How we keep young people safe

All our volunteers give their time freely to help young people thrive. Some volunteers lead their group week in and week out. Others call in occasionally to share a specific skill, or provide an extra pair of hands – whether they’re abseiling down mountains, helping a group of eight year olds build a robot, or expertly remembering how everyone takes their tea.

All of our leaders are interviewed locally and asked to provide references. They undergo the mandatory training they need to be the best they can be, including basic first aid and safeguarding. Special training is provided for those taking young people away on residential events like camps and sleepovers.

We also have strict rules in place to ensure that everyone who works with young people either regularly, on a night away activity or unsupervised is vetted and holds a satisfactory criminal records check.

As Scouts, we have a Safeguarding Code of Conduct we expect all adults to abide by, known as the ‘Yellow Card’. This code is shared with all adults who interact with young people – regardless of their role – and is included in the training leaders receive.

If you volunteer to help out with an activity, you’ll be given your own yellow card to keep on hand and refer back to. Check out a digital copy of the Yellow Card. You can also view our safety policies – which relate to how our leaders run adventurous activities responsibly – in chapter two of POR. 

Safeguarding and Safety are two of our key policies that anyone involved in Scouts must follow. You can see the full policies in our Policy, Organisation and Rules section:

• Safeguarding policy
• Safety policy

Each Scout Group is composed of different ‘sections’ – which may include a 

• Squirrels Drey (4-6 years)
• Beaver Colony (for 6-8 year olds),
• Cub Pack (for 8-10 ½ year olds),
• Scout Troop (for 10 ½-14 year olds),
• Explorer Unit  (for 14-18 year olds) and
• Scout Network group (for 18-25 year olds).

The Group Leadership Team is responsible for overseeing and supporting volunteers in each section and managing the Scout Group.

The District Lead Volunteer is responsible for a wider geographical area, such as a town or part of a larger city or county.

This is the volunteer manager responsible for a wider geographical area - such as a town or area of a larger city or county.

If you’d like to contact your Group or District Lead Volunteer, ask your local leader for their contact details or speak to the Scout Support Centre on 0345 300 1818.

If you’re unhappy with anything relating to your child’s time in Scouts, you should raise it immediately with your local leaders, no matter how trivial it may seem.

If you’d rather speak to someone else, contact the Scout Support Centre.

Find out more about raising a concern.

All leaders taking young people away will give you notice, ask for your permission and provide you with a way of contacting the group while they’re away.

All residential activities (such as camps and sleepovers) are required to have at least two adults present, unless the young people involved are participating in an expedition or event where adults are not expected to attend at all. We’ll always tell you if there is to be no adult presence for a particular activity, and we’ll never ask to take individual young people away on their own.

No young people under the age of 18 are allowed to consume alcohol while they’re taking part in Scout activities.
You can read the Green Card which sets out our policy on alcohol for all adults involved in Scouting

The world is constantly changing. Technology is constantly evolving. Society puts pressure on young people to experience new things, but that can also make them feel vulnerable and unsure about the world around them.

Our STAY SAFE leaflets contain information for young people about how to stay safe online and in the real world, and gives them all the age-specific information they need to report anything that makes them feel worried, scared or upset. 

• Stay Safe (Beavers, aged 6-8)
• Stay Safe (Cubs, aged 8 to 10 ½)
• Stay Safe (Scouts, aged 10 ½ to 14)
• Stay Safe (Explorers, aged 14 to 18)

We’ve also put together some videos on safeguarding for Beavers and Cubs, and for Scouts and Explorers. 

• Beaver and Cub video   
• Beaver and Cub video with subtitles
• Scout and Explorer video

The NSPCC advises parents and carers to be wary of:

• Activities where parents are discouraged from staying to watch or becoming involved.
• Activities or behaviour that encourage rough play, sexual innuendo or humiliating punishments.
• Individuals who take charge and operate independently of organisational guidelines.
• Individuals who show favouritism or personally reward specific children.
• Encouragement of inappropriate physical contact. 
• Poor communication and lack of parental involvement, leaving you feeling uneasy.
• Children who drop out or stop going for no apparent reason.
• Invitations for children to spend time alone with staff or volunteers (or even to visit their home).

We agree wholeheartedly with the NSPCC and would not expect any of this behaviour to occur in Scouts.

As always, if you have any concerns, please raise them immediately with your child’s leaders, or – if you’d rather speak to someone else - contact the Scout Support Centre on 0345 300 1818.

The world is constantly changing and there's always new ways to communicate with friends, explore the world and get connected. Society puts pressure on young people to experience new things, but that can make them feel vulnerable and unsure about the world around them.

Discover the list of organisations and resources which you can share with young people.