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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

My child is asking to join the scouts and I’m in two minds.

127 replies

Dagda · 31/01/2026 23:39

My child is very keen to join our local scouts group. I’ve read a lot about the many abuse issues within the scouts and I’m feeling a bit conflicted. If I did let her join what kind of questions can I ask to assure myself that they take child safeguarding seriously?

OP posts:
Dagda · 01/02/2026 18:27

RedToothBrush · 01/02/2026 18:15

Let's be honest. This thread is because you have a grudge against the scouts and are trying get publicity.

This isn't because you are remotely considering letting your daughter go to Scouts.

This is dishonest shit stirring to smear the good character of all the hard working volunteers who aren't remotely involved in this.

You just want to destroy Scouts.

I thought as much from your initial posts.

i don’t at all. I’m literally trying to figure out if the safeguarding is as robust as it can be.

Of course I know that the vast majority of volunteers leaders are not involved with abuse. I am concerned with the scouts themselves as an organisation. As a volunteer in a youth activity myself, I appreciate volunteering.

OP posts:
Dagda · 01/02/2026 18:29

@TheFallenMadonna thank you. That is very reassuring that they changed their policies after this campaign.

OP posts:
MissMoneyFairy · 01/02/2026 18:31

How about guides instead

trelawney59 · 01/02/2026 18:31

Zippizipoli · 01/02/2026 06:00

I don't blame you, I feel the same about Scouts in particular, having been witness as a child myself to abuse in more than one of these settings as well as at school - but that is another thread altogether. Others will brush this off as paranoid but I don't care.

Perhaps can you look for other similar clubs where you could stay for the session? I don't believe scouts and cubs allow this.

Parents can volunteer their time and stay at sessions in the Scout Association. They won’t be allowed to be in a 1-1 situation with children or young people and will remain under the supervision of leaders who have been DBS checked.
It might be worthwhile to read the Scout Association policies online to clarify the safeguarding policy of the UK Scout Association rather than make assumptions.

cadburyegg · 01/02/2026 18:37

Both of my sons did beavers. I helped out a few times. Never had any safeguarding concerns.

Some of the leaders were great, others weren’t very switched on IMO. Luck of the draw. Round here they all seemed to know each other so getting into scouts was a “who you know” kind of thing and not necessarily because they were any good at it. No point making a complaint to the GSL because they were best buddies with half of the leaders.

The other thing I noticed was that the behaviour of the kids wasn’t great. Seemed to be a fashionable thing for parents to send their badly behaved kids to scouts to get them out of their hair for an hour. Very cheap babysitting. The leaders spent half of the session just doing behaviour management. It was a shame because it did mean ds2 quit beavers before he “graduated”.

TheNightingalesStarling · 01/02/2026 18:40

Dagda · 01/02/2026 18:27

i don’t at all. I’m literally trying to figure out if the safeguarding is as robust as it can be.

Of course I know that the vast majority of volunteers leaders are not involved with abuse. I am concerned with the scouts themselves as an organisation. As a volunteer in a youth activity myself, I appreciate volunteering.

Then you must be aware that Sports teams etc have similar historical issues?,

RedToothBrush · 01/02/2026 18:51

TheNightingalesStarling · 01/02/2026 18:40

Then you must be aware that Sports teams etc have similar historical issues?,

Let's pretend that schools don't have issues that are current too.

It's all about Scouts though and how awful they are even though the OP hasn't the foggiest idea what has changed and couldn't be bothered to read the article they quoted.

🙄

RedToothBrush · 01/02/2026 18:53

The big one at the moment is actually abuse by tutors.

Dgll · 01/02/2026 18:54

Alpacajigsaw · 01/02/2026 18:26

Are they not still allowing trans women to be leaders then?

I don't think they are.

Alpacajigsaw · 01/02/2026 19:05

Dgll · 01/02/2026 18:54

I don't think they are.

