SAFEGUARDING UPDATES

‘Stay Safe’ resources

The new Stay Safe resources for young people have been available for order through the Information Centre for around two months, and around 100,000 have been distributed. The resources contain information for young people about how to stay safe, and are section specific – with Beaver Scout, Cub Scout, Scout and Explorer Scout versions available. All are free of charge.

CLICK CEOP button

The CLICK CEOP button is now on www.scouts.org.uk and is a clear demonstration of Scouting’s commitment to keeping young people safe. The Association encourages all Scout websites to adopt the CLICK CEOP button. Further information and technical advice is available from the CEOP website.

Updated Safeguarding website

The safeguarding information is now on the new Information and Resources web pages. The new Stay Safe resources for young people in Scouting are soon to be on the site too.

Yellow Card fourth edition

You will be aware that there was a printing error on the most recent edition of the Yellow Card. A revised version will be available in early 2011 and will be circulated via Scouting magazine, with an article providing additional information about Scouting’s approach to alcohol.

Safeguarding training at appointment review

A number of SACs and Training Managers have been asked whether adults with a professional involvement in childcare or safeguarding still need to attend a Scouting Safeguarding training session.

Our position is outlined in the FAQs – for most people their professional training won’t cover all of the objectives for the Scouting requirement. Remember that training for the likes of police officers and teachers will not have any Scouting context to it – for instance a police officer will have a detailed understanding of the law and investigative techniques, but will not (by virtue of their professional background) have an understanding of what the Association’s stance is in respect of alcohol on activities or required sleeping arrangements. The Safeguarding Team work with safeguarding professionals regularly, and our experience is that they are the first to accept the need for organisations to have their own policies, procedures and training in place.

Recording Ongoing Learning

The recording of the mandatory safeguarding training has been made available through the membership database. Training Managers and Administrators have already been informed. As a short term measure, a new Personal Learning Plan (PLP) has been added to the database which can be used to record any ongoing learning that a learner completes. The PLP is called ‘Ongoing Learning’ and administrators can add any of the existing modules to this PLP. There is a new module called ‘Safeguarding Training’ which can be added to denote that someone has completed their mandatory safeguarding training for their role. Training Managers, Training Administrators and Training Advisers (Admin) will be able to add this PLP, and the modules, as is current practice. ‘Ongoing Learning’ can be found in the County/Area or Regional list when you click on ‘Add Personal Learning Plan’ in the training area. If the Member has a Group or District role, the PLP should still be added at the Region or County/Area level.