Safeguarding
All Safeguarding concerns MUST be reported directly to Scouts UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
The welfare of children and young people is our priority and everyone has a duty to report safeguarding concerns. This applies to all concerns, no matter how insignificant they might seem or when they happened or whether they happened inside or outside of Scouts. You can report by:
- Phoning 020 8433 7164 (9am – 5pm weekdays)
- Phoning 0345 300 1818 (out-of-hours)
- Emailing safeguarding@scouts.org.uk
- Using the Safeguarding Reporting Form
If a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm call 999 or 112 and ask for the police. You can also call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email them at help@nspcc.org.uk for additional support. Tell the UK HQ Safeguarding Team you have done this.
If you have a personal relationship or family connection with anyone involved in the report, you will be asked to step back from the situation and inform the Scouts HQ Safeguarding team.
Contact Us
Emergencies
If you have an accident or emergency situation at Scouts please do follow the steps in the Purple card – Safe Scouting and what to do in an emergency.
For more information visit the emergencies and reporting section of our website.
Out of hours contact: In an emergency situation where you need to speak to the on duty Critical Incident Manager, Safeguarding Officer or Media Officer please call 0345 300 1818 (local rate) or 020 8433 7100 where an out of hours service will triage you to the correct person.
Call us
If you’d prefer to speak to us, you can talk to us over the phone.
The phone is managed by a team of volunteers so please leave a voicemail if a team member can’t get to the phone right away.
0300 1021961
Find us
Leeds Templars HQ, Halton, Leeds, LS15 7RG
Raising a concern
The Scouts has a policy in place to ensure that complaints are taken seriously and dealt with appropriately. Please report the behaviour of any Scout or Volunteer do goes against our Scouting values.
Formal complaints should be made in writing (physically or digitally) wherever possible to the most appropriate volunteer line manager. This could include the Group Scout Leader (GSL), District Lead Volunteer, County Lead Volunteer or Regional Team. If you do not know the name and / or contact details of who to raise the complaint to, please contact the Scout Support Centre.
Complaints should ideally be made on the Complaints Template.
Any actions that may be considered Gross Misconduct must be reported directly to the Lead District Volunteer, Lead County Volunteer or Regional Team:
- theft
- physical violence
- gross negligence
- serious insubordination
- behaviour that destroys relationships with other volunteers or staff such as bullying and harassment
