To expect reassurance this man has not been near our DC?

[FreeFolk]

DC are in a local scout group. There is a Facebook group for parents, for checking times, places, lost property and so on.

Last night a scout parent posted a link to a local newspaper article about a scout leader in another local group being found guilty and sentenced for making and possessing images/films of children. They asked had this man been around our DC? There were quickly several other comments of outrage and concern. We did recognise the photo and have seen him at parades, competitions and camps.

There was one reply from a leader. Saying there should not be a witch hunt and for the group leader to decide if this post should stay on the page. It was shortly after deleted.

AIBU to think an email should have been sent to address this?

I think given he has now been found guilty them yes they need to reassure parents

I would be furious. I think if i was you their lack of communication about this would lead to me pulling my dc from the group until i was convinced that the man was nowhere near my child and what checks they will have in the future to protect dc.

I wouldn't be pleased that the post had been deleted given that the man has been found guilty. They should be offering reassurances / information.

Just ask your DC?

If they are in scouts then I'm sure you can show them a photo and ask if they've met the man.

DD1 recognises the photo and named him by his first name.

If he's been convicted then it's hardly a witch hunt to want reassurances about your own child. The leader who said that & pulled the post would be getting an ear bending from i'm afraid!!

All scout leaders and helpers are subject to enhanced criminal records check.
The scout accociation has a robust safeguarding practice. No leader should ever been in a position where they are alone with a child to the point where a scout leader has To think about how they act with their own children while in uniform because it could be misconstrued if seen by an outsider. That being said any organisation that involves children is a target for predators. Just because a leader in another group has been convicted doesn't Mean it is fair to jump on your own leaders who give up a lot of time and effort for your children. Leaders are hard to find because it isn’t an easy job. Just because you have seen this predator at events doesn’t mean he has had access to your child. Talk to your child ask them about it- they probably don’t even remember him. Talk to your group scout leader about it if you are worried. Don’t tar all leaders with the same brush and tbh posting about a predator on the groups Facebook page was out of line. If you need to talk to the leadership team about it talk to the either on the phone or face to face.

I would contact the group scout leader and district commissioner by email with your concerns. The district commissioner will have as much information as they are able to release and has access to the safeguarding team at HQ for anything further.
Beyond this I would imagine you can contact the police if you are concerned that the images may involve your child or others in scouting.
And as a pp has said ask your children.

I'm not surprised the post was pulled (posts like that tend to go downhill very quickly and they'll not want people issuing threats on the scout page), but I'm very surprised they've not been reassuring people. Or even just saying that an investigation is currently underway so they can't say anything.

If you don't get any joy from the leaders then I'd contact the Information Centre and speak to them about the situation and ask what is happening with regards to a review of the circumstance.

^^ as this thread illustrates

Wow, there is a couple of incredibly unpleasant comments on here.

A clean DBS doesn't mean someone isn't a risk. Just means they haven't been caught!
I disagree with the mindset that scout leaders are a certain type of person, that's like saying all care workers are abusive simply because a few have been caught out abusing their clients!!!

I was a Scout, one of the first generation of girl scouts when scouting was opened up to girls. The things I saw/heard as a girl that made me uncomfortable but I didn't know why now make me sick. My DC will never be involved with scouting.
The kind of men attracted to scouting for all the wrong reasons are all too prevalent. It attracts these kind of men simply because there are guidelines and training but the reality is that there is no supervision, no one checks up on anyone and adults have free reign access to kids.
It makes me sad because the opportunities it can offer are amazing for kids.

tbh it is so well known what kind of men are attracted to scout leading that YABU for not removing your children at once.

Get. To. Fuck.

The type of men that are attracted to scout leading are typically those who are willing to give up multiple hours of each week for the benefit of young people and the experiences they can achieve. That's about the only prerequisite.

OP If this incident is true, I'd imagine there will shortly be an official statement from Scout HQ, which will be passed on to parents/carers when prepared.
If you have any immediate concerns, please contact the Group Scout Leader (note this is different from the section leader) who will be able to advise you.

How old are your dc? Would they tell you if anything happend?

Do people make generalisations about other groups of people too?

AIBU to think an email should have been sent to address this?

I think the problem is that it's going to be very difficult to ascertain which children he has been around and which he hasn't. Given that DD1 recognises the photo and named him by his first name he clearly has been around some of the children, and at this moment your group leader probably has no way of knowing which ones he has been around and in what contexts.

So as much as it isn't what you want to hear, right now they probably aren't in a position to answer that question and are probably waiting for advice from higher up about how to handle it because if they mis-handled it they could potentially ruin evidence.

Didn't he have a back ground check before working with children?

Most of the leaders at my DC's group are women.
Oh no Wimmin peedo murgenceeeeee 😱😱😱