Formal and Legal Issues
| Child Protection |
| Disclosure Scotland Checks |
| Bullying |
| Discipline |
| Group Constitution |
| Personal Information |
| Complaints |
It is the policy of The Scout Association to safeguard the welfare of all Members by protecting them from physical, sexual and emotional harm. Accordingly The Scout Association is committed to:
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taking into account in all its considerations and activities the interests and well-being of young people; |
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respecting the rights, wishes and feelings of the young people with whom it is working; |
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taking all reasonable practicable steps to protect them from physical, sexual and emotional harm; |
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promoting the welfare of young people and their protection within a relationship of trust. |
All adults aged 18 or over within Scouting are responsible for the operation of the Association's Child Protection Policy. It is the responsibility of all adults to ensure that:
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their behaviour is appropriate at all times; |
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they observe the rules established for the safety and security of young people; |
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they follow the procedures following suspicion, disclosure or allegation of child abuse; |
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they recognise the position of trust in which they have been placed; |
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in every respect, the relationships they form with the young people under their care are appropriate. |
Counties must designate one or more Child Protection Co-ordinators. They shall have the responsibility of advising the County Commissioner and the County Executive Committee on the implementation of the Association's Child Protection Policy within the County and shall assist District Commissioners in operating the policy and its procedures.
The District Commissioner or the County Commissioner, as appropriate, must be satisfied that all those whom they appoint are ‘fit and proper’ persons to carry out the responsibilities of the appointment. They must ensure that all applicants demonstrate an understanding of and a commitment to the principles and procedures supporting the Association's Child Protection Policy.
Group Scout Leaders must be satisfied that all those whom they invite to assist them in the work of the Scout Group are ‘fit and proper’ persons to carry out the tasks to be given to them and are aware of their responsibilities under the Association's Child Protection Policy.
In cases where there is an allegation or suspicion of child abuse the District Commissioner or County Commissioner, as appropriate, must immediately take steps to ensure that no Scouting situation arises which could cause further concern and that no adult or youth Member is placed in a position which could cause further compromise. To this end, suspension of membership may be necessary (see Rule 15 – Youth Suspension).
Where urgent issues of child protection are involved the Chief Commissioner has the authority to suspend the membership of any adult or youth Member.
The suspending authority must ensure that the Records Manager at Headquarters is informed immediately.
When District or County Commissioners do not renew, or when they cancel warrants and appointments because the holder has not acted in accordance with the Association's Child Protection Policy, or has breached the code of behaviour, set out in the Young People First guidelines, they must inform the Records Manager at Headquarters in writing of the reasons for the termination of the warrant or appointment.
The Scout Association - Policy, Organisation and Rules – November 2006 Chapter 2
"Disclosure Scotland" is the body responsible for, among other things, checking a person's criminal background to provide information to voluntary organisations so that they can decide if that person is a suitable person to undertake their activities. For the purposes of Scouting - to put it simply - every adult who wants to have a role in Scouting in Scotland must undergo the appropriate checks by Disclosure Scotland before their application can be approved.
When one thinks of these checks, one immediately thinks that such checks may be limited to child protection matters. However, the checks may also reveal reasons why a person may not be suitable for a position where he/she would come into contact with money, or be allowed to drive others in his/her vehicle.
There are three "levels" of check that can be made; "Basic", "Standard" and "Enhanced". A description of these can be found here. An additional kind of disclosure is what is known as "Self Disclosure" (see below). The "Enhanced" Disclosure is the highest level of check that can be made which, in addition to a check for previous criminal convictions, also contains information the Police may have on a candidate which did not result in any conviction but which a Chief Officer or Chief Constable may choose to disclose if they believe it to be relevant to the position in question.
All adults who want to help in Scouting on a regular basis as Warranted Leaders or Certificated Section Assistants are subject to the "Enhanced" level criminal record check by way of Disclosure Scotland.
Parents/guardians who help out on an occasional basis may also be required to undergo an "Enhanced" level criminal check depending on the role or responsibility they take on. For practical purposes this would include adults who are classed as "Adult Helpers" within our Scout Group who would therefore be working with us on a more regular basis.
Parents/guardians who help out on an irregular or less formal basis must sign a "Self Declaration" form stating that they are not disqualified from working with children. This form is included within our annual records update form (see below) and we encourage parents of all children within our Group to complete it.
“Children
have the right to protection from all forms of violence (physical or mental).
They must be kept safe from harm and they must be given proper care by those
looking after them.” [The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child, Article 19]
The Scout Association is committed to this ethos and seeks to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the prevention of all forms of bullying among Members. To this end all Scouting activities should have in place rigorous anti-bullying strategies.
