Youth protection
Keeping our Young People Safe
Child and Youth Protection is everyone’s responsibility. Safeguarding all young people requires the constant cooperation of the entire SCOUTS New Zealand community and anyone else we involve in our programmes – from bus drivers to flying instructors, to camp cooks.
A ‘Safe from Harm’ culture benefits adults and the Movement as much as it does youth members; adults have an important part to play in always acting beyond reproach.
It Starts with Young People...
Helping our young people understand the difference between what is right and wrong and empowering them to speak up.
Youth "Yellow" Card
The Youth Card is a resource given to all youth members for them to look to if they ever feel there is something wrong with how someone is behaving at Scouts. The card outlines the things that a youth member should expect of adults and what to do if these expectations are not being met.
Watch the ViDeo
We prepared a short video to help young people understand why we created the Youth Card and how to use it. We recommend taking 5 minutes to watch the video. It is short, it is simple, and it covers all the bases on how to use the card.
It Involves Parents...
The system relies on parents making sure their kids know and understand what the card means and how it should be used. If possible, sit down with your child and go through the information in the video with them to make sure they understand it.
And Our Volunteers.
Our leaders also understand the Youth Card, their responsibilities, and how they should act around young people. As well as this, our Safe From Harm card is there to make sure they have resources to fall back on if they ever find themselves unsure of what to do.
We operate a robust Child Protection System
Supporting our young people, parents, and volunteers is a robust child protection system. Elements of the child protection system include:
Police Vetted
Anyone – Kaiarāhi, adult helpers, and parents – who regularly help out or attend an overnight camp are police vetted. This is to ensure that we maintain the highest standard of safety around the young people in our care.
Safety Check
All front line adult volunteers are safety checked in accordance with the Vulnerable Children’s Act. This means checking references and identity for volunteers who have responsibility for young people.
ONline Learning
We have partnered with Whitireia Polytechnic to develop three online learning modules covering Child and Youth Safety. We ask our volunteers to complete the online learning modules to ensure everyone has the same understanding of how to keep our young people safe.
Two year Vetting
SCOUTS New Zealand rechecks our volunteers, adult helpers, and parents who regularly help or attend overnight camps every two years. (The Vulnerable Children’s Act requires vetting a minimum of every three years.)
A robust Policy
SCOUTS New Zealand has a robust child protection policy that details how we keep your young people safe. You can read the full policy here.
International Benchmark
SCOUTS New Zealand engaged the Australian Childhood Foundation to benchmark our Child Protection System. We continue to make improvements to how we keep young people safe.