{"alias":"contentPage","byline":null,"standfirst":null,"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"sidebar","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safe-scouting-cards/safeguarding-code-of-conduct-for-adults-yellow-card/\u0022 title=\u0022Young People First - Yellow Card\u0022\u003EYellow Card\u003C/a\u003E Code of Conduct for Adults says: \u0027Do not plan to be alone with a child or young person in Scouts, either online or in person.\u0027\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis helps to keep children and young people safe and supports adult volunteers to maintain appropriate boundaries between themselves and children and young people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EHow to communicate safely in Scouts\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"accordion","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","showExpand":true,"items":[{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAll communication with children, young people and parents should be in a Scouting context and adult volunteers can select the most appropriate method of communication depending on the message or information being sent.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen communicating online:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAlways have at least 2 adult volunteers copied into your communications.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMake sure the\u202Fplatform you use is age appropriate and accessible, and always adhere to the age\u202Frestrictions of the platform. Find out about age restrictions at \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/taking-scouts-online/digital-platforms-for-scouts/\u0022 title=\u0022Digital platforms for Scouts\u0022\u003EDigital Scouts: which platform to use?\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EEnsure language and images are appropriate and in line with the \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safe-scouting-cards/safeguarding-code-of-conduct-for-adults-yellow-card/\u0022 title=\u0022Young People First - Yellow Card\u0022\u003EYellow Card\u003C/a\u003E Code of Conduct for Adults and our \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/the-scout-promise/the-scout-law-and-values/\u0022 title=\u0022The Scout Law and Values\u0022\u003EScout values\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ETry to have a separate email account for your Scouting communications, rather than using a personal one.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EBlind copy email addresses to ensure you\u2019re not sharing people\u2019s contact details.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMake sure online groups are private, so only members and/or their parents or carers can join. Young people must have their\u202Fparent or carer\u2019s permission\u202Fbefore uploading content to any platform.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERemind adult volunteers, helpers, children and young people, and parents or carers of the Yellow Card Code of Conduct for Adults, so that everyone is aware that planned 1:1 contact online is not permitted.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EIf a child or young person makes direct 1:1 contact with an adult volunteer, the adult volunteer should not respond to the message. Instead, they should contact their line manager and a discussion should take place with the young person\u0027s parents and carers, explaining why it\u2019s not appropriate. If it happens again, \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/reporting-a-concern-to-safeguarding/\u0022 title=\u0022Reporting a concern to safeguarding\u0022\u003Ereport to the UK HQ Safeguarding team\u003C/a\u003E, who can speak to parents and carers to make sure they\u2019re monitoring their young person\u2019s online usage.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","label":"Communication about Scout events and activities"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWhatsApp is a popular platform that uses your mobile phone number to communicate within a group.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen using WhatsApp for communication about Scouts:\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAlways adhere to the age\u202Frestrictions of the platform. Find out about age restrictions at \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/taking-scouts-online/digital-platforms-for-scouts/\u0022 title=\u0022Digital platforms for Scouts\u0022\u003EDigital Scouts: which platform to use?\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMake sure it\u2019s a closed or private group, so that only you can add people. Make sure you know who everyone is, and remove people when they shouldn\u2019t have access any more, for example if a young person or volunteer moves to a new section.\u202F\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EA minimum of two adult volunteers must monitor the group and ensure behaviour is in line with our \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/the-scout-promise/the-scout-law-and-values/\u0022 title=\u0022The Scout Law and Values\u0022\u003EScout values\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERemember, creating a WhatsApp group will mean that an individual\u0027s mobile number is shared and can be seen by everyone in the group. Check with parents, carers and young people that they consent to this.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERemind adult volunteers, helpers, children and young people, and parents or carers of the Yellow Card Code of Conduct for Adults, so that everyone is aware that planned 1:1 contact online is not permitted.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYou can set up a broadcast list which keeps phone numbers private. To find out more\u202Fread \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://faq.whatsapp.com/android/chats/how-to-use-broadcast-lists/?lang=en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022How to use broadcast lists (WhatsApp)\u0022 data-anchor=\u0022?lang=en\u0022\u003EWhatsApp\u2019s advice on setting up broadcast lists\u003C/a\u003E.\u202FThis is a useful option if you want to update lots of people at once, but it isn\u2019t appropriate to set up a group.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","label":"Using WhatsApp"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003ESocial media allows users to communicate and engage with each other online. While The Scout Association recognises that they can be useful, adult volunteers must be careful about their use.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAdult volunteers need to be especially careful about those they accept as \u2018friends\u2019 or \u2018followers\u2019 on social media. These sites are essentially designed for peer-to-peer contact and often enable 1:1 messaging.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safe-scouting-cards/safeguarding-code-of-conduct-for-adults-yellow-card/\u0022 title=\u0022Young People First - Yellow Card\u0022\u003EYellow Card\u003C/a\u003E Code of Conduct for Adults is clear: \u0027Do not plan to be alone with a child or young person in Scouts, either online or in person\u0027, and this includes 1:1 messaging on social media.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAdult volunteers should familiarise themselves with privacy settings on social media, which often include preventing unwanted contact from strangers and limiting the exposure of posts. Where a social media profile is public, it\u0027s important that adult volunteers ensure their online content is suitable for viewing by children, young people and their parents and is in line with our \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/the-scout-promise/the-scout-law-and-values/\u0022 title=\u0022The Scout Law and Values\u0022\u003EScout values\u003C/a\u003E and the Yellow Card Code of Conduct for Adults.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAny engagement with The Scout Association on social media must be in line with our \u003Ca href=\u0022/about-us/policy/social-media-policy/\u0022 title=\u0022Social media terms of use\u0022\u003Esocial media terms of use\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Social media"}]}]},{"items":[{"type":"Image top","cta":"Find out which platform to use","body":"\u003Cp\u003ERead our advice on which platform to use when taking Scouts online.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"Digital platforms for Scouts","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/taking-scouts-online/digital-platforms-for-scouts/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Digital platforms","image":"/media/21256/30.jpg?cc=0,0.0786120062893081,0,0.07763799371069176\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae985841769a0","imageFocus":"Centre","imageId":37916,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"Centre","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":"Find out more about safe communication online","pageType":null,"location":null,"browserTitle":"","versionDate":"23 April 2024","reviewDate":"01/01/0001","redirectUrl":"","id":79388,"nodeName":"Online communication","title":"Online communication","type":"contentPage","image":null,"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Online communication","headerSubTitle":"Find out more about safe communication online","headerCta":"","headerCtaText":"","headerCtaLink":"","headerBackgroundColour":"ffe627","showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Yellow Card","url":"/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safe-scouting-cards/safeguarding-code-of-conduct-for-adults-yellow-card/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Report a safeguarding concern","url":"/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/reporting-a-concern-to-safeguarding/","newWindow":false}]},"subHeader":"Find out more about safe communication online","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC83OTM4OCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safeguarding-in-the-programme/online-communication/"}