It is the responsibility of all adults in Scouting to help develop a caring and supportive atmosphere, where bullying in any form is unacceptable. Adults in Scouting should:
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be aware of the potential problems bullying may cause; |
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be alert to signs of bullying, harassment or discrimination; |
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take action to deal with such behaviour when it occurs, following Association policy guidelines; |
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provide access for young people to talk about any concerns they may have; |
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encourage young people and adults to feel comfortable and caring enough to point out attitudes or behaviour they do not like; |
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help ensure that their Group/Section has a published anti-bullying code. |
The Scout Association - Policy, Organisation and Rules – November 2006 Chapter 2
At the 1st Daviot Oldmeldrum Group we recognise that bullying
has no place in Scouting and the Leaders will act immediately, positively,
sensitively and confidentially if they detect it is taking place. Serious
bullying will result in the immediate issue of a “Yellow
Card” to the bully (see the section on Discipline below). All
reports of bullying will be taken seriously. If you are being bullied – either
physically like being hit, punched or pushed, or if it’s name-calling and
teasing – then please come and tell one of the Leaders immediately.
While
we’re all keen to have fun and a good time, we do not tolerate bad behaviour
at our meetings. Our meetings only last between one and two hours each week so
there is little time enough without Leaders having to be troubled with bad
behaviour. We are also concerned when bad behaviour has an effect on safety of
the individual or others.
We have
a disciplinary system in place which starts off with a 10-minute spell in the
“Sin Bin” where you are not permitted to take part in activities, nor talk
to any of the other members of your Section. If your behaviour is violent,
dangerous, persistently
disruptive, or an act of serious bullying of other members you will be shown the “Yellow
Card” and your parents will be telephoned and be required to
remove you immediately from the meeting or event.
In certain cases it may be deemed suitable by the Leaders that a period of Temporary Suspension from the young person's Section may be appropriate. In these situations discussions between the Section Leader, GSL and the parents would take place.
In cases of serious (e.g. criminal) allegations or convictions against a young person or adult involved in Scouting it may be appropriate for formal Suspension proceedings to be undertaken. Such procedures are handled at Commissioner level and above within the Scout Association and need not be detailed here.
This is the current constitution for the Group (latest version, September 2008) in PDF format.
Parents often wonder why we need so much information from them regarding their child when they join our Scout Group. Because of the nature of what we do as a Scout Group with such a wide scope of activities which could range from the use of glue during a craft session (to which a child may be alergic), cooking a camp meal (which may have dietary implications), taking part in kayaking (if their child is weak or non-swimmer) or handling a weapon (if parents do not approve), we need comprehensive information about the following matters:
| Contact details - for use in routine or emergency communication |
| Medical details - for your child's health and welfare at meetings, external events and camps |
| Dietary details - to ensure your child is not provided with unsuitable food at meetings, events and camps |
| Activity details - to ensure your child has the necessary capabilities to undertake certain activities (e.g. swimming, climbing etc.) or to indicate if parents do not wish them to take part in certain activities (e.g. shooting) |
At the beginning of each year a form is passed out to every young person within our Group so that this information can be updated. It is extremely imposrtant that this form is completed, signed and returned as soon as possible to your Section Leader.
In addition to the information requested above, there are other aspects of information that we have found convenient to include within this form. These include:
| Parent Skills and Offers of Help - where parents can give us an idea of what interests and inspires them so that we have a large pool of informal expertise on which we can draw should the need arise (e.g. a parent who is a natural history enthusiast would be ideal to lead a Cubs nature ramble). Parents can also state that they could occasionally offer to help with transport, admin or meetings. |
| Leaders to Act in Case of Sickness or Medical Emergency - parents can use this section to give the Leaders guidance as to how they would wish us to act in the event of minor sickness through to a medical emergency while, say, at camp. This ranges from allowing us to administer over-the-counter medication for (for example) a cough or headache, to signing forms at a hospital in the event of an (for example) an emergency appendectomy. Let's hope not but our motto, afer all, is "Be Prepared". |
| Gift Aid - parents who are already tax payers can declare that we can regard their annual subscriptions as "Gift Aid" to enable the Scout Group to claim back the income tax already paid. |
| Disclosure Scotland Self Declaration form - to enable parents to declare (without a formal criminal records check) that they have no disqualification from working with children and can therefore help us out on a very informal basis with such procedures as giving a group of Scouts a lift to and from an event, helping out at the occasional meeting as part of a parent rota system, or escorting a group of Cubs on a hike. |
| Data Protection Act - a signature to confirm your agreement to this information being stored on a computer |
| Permission for the Group to Use Photographs - to indicate your permission (or not) for your child's photograph to be included, where appropriate, on our website or in print in a local newspaper |
Should you have any complaints about any aspect of your child's involvement with the 1st Daviot / Oldmeldrum Scout Group you should first contact your child's Section Leader (i.e. Beaver / Cub / Scout). Should you feel this is not possible then speak to one of the Assistant Leaders. You can speak to the Group Scout Leader if you are not satisfied with the response.