Child Protection

Child Protection Policy

Safeguarding the welfare of our youth members

The Scout Association takes seriously its responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of the children and young people in its care.

The Scout Association is committed to:

taking into account in all its considerations and activities the interests and well-being of young people
respecting the rights, wishes and feelings of the young people with whom it is working
taking all reasonable practicable steps to protect them from physical, sexual and emotional harm
promoting the welfare of young people within a relationship of trust

All adults in Scouting, including members of the Scout Network who wish to work with young people, are responsible for putting this policy into practice at all times.

The Scout Association believes that safeguarding and protecting the welfare of all the young people we work with is the responsibility of everyone.

The Association’s ‘Young People First’ code of good practice is published in the form of a pocket size yellow card that all adults are asked to keep with them. This contains information about how to report concerns or allegations of abuse and also a code of behaviour that all adults are required to follow.

Anti-Bullying Policy

Children and young people have the right to protection from all forms of violence - physical or mental. (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child)

The Scout Association is committed to ensuring, as far as is reasonably practicable, the prevention of all forms of bullying among Members.

It is the responsibility of all adults in Scouting to help develop a caring and supportive atmosphere, where bullying in any form is unacceptable. To this end, all Scouting activities should have rigorous anti-bullying strategies in place.

Contacts for parents

Should you have any concerns regarding the welfare or protection of Scout members, you should contact the local Scout District Commissioner. Alternatively please call the Scout Information Centre 0845 300 1818 and say that you wish to discuss a child protection issue.

Internet Safety

We believe that all young people should be able to make use of the internet in a safe manner whether it be for their Scouting purposes or for other purposes. Therefore we have created the below information to advise young people and particularly any of our group members who make use of the internet what is meant by 'Internet Safety'.

Safe
Keep safe by being careful, do not to give out personal information - such as your full name, email address, phone number, home address, photos or school name - to people you are chatting with online.

Meeting
Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents, or carers permission, and even then only when they can be present.

Accepting
Accepting emails, I.M. messages, or opening files, pictures or texts from people you don't know or trust can lead to problems - they may contain viruses or nasty messages!

Reliable
Information you find on the internet may not be true, or someone online may be lying about who they are.

Tell
Tell your parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried online.

All the information here is brought to you by the team at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre

Additional information can be found here:

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/8_10/

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/11_16/

Do's

Change your email address if you think a stranger knows it.
Tell your parents, carers or teacher if you're worried about something or someone from the internet.
Make sure your friends surf safely too.
Use a moderated chat room - you can chat all you like, but an adult should be keeping an eye out in case of any problems.
Use your common sense. If something seems wrong or makes you uncomfortable, don't reply and tell a parent or carer.

Dont's

Never tell a stranger your email, telephone number, mobile or address.
Don't give out details about your school or college.
Never e-mail a photo of yourself or arrange to meet someone from the web.
Keep your A/S/L (Age/Sex/Location) secret - don't say where you live, just give the region if you're asked. (for example we live in East Anglia)
Don't believe everything you read - sometimes people don't tell the truth.