Talk me through this - male on placement with brownies

[nevernotstruggling]

The dds have been to the same brownie unit for around 4 years (dd1 waiting to move up to guides). I know the leaders quite well and there has been one staff changeover in that time. The communication with parents has been excellent. I have felt safe letting the dds go on sleepovers knowing that I know all the adults involved. It's actually been brilliant in terms of safeguarding. No surprises or anything parents haven't been informed of. The dds love it. Dd2 is thriving there because it's a small closed group where she feels safe and familiar.

I dropped the dds off this week and a man came up to dd1 touches her shoulder and said 'you're it' I said to brown owl - who is that?? She replied oh it's Dave (not his name obvs). Me - who is Dave??? BO - he's on work placement (something about youth work) . Me - Er is he DBS checked?? BO- yes. Me- Brownies is a girls group!! BO - we have dads helping! No they don't. Not once the whole time we have attended.

Apparently Dave will be there for 4 weeks.

My reaction has been negative. I'm quite annoyed there was no warning of Dave jointing the unit. There have never been 'work placements' before. I think it was be something to do with the church though.

I think parents should have been told. They use a private Facebook group to keep in touch with parents and this works really well so I'm a bit baffled by the surprise!

Why don’t you volunteer to run it then you can make sure Dave is above board 😉

Are you told about every volunteer there?

He is there for 4 weeks youth work experience, he is DBS and is presumably well aware and following the brownies safeguarding policy.

There might not be dad volunteers in your girlguiding group but they do exist and are encouraged. It's 4 weeks. He's background checked.

@Sirzy there have never been any before.

Tbh it would make me a bit uncomfortable too - I’d question why Dave wants to be there (unless he is a dad of one of the brownies).

Then again dd goes to a girls school and they have male teachers so....

Really?! What’s your concern about what Dave is going to get up to in the next 3 brownie meetings?

I’ve been a leader in brownie packs where dads have helped run it. I don't think it's that unusual.

Also if he's not being left alone with the children (which he wouldn't be During a meeting) he doesn't need to be DBS checked and surely there's no issue?

They are a positive thing- some girls may not have many good male role models and this gives them an opportunity to see what a man should be like. Wise up.

For clarity I don't assume Dave is a risk.

I'm just a bit shocked parents weren't told.

The whole idea of the Girlguiding movement is to provide girl only spaces so having a bloke there seems to defeat the point!

@QueenArseClangers yes!!!!!

Do you keep your daughters away from male teachers?
Question why they went into teaching?
Swimming instructors?
Women who run Cubs?

You're being ridiculous.

What on earth are you worried about ? You need to get a grip. He’s DSB checked isn’t he ? It’s great that the girls will have that male influence for a short while.

Perhaps he's a single dad who wants to volunteer with an organisation that his daughter benefits from? What do you think he's going to do in a room full of children with other leaders there?

Just because there don't happen to have been any during your time with this one pack, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Does Brown Owl runall helpers past all the parents 'for approval' before they offer her some support ?

If you trust BO and the Guide Association, then you will know he will have had all the proper checks and done all the Safeguarding training necessary (almost certainly 2 or 3 times if he is a Youth Worker, and on placement with the Church).

Can't understand why this would bother you.

t’s great that the girls will have that male influence for a short while.

That's a joke right

You shouldn’t have to be a dad to want to work with children of either sex. It’s the gender stereotypes you’ve been fed your whole life that are making you paranoid.

Actually BP started the girl guides so girls could do girly things like learn how to housekeep.
Nothing feminist or safe space about the Guides original tenets. It was about keeping females in their place.

It's really the same risk as if he volunteered with cubs.

Would you object to a dad helping for four weeks to teach a skill for a badge, for example?

Males over 18 are allowed to volunteer as a unit helper but are not allowed to run a unit, take the promise or do the leadership qualifications.

I dont really understand what you think is going to happen here. He wont be left with Brownies alone, as would none of the other unit helpers, and he would be DBS checked and required to complete the safe space safeguarding training, the same as any female volunteer. If you think he is abusive or a paedophile (based on zero evidence apart from his sex) then surely you would be equally concerned about a female volunteer on a placement?

If they go on a residential (which sound unlikely as he is only there a few weeks) males have to have separate sleeping and bathroom facilities to all female member.

You are being really out of order. What do you imagine Dave is going to get up to? Just because he's a bloke he's obviously a sexual predator. That could be my dad/husband/brother/son you're talking about. So do you think male gynacologists/teachers/lifeguards are well suspect too.

And you do know the kids' own father is about a million per cent more likely to abuse them than Dave, right?

P.s. we have had males come in to Brownies to do first aid training or presentations before. Should I have warned the parents that there would be a male first aid trainer in our group for 2 weeks?

It’s great that the girls will have that male influence for a short while.

I agree. Girls benefit from seeing both men and women being fully interchangeable for teaching and caring roles. We aren’t going to push feminism forward by enforcing traditional gender roles- by saying only women should teach and care for girls/children. Men work in nurseries. They teach in primary schools. Why can they not volunteer to assist a pack of Brownies?