WWYD - teenager potentially a risk to younger people

[WorriedWifie]

This doesn’t affect me directly, but I have a really uncomfortable feeling about something and I don’t know whether anything should/could be done. NC as it could be outing.

There is a 16 year old boy in my child’s year at school. He is widely considered creepy, he is always hanging around the girls, particularly younger ones, trying to get them to go out with him etc. He developed an obsession with one of my child’s friends a couple of years back, and he pretty much was stalking her. It only stopped when her parents got the school involved. He’s been caught up-skirting by the school twice that we know of, potentially a third time. Each time he was reprimanded but never excluded or suspended, I’ve no idea what else happened with his parents etc.

The local schools have a work experience program where kids go to workplaces a day per week. The place where this boy went, found out about the upskirting and have now refused to take any child from local schools for work experience.

Here is the problem. He is a youth leader for Cubs and part of the Explorer’s unit, where they do camps and sleepovers etc. If my child was in these groups, I’d have a major problem with him being there. I don’t know what kind of checks etc they do on these kids before they let them be cub leaders. I know one of the other young leaders, she says he is always hanging around the girls and rarely interacts with anyone, although he has tried it on with her a few times. They are often left alone with groups of kids when they are on camps.

On the one hand, my child isn’t there, only has to deal with him at school and does so quite effectively so why should I be bothered about what else he is doing, not my circus etc. On the other hand, I genuinely believe he will, at some point, assault someone. I don’t want for someone to go through that.

WWYD? Nothing, or report to the Scouts?

Fgs, do you really have to ask?

This is all you can do about the little perv. It's sad that he won't be stopped.

This is very worrying, you were right to report.

to anyone worrying about young leaders/DBS checks etc in cubs and scouts, I’m a cubs leader and we have young leaders in our pack.

though they are encouraged to lead group activities and contribute to planning, they are treated the same as the ‘young people’ in terms of independence with the cubs/scouts.

so, a young leader can not be left alone with the cubs/scouts. They can not be alone with a cub or scout at any time. We count them as ‘children’ in our ratios, so that we have enough adults to oversee them as well as the cubs/scouts.
they will always have a DBS checked, fully trained adult volunteer standing behind them and supporting them.

if one of our young leaders had the history you describe we would definitely want to know. Thank you for reporting

That's nuts won't be that when the little deviant ups his offending.
Full marks for trying must be so frustrating.

Thank you for contacting scouts and for updating here. There is nothing to stop you approaching LADO to request confirmation that the school followed all processes as at face value - it looks flippant. I think in contacting the scouts they will now be hyper aware even though he is ‘innocent/no risk’.

Are you in Scotland op? This sounds like you are, the government really have hashed up safeguarding up here and exclusions are pretty much non existent. Yet people still vote for them. I have so many friends who are teachers who have had any form of control or ability to safeguard removed and it's so frustrating.

Well done for reporting to the scouts, hopefully it makes a difference.

Edit: just seen your other update that the school minimised it with boys will be boys. FFS!!! What does that mean, oh he's a wee sex offender (up skirting is sexual assault - that was how gisele pellicout husband was finally caught btw), but let's just brush that under the carpet! I'm now convinced you're in Scotland, you need to fight this, it's a losing battle we are fighting up here, considering the government has now made all people under 25 not liable for serious offences due to "undeveloped brains" so they get lenient sentences yet at the same time apparently 16 year olds are old enough to vote, marry etc. it's totally effed up. Not to freak you out more, but look up the case in Aberdeen where a woman was attacked and murdered and her killer got a lenient sentence, as well as the young girl raped more than once and her rapist given community service and a slap on the wrist as he was 23.

This boy will use the idiocy of badly thought out policies to commit more crimes. Because he's being protected by the school clearly, and if scouts don't take it seriously either, what then?

If she is a young leader, she should have done safeguarding training and should know this needed to be escalated. Even though she's still a child herself, this is a further concern, if she hasn't notified a responsible adult who has taken action.

This is typical. There was a boy a year ahead of my adult DS at school and very similar to this. He always was seeing girls 4-5 years younger. Horrible. One of my DD's schoolgirl acquaintances is now in his clutches but she can't see it. Gross.

Young Leaders in our Scout Group as asked to complete a DBS as soon as they reach 16 years old - I wonder if it differs by region?

I hope the teenager in question is getting some input from social services/pastoral care/mental health. It's abnormal behaviour and could be indicative of something going on at home/community, or being exposed/having access to unhealthy internet content.

I also hope the girls involved have had support and that the school has policies around sexual misconduct/upskirting etc. I would be concerned by the schools approach, this type of behaviour shouldn't be normalised and it shouldn't be seen as something girls/women have to accept.

You need to talk to the LADO - I'm certain they will not share this view. Just google your local authority LADO and have a chat with them or send an email. The school's response is wholly inappropriate and it sounds like the scouts' response was no better. Reporting isn't just about the victims - their should be significant concerns about the perpetrator too.

As said though, a DbS is only as good as the data it finds.

It sounds as if the OP may be in Scotland (OP mentions school system doesn't have governing boards) ; if so, the reporting pathways are a bit different. There may not be a LADO