Everyone in The Boys’ Brigade, whether they are a volunteer or in a paid role, has a responsibility to keep children and young people safe, and a duty to respond to any safeguarding concerns and allegations. As a volunteer, leaders have the same safeguarding responsibilities as anyone employed to work with children and young people. If any adult volunteer is unable to understand and follow the Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, or is unable to safeguard children and young people, they cannot be considered for adult roles in The Boys’ Brigade.
Not all safeguarding concerns or allegations are obvious or easy to recognise. Leaders may be worried about a child’s behaviour and presentation without knowing if it amounts to a safeguarding concern or something else. In these circumstances, leaders may need to talk to other leaders and find out if they have noticed anything. They may know more about the child, or their family and home circumstances. It may be appropriate at this stage to talk to the parents/carers and let them know what leaders are worried about. Where leaders are still unsure, it is important to talk through their concerns with the BBHQ Safeguarding Manager, where guidance will be provided.
These procedures apply when volunteer leaders and staff have safeguarding concerns about any child or young person that they have become aware of in the course of their BB role. This may include, but is not limited to;
Of note, aware of includes whether the leader is told about the concerns directly or indirectly.
Respect pauses, don’t interrupt them. Let them go at their own pace. Reflect back on what they have said, to check your understanding, using their words. Try not to express your own views and feelings, and don’t make any judgments. Keep your body language open and encouraging. Questions should only be asked to clarify what the child has said. Ask open questions (TED – Tell me, Explain, Describe).
Children and young people might ask you to keep a secret before they tell you what has happened. Explain that we cannot keep secrets when it is about keeping children and young people safe or preventing harm to them or anyone else.
It is not your responsibility to investigate, decide if the child is at risk of harm, or if the family are in need of help or support. Your responsibility is to pass it on.
It is essential that you do not make any judgments, even if you have any doubts about the circumstances. Your responsibility is to “pass it on”.
Parents/carers should not be notified of a safeguarding concern about their child or young person;
If there is no risk of harm to the child or young person, it may be appropriate for the Captain/Correspondent or Leader-in-Charge to inform parents/carers of the concern promptly. They are likely to be aware of any current or past concerns that could impact this decision.
When reporting the safeguarding concern or allegation to the BBHQ Safeguarding Manager, the leader reporting should include whether the parent/carer has been informed, and if not, the reason why. Any further decisions in relation to the sharing of information with a parent/carer will be made by the BBHQ Safeguarding Manager, and when necessary, this will include consultation with Statutory Agencies.
In England, Scotland or Wales please contact us on 0300 303 4454 or email safeguarding@boys-brigade.org.uk. If your concern is about a leader, child or young person in the Republic of Ireland please click here.
Online form: Click here
In any situation where you think a child or young person, or anyone else is at immediate risk of harm, contact the emergency services. You will still have to record and report the circumstances to those outlined above.
The procedures above are to be followed, with some additional actions.
Information sharing in a safeguarding context means the appropriate and secure exchange of personal information between individuals with a responsibility for children and young people, to keep them safe from harm.
Information sharing is an important part of safeguarding, essential for identifying patterns of behaviour or circumstances in a child’s life that may indicate they are at risk of harm or are being harmed and need support or protection. Information sharing is also necessary when it relates to an adult working with children who may be unsuitable because they have harmed, may have harmed or are a risk to children.
Leaders who are aware of a safeguarding concern or allegation, or other circumstances where a child or young person could be at risk of harm, must share the information in accordance with BB Safeguarding Procedures. In a company setting, this is where leaders “pass it on” to their Captain/Correspondent or Leader-in-Charge unless the concern is about them (in these circumstances, contact BBHQ directly).
Safeguarding concerns or allegations and any linked records/accounts should only be shared on a “need to know basis” with those responsible for taking action, and otherwise treated with the strictest of confidence. The information should not be shared routinely with other leaders unless there is a legitimate reason to do so. The leader reporting to the BB Safeguarding Manager will be advised of any information that needs to be shared, and who by, in order to keep children and young people or anyone else, safe.
In most circumstances, it is not necessary to seek consent to share information for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of a child, provided that there is a lawful basis to process any personal information required. The lawful basis* for sharing information comes from a range of Legislation, statutory guidance and the BB Data Protection Policy, including the following:
* The most appropriate lawful basis under Article 6 of the UK GDPR for information sharing in the voluntary sector is “legitimate interests”. “Public task” or “legal obligation” are for public sector organisations.
In non-emergency situations, when the young person is over 18 (or in Scotland, over 16), there may be additional considerations in relation to consent, when reporting to statutory agencies, or sharing information further, such as to parents/carers or to anyone outside of the organisation. In these circumstances, advice should be sought from the BBHQ Safeguarding Manager.
Other than in the Republic of Ireland, Churches have their own safeguarding procedures which leaders are expected to follow as well. Churches should have a nominated Safeguarding Lead who would ordinarily be informed about any safeguarding concerns or allegations. Depending on the Church’s procedures, leaders may also be required to inform their Minister or other Senior Church Official.
In addition to reporting all Safeguarding concerns and allegations to the BBHQ Safeguarding Manager, there are some regional variations.
In Scotland, in Churches that are part of the Church of Scotland, concerns MUST be reported to the Safeguarding Co-ordinator.
In the Republic of Ireland, concerns MUST only be reported to the Regional Safeguarding Panel and are not to be shared with the Church.
The Boys’ Brigade Safeguarding Procedures have been drawn up taking account of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. Each area has their own child protection system and laws to help protect children from harm. This is supported by a framework of legislation, guidance, and practice to identify children who are at risk of harm, take action to protect those children and prevent further abuse from occurring. Although the child protection systems are different in each area, they are all based on similar principles. A summary of key legislation and guidance for England, Wales, and Scotland is available here and for the Republic of Ireland here.
