The safety of our members is our highest priority. Protecting the volunteers and the council’s legal interests is also a high priority.
Restrictions on Girl Scout activities are generally set by GSUSA in partnership with our insurance company. Activities that are not allowed by GSNorCal are the activities which are not covered under Girl Scout insurance. These activities are deemed by the insurance company to carry an inherent level of risk that they are not willing to assume. Each council has its own individual insurance coverage. Activities may vary from council to council.
Activities that require prior written permission from the council are those that have additional laws, certifications, or other guidelines which must be followed in order to be covered by our insurance. Our Risk Management team will assist you in meeting those guidelines.
GSNorCal believes that most volunteers would rather focus their time on having fun with the girls doing Girl Scout activities, rather than in spending time researching legal texts to ensure that they are following local and state laws and working with the insurance company to make sure that they will be covered.
GSNorCal’s approach is for staff and interested volunteers to monitor laws and guidelines so that you do not have to! When we must place restrictions on certain activities, there is lots of in-depth discussion and research to make sure there isn’t another solution. Guidelines found here in GSNorCal's Volunteer Essentials and on our forms is a result of that work.
Why So Many Forms?
GSNorCal continually strives to streamline and eliminate unnecessary forms. Forms are sometimes necessary, however, to ensure the safety of girls and adults, to comply with insurance and legal requirements and protect the liability of our volunteers and council.
Forms are designed to:
1. Act as a checklist to inform you of certain legal or procedural requirements so you don’t have to memorize them, and/or
2. Communicate needed information to your troop, service unit or council. Often, this information is needed to support you with the appropriate legal and insurance requirements to minimize your and council's liability and to keep girls safe.
All forms can be found at www.gsnorcal.org/forms.