Thanks - I knew they had stopped male children joining but didn’t think it applied to adult helpers

JustGiveMeReason · 01/02/2026 19:16

Well said @RedToothBrush

The OP is being really obtuse if she thinks there is a greater issue in Scouting than there is in any other organisation when young people spend a lot of time.

This is clearly a one sided smear campaign.

Of course there have been occasions where people with awful motives have managed to infiltrate organisation where there are young people. ALL organisations. It is a terribly sad fact of life. Plenty of posters on here have pointed out how Scouts have been at the forefront of reviewing and modifying their Safeguarding policy and training on a regular basis. Others have suggested conversations that might help her dd (in the World generally, not just at Scouts). Many have pointed out how belonging to a good Scout Group have benefited their children and teens.

However, as it is entirely voluntary to join, she does not have to send her dd there and everyone, except her dd, will be happy.

Dgll · 01/02/2026 19:26

Alpacajigsaw · 01/02/2026 19:05

Thanks - I knew they had stopped male children joining but didn’t think it applied to adult helpers

I don't know the details. I'm not an expert on Girl Guides or trans people.

Needspaceforlego · 01/02/2026 19:33

RedToothBrush · 01/02/2026 18:15

Let's be honest. This thread is because you have a grudge against the scouts and are trying get publicity.

This isn't because you are remotely considering letting your daughter go to Scouts.

This is dishonest shit stirring to smear the good character of all the hard working volunteers who aren't remotely involved in this.

You just want to destroy Scouts.

I thought as much from your initial posts.

Totally agree.

medievalpenny · 01/02/2026 19:36

JustGiveMeReason · 01/02/2026 19:16

Well said @RedToothBrush

The OP is being really obtuse if she thinks there is a greater issue in Scouting than there is in any other organisation when young people spend a lot of time.

This is clearly a one sided smear campaign.

Of course there have been occasions where people with awful motives have managed to infiltrate organisation where there are young people. ALL organisations. It is a terribly sad fact of life. Plenty of posters on here have pointed out how Scouts have been at the forefront of reviewing and modifying their Safeguarding policy and training on a regular basis. Others have suggested conversations that might help her dd (in the World generally, not just at Scouts). Many have pointed out how belonging to a good Scout Group have benefited their children and teens.

However, as it is entirely voluntary to join, she does not have to send her dd there and everyone, except her dd, will be happy.

I don't know, presumably op is focused on Scouting because that's the specific decision she's faced with right now.

I once had a conversation with a random stranger when I was travelling to an event in uniform who told me that he hadn't allowed his son to join scouts because of all the abuse scandals and that he was surprised the organisation was still going. (He brought this up.) It shocked me at the time and I probably felt a bit defensive even though he was polite and non-accusatory to me personally, but I can understand the concern and decision.

It's not a personal condemnation. Scouting and Guiding have both had safeguarding failures, some of them catastrophic. It doesn't denigrate good members to recognise that and the natural worries it will leave people with. Someone who isn't deeply involved, and doesn't live and breathe Scouting, won't be as familiar with the details and current situation - and won't feel as personally about it.

topcat2014 · 01/02/2026 19:43

I'm the least military person you could imagine, and was a beaver leader for 7 years. Your average primary teacher will be much more shouty!

Dagda · 01/02/2026 19:54

JustGiveMeReason · 01/02/2026 19:16

Well said @RedToothBrush

The OP is being really obtuse if she thinks there is a greater issue in Scouting than there is in any other organisation when young people spend a lot of time.

This is clearly a one sided smear campaign.

Of course there have been occasions where people with awful motives have managed to infiltrate organisation where there are young people. ALL organisations. It is a terribly sad fact of life. Plenty of posters on here have pointed out how Scouts have been at the forefront of reviewing and modifying their Safeguarding policy and training on a regular basis. Others have suggested conversations that might help her dd (in the World generally, not just at Scouts). Many have pointed out how belonging to a good Scout Group have benefited their children and teens.

However, as it is entirely voluntary to join, she does not have to send her dd there and everyone, except her dd, will be happy.

I’m very grateful for the suggestions and constructive points people have made.

I’m just deciding about the scouts right now.

