Safeguarding
All Safeguarding concerns MUST be reported directly to Scouts UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
The welfare of children and young people is our priority and everyone has a duty to report safeguarding concerns. This applies to all concerns, no matter how insignificant they might seem or when they happened or whether they happened inside or outside of Scouts. You can report by:
- Phoning 020 8433 7164 (9am – 5pm weekdays)
- Phoning 0345 300 1818 (out-of-hours)
- Emailing safeguarding@scouts.org.uk
- Using the Safeguarding Reporting Form
If a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm call 999 or 112 and ask for the police. You can also call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email them at help@nspcc.org.uk for additional support. Tell the UK HQ Safeguarding Team you have done this.
If you have a personal relationship or family connection with anyone involved in the report, you will be asked to step back from the situation and inform the Scouts HQ Safeguarding team.
We have a clear code of behaviour called ‘Young people first’ also known as the Yellow Card. You should have a copy but if you don’t please ask your volunteer line manager. This applies to all adults working in Scouting, regardless of their role. It is part of the mandatory training that MUST be undergone by ALL leaders and provides guidelines about how young people should be treated. We expect everyone to follow it.
The Yellow Card also protects Adults. Under the terms of the Children Act 1989, Leaders have a duty of care towards the young people in their custody. This means that adults should adopt a common sense approach when dealing with injuries and illnesses. If you act reasonably when dealing with a problem and report the incident immediately, it is unlikely that you can be accused of unreasonable action after the event.
Emergencies and Safety
If you have an accident or emergency situation at Scouts please do follow the steps in the Purple card – Safe Scouting and what to do in an emergency.
For more information visit the emergencies and reporting section of our website.
Out of hours contact: In an emergency situation where you need to speak to the on duty Critical Incident Manager, Safeguarding Officer or Media Officer please call 0345 300 1818 (local rate) or 020 8433 7100 where an out of hours service will triage you to the correct person.
Scouts has a policy of Safe Scouting with emergency procedures called the Purple Card. You should have a copy but if you don’t please ask your volunteer line manager. This applies to all adults working in Scouting, regardless of their role. It is part of the mandatory training that MUST be undergone by ALL leaders and provides guidelines about how to keep both Young People and Adults safe. We expect everyone to follow it.
You MUST plan ahead an risk assess all activities before doing them. This risk assessment helps to minimise risk both before and during an activity or event. These should be easily accessible in a shared location (either physical or digital), must be shared to all parties prior to the event so that all adults understand it and all young people are informed of the safety information and must be able to be viewed at any point by any party at any time that is reasonable or safe.
You also MUST inform the District Lead volunteer if you do any activities outside of your normal meeting place or at least 7 days before a Nights Away event. You can inform them directly or via the website.
