Keep young people safe even when they’re at home. Remember our safeguarding measures still apply in the digital world –a young person should never be in a one-to-one situation with an adult.
Therefore, you MUST NOT be one-to-one with a young person (for example by allowing there to be just you and a young person in a video or audio chat). Do not admit young people to meetings, until you have admitted another leader.
You MUST NOT chat privately to young people. If you get a direct message, post the reply in the group channel, or, if it is sensitive, use email copying in their parent/carer.
If you receive a direct message disclosing a safeguarding issue, you should immediately inform your line manager for further advice.
The Scout Association has developed some guidance about online safety and platforms you can use. Make sure you check it out if you plan to run Scouts online.
Always remember to follow our child protection policy whilst Scouting in any form.
Advice on digital platforms
Privacy, security and data protection issues should be your first consideration when deciding which digital platform to use to keep Scouts going.
There are lots of digital platforms that could be used. In Eden, we are focussing on the use of Microsoft Teams, as we already have a Microsoft 365 account at district level, and are looking into other platforms.
The Scout Association has developed some guidance here