I’m conscious many organisations have had similar issues. Unfortunately any activity that gives adults access to children can be targeted by those who want to harm children. So that is why good safeguarding practices is so important. It will reduce the opportunity for them to do harm.

OP posts:
Needspaceforlego · 01/02/2026 19:56

RedToothBrush · 01/02/2026 18:53

The big one at the moment is actually abuse by tutors.

Where is the shock 😲 face?
Thats one I haven't thought about but I can totally see it.
No youth organisation would allow adults to be 1 to 1 with a child.

BowstotheSettingSun · 01/02/2026 20:00

So dont send her. Keep her home or enrol her in whatever activity it is you do.

Needspaceforlego · 01/02/2026 20:30

If you have such great doubts about Scouting why did you even put her on the waiting list in the first place?

medievalpenny · 01/02/2026 21:29

Why are people taking this so personally?

RedToothBrush · 01/02/2026 21:29

Unfortunately any activity that gives adults access to children can be targeted by those who want to harm children. So that is why good safeguarding practices is so important. It will reduce the opportunity for them to do harm.

And yes, BECAUSE Scouts have had such big scandals in the past THEY HAVE to have some of the most robust safeguarding practices for a organisation aimed at young people. The safeguarding now goes further than most other activities children do as a result. As that article points out the cases still in process are overwhelmingly historic and not current. This isn't to say there aren't going to still be incidents. There will be unfortunately due to sheer numbers of kids but the risk is MUCH MUCH less than it was because they've vastly improved their practices and training to limit opportunities.

If you are an abuser Scouting would no longer be your first choice, because there are other places that would be much easier to offend. As I mentioned above there is a worrying uptick in incidents involving tutors because so many parents are turning to tutors to boost their child's academic achievement - its largely not over seen by an organisation with a safeguarding policy, its often 1 to 1 (which offers the best opportunities for an offender) which goes against scouting best practice and there's no oversight in the sense of being able to easily vent a tutor.

Abusers look for weak links and opportunities. They will seek out the easiest places to abuse. So thats what you should be looking out for - poor practices and poor protocols. Not getting worried about an organisation which has had a scandal and going purely on that to put you off. You look at what an organisation or individual is doing NOW to safeguard.

I know that several of the local high schools have had safeguarding incidents in the last few years. Its not good BUT they have identified the problem quickly, acted to resolve the matter with the swift removal of staff and have acted to stop a repeat. The thing is that on the face of it, it sounds terrible, but its also reassuring because they have acted and haven't tried to cover up whats happened. Thats a change in culture from not to many years ago. Again you shouldn't necessarily see reports of issues as a bad thing - the key is the action and the change. You are never going to stop EVERYTHING. Its an awful thing to say but its a sad reality. What you need to do is limit the possibility and have protocols to deal with it should the worst happen so it isn't repeated over a long period.

This is where I do have confidence in Scouts over so many other organisations.

Needspaceforlego · 01/02/2026 22:53

@RedToothBrush
So true. Scouts as an organisation are shit hot on safeguarding.
The very first leader course is on Safeguarding, never being 1 to 1 with a child, even if parents say its ok for example, Your neighbour asks can you take their child to Scouts, No you must not do that. You can't be 1 to 1 with a child.

JeannieDark · 02/02/2026 20:01

My kids are both in Scouting and I’ve had to volunteer to get them in. There is never, absolutely never, a time when I’m allowed to be on my own with any kids, either on their own or in a group. I’m not even allowed to give a lift home to the young leaders who help even though I drive past them every week. I can’t even take kids to the toilet unless there is another leader with me. Safe guarding is taken incredibly seriously. More than half the volunteers in our section are women, and at camp we must have female leaders as well as male. My kids absolutely adore it and the opportunities it’s given them have been life changing already (they’re only Beavers and Cubs). It’s easily their favourite activity.

Dagda · 03/02/2026 10:15

Thanks @JeannieDark . That is very reassuring

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · 03/02/2026 10:23

Can I volunteer in her section?

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