Online communication

All 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.

When communicating online:

• Always have at least 2 adult volunteers copied into your communications.
• Make sure the platform you use is age appropriate and accessible, and always adhere to the age restrictions of the platform. Find out about age restrictions at Digital Scouts: which platform to use?
• Ensure language and images are appropriate and in line with the Yellow Card Code of Conduct for Adults and our Scout values.
• Try to have a separate email account for your Scouting communications, rather than using a personal one.
• Blind copy email addresses to ensure you’re not sharing people’s contact details.
• Make sure online groups are private, so only members and/or their parents or carers can join. Young people must have their parent or carer’s permission before uploading content to any platform.
• Remind 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.
• If 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's parents and carers, explaining why it’s not appropriate. If it happens again, report to the UK HQ Safeguarding team, who can speak to parents and carers to make sure they’re monitoring their young person’s online usage.

WhatsApp is a popular platform that uses your mobile phone number to communicate within a group.

When using WhatsApp for communication about Scouts: 

• Always adhere to the age restrictions of the platform. Find out about age restrictions at Digital Scouts: which platform to use?
• Make sure it’s 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’t have access any more, for example if a young person or volunteer moves to a new section. 
• A minimum of two adult volunteers must monitor the group and ensure behaviour is in line with our Scout values.
• Remember, creating a WhatsApp group will mean that an individual's 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.
• Remind 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.
• You can set up a broadcast list which keeps phone numbers private. To find out more read WhatsApp’s advice on setting up broadcast lists. This is a useful option if you want to update lots of people at once, but it isn’t appropriate to set up a group.

Social 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.

Adult volunteers need to be especially careful about those they accept as ‘friends’ or ‘followers’ on social media. These sites are essentially designed for peer-to-peer contact and often enable 1:1 messaging.

The Yellow Card Code of Conduct for Adults is clear: 'Do not plan to be alone with a child or young person in Scouts, either online or in person', and this includes 1:1 messaging on social media.

Adult 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's 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 Scout values and the Yellow Card Code of Conduct for Adults.

Any engagement with The Scout Association on social media must be in line with our social media terms of use.