips the den out of it

Before a meeting plan can be published to the community library, DenBuddy removes Scout names, your den and the dates, then shows you what it removed so you can confirm. A plan that still contains a Scout's name cannot be published.

Where the data lives

DenBuddy runs on Amazon Web Services in the United States. Traffic is encrypted in transit with TLS, the database and file storage are managed AWS services with encryption at rest, and access is limited to the people who operate the service. We do not sell data, we do not advertise, and we do not share youth data with third parties for their own purposes.

Deleting your data

Write to hello@denbuddy.com and we will delete a Scout's record, a den, or an account, and confirm when it is done. A parent can ask for their own Scout's data to be removed even if the leader does not. Deleting in DenBuddy does not touch Scoutbook, which is a separate system with its own record.

What we do not claim

DenBuddy is a small independent product. We hold no security certifications, we are not SOC 2 audited, and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by Scouting America. We would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. If you find a security problem, write to hello@denbuddy.com and we will take it seriously.

Reporting a problem

Email hello@denbuddy.com. Security issues and anything involving a young person's safety go to the front of the queue, and you will get a human reply. If a child is in immediate danger, contact your local authorities and your council first.

Privacy policy · Terms of service · Contact

DenBuddy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Scouting America. Cub Scouts, Scoutbook and adventure names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Questions parents and leaders ask

Can a Scout create an account?

No. There is no signup path for youth, and no role in the system for one.

Can a leader message my child?

Not through DenBuddy. There is no direct messaging to Scouts anywhere in the product.

Does DenBuddy meet Scouting America's Youth Protection rules?

DenBuddy is built to sit inside them: no youth accounts, no one-to-one contact with a child, parent-mediated check-in, and an audit trail. Your unit's Youth Protection obligations are still yours, and the official training is the authority.

Is data ever used to train AI models?

Akela is given first names, rank and open requirements to draft a meeting, and only when a leader uses it. We do not sell data, and we do not hand youth data to anyone for their own purposes.

How do I report a problem?

Email hello@denbuddy.com. Security issues and youth protection concerns go to the front of the queue.