Members Hub
Safeguarding
Keeping young people safe is the first responsibility of everyone in Scouts — volunteers, parents and carers alike. This page explains the code every adult here follows, and exactly what to do if something worries you.
Never raise a concern in a group chat or in public
Not in a section or parents WhatsApp group, not in a comment on social media, not in a public post. Raising it publicly can identify a child, distress families, and damage the very investigation meant to protect them. Take it to a private channel straight away instead.
How to raise a concern
Raise it right away — do not wait to see whether it happens again, and do not worry about whether it is serious enough. Working that out is not your job. Use any one of these:
In person
Speak to any leader before or after a meeting. Ask for a quiet word — nobody will think it is an overreaction, and you will not be kept waiting.
Private message
A direct WhatsApp message to a leader is fine — as long as it is a private one-to-one message, never the section or parents group chat.
Email us at info@144glasgowscouts.org. Mark it urgent and we will treat it that way.
If your concern is about a leader or another adult here, you do not have to bring it to us at all. Report it straight to the Scouts Safeguarding Team using the details below. That route is always open to you, and you never need our knowledge or permission to use it.
Reporting to the Scouts Safeguarding Team
Every safeguarding concern in Scouts goes directly to the UK Headquarters Safeguarding Team. Since 2024 this is reported first-hand rather than passed along through someone else, so the team gets an accurate account and can act quickly. Anyone can use it — volunteers, parents, carers and members of the public.
- Report online
- Reporting a concern to safeguarding ↗ — the reporting form, on the Scouts website.
- By phone
- +44 (0)20 8433 7164 — 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
- By email
- safeguarding@scouts.org.uk
- Urgent, outside those hours
- Scouts Support Centre — +44 (0)345 300 1818
- If you would rather talk to someone outside Scouts
- NSPCC — 0808 800 5000 or help@nspcc.org.uk
The Yellow Card
The Yellow Card is the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults — the rules every adult in Scouts agrees to follow, printed on a yellow card so it can be carried and displayed. It turns the Safeguarding Policy into plain, practical dos and don'ts.
It applies to every adult here, all the time, inside and outside Scouts. You are entitled to read it, hold us to it, and tell us if you think we have fallen short of it.
Never alone with a young person
Adults do not plan to be alone with a child or young person, in person or online. Activities are planned so that more than one other person is present, or so others can see and hear what is happening.
No one-to-one online contact
There is no individual online communication between an adult and a young person. Messaging is done in a group, kept age appropriate, and always has more than one adult in it.
Separate sleeping accommodation
Young people and adults sleep separately on camps and sleepovers, and Young Leaders sleep separately from the younger section they help with.
Correct adult-to-young-people ratios
Ratios are followed at all times, and young people always know which adult is responsible for them.
No physical contact games, no favouritism
Adults do not join in physical contact games, do not show favouritism, and do not form personal friendships or relationships with young people in Scouts.
Concerns are never left unreported
Adults must not trivialise a concern or let one go unreported, and must step back if they have a personal or family connection to anyone involved.
What our volunteers have to do
If you volunteer with us, reporting is a duty, not a judgement call:
- Report every safeguarding concern directly to the Safeguarding Team as soon as possible, and always within 24 hours.
- Report it yourself rather than through someone else. If you tell another volunteer, both of you must report it directly.
- Write careful notes using the actual words said. Do not ask leading questions, and do not try to work out whether the concern is justified.
- If a young person tells you something, let them speak without interruption, accept what they say, and be reassuring — but never promise to keep it secret. Tell them you have to pass it on.
- Tell the Safeguarding Team if any statutory agency — police, children's services, or the Local Authority Designated Officer — gets involved with a member.
What we do as a group
Every volunteer is PVG checked
All our adult volunteers hold a current PVG (Protection of Vulnerable Groups) check through Disclosure Scotland before they work with young people.
Mandatory safeguarding training
Safeguarding training is compulsory for every volunteer and has to be renewed — it is not a one-off at joining.
The Yellow Card is on display
We display the Yellow Card where we meet and share it with volunteers, parents and carers. It is a public code, not an internal document.
Nights away are permitted and notified
Any residential experience is run by a leader holding a Nights Away Permit, is formally notified, and has an InTouch emergency contact plan in place.