Child Safe Message for Adults
Feeling Safe – Your Rights – A message for our adult members / supporters
Everyone in Scouts, youth and adults alike have the right to feel safe and be protected from abuse. No-one is allowed to threaten you, hurt you or touch you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or afraid.
A Scout is respectful and this applies to all interactions between all participants, youth and adult here at ScoutHike.
Youth Members have been told they can raise issues with Adults at ScoutHike, and that any concerns will be taken seriously and treated appropriately.
If you have a concern, or a concern is raised with you, you should raise it with the ScoutHike HQ Leader. All concerns will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.
If a youth member chooses to raise an issue with you it is your role to:
- Hear their concerns.
- Re-assure the youth member you believe their concerns and it is not their fault.
- Raise it through the most direct method to the ScoutHike HQ Leader.
- Manage the confidentiality of the person who has trusted you with this information by only sharing the information with the people necessary to support the person raising the issue.
- Provide the youth member with somewhere relatively private (and quite separate from the person in respect of whom they have raised their concerns – if that person is nearby) until the ScoutHike HQ Leader can attend.
DO NOT
- Discuss specific details of the matter over the Radio network. If required ask the ScoutHike HQ Leader to come to your location.
- Try to investigate or solve the issue. The ScoutHike HQ Leader will take appropriate steps when they arrive and speak with the youth member.
- Discuss the matter with others outside the chain of people required to raise the issue.
- Tell the youth member that you can keep it confidential between you and them.
REMEMBER
- In accordance with the Scouts NSW Child Protection Policy and Procedure, where you believe a youth member is in imminent danger – you should immediately call the NSW Police on 13144.
| Imminent Danger If a young person is in imminent danger, the matter should be reported directly and immediately to NSW Police on 131 444. |
- Once you have made a report to the police, you should then take steps to inform the ScoutHike HQ Leader that a police report has been made.
- Where mobile phone reception is unavailable at your location, or you are unsure whether the police are required, you should radio through for immediate assistance to theScoutHike HQ Leader.
- The ScoutHike HQ Leader retains responsibility for subsequently providing an incident report to the Child Protection Team at the NSW State Office on: Tel: 02 9735 9000 or via ChildProtection@nsw.scouts.com.au. Where applicable, this must include the fact that a report has been made to the police or any other authority.
If you don’t know what to do – talk to someone at ScoutHike HQ!
It is possible that information revealed may be distressing to you. If you feel this is the case, you are encouraged to ask for help from the ScoutHike HQ Leader. They will put you in touch with a Member Support Leader from your Region or on site.
If, for any reason, you do not feel concerns of this nature which you raised at ScoutHike have been satisfactorily dealt with, please report your concerns to the Child Protection Team at the NSW State Office on 02 9735 9000 or via ChildProtection@nsw.scouts.com.au.
For more information, please refer to the Scouts NSW Websitehttps://www.nsw.scouts.com.au/about/child-health-safety/
Jobs At ScoutHike,
There are many jobs to help out with at your district’s Sleep Points on an Activity base or helping on the Sleep Point, there are even some jobs at Headquarters. Speak to your District Scout Leader about what job you could help out with.
Bus Captain
If you really enjoy working with kids and don’t want to drive to ScoutHike, we will allocate you a seat on one of the buses.
In return, your job is to make sure that the Scouts don’t get too rowdy on the bus, don’t annoy the bus driver and leave the bus clean.
Over the weekend you will help out on activities etc.
If you are interested in this job, please email the ScoutHike HQ Leader via scouthike.coordinator.snr@nsw.scouts.com.au.
Bus Point Marshal
If you can’t attend the weekend, but you can spare some time on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, you could act as a Bus Point Marshal at one of the Bus Points.
Your role is to ensure that each Patrol gets on the correct bus.
If there are any last minute glitches, you will demonstrate your initiative to solve these problems.
On Sunday, the job will be much easier, except that you may have to wait around for the odd late arriving parent to collect the last Scouts before you get to go home.
If you are interested in this job, please email the ScoutHike HQ Leader via scouthike.coordinator.snr@nsw.scouts.com.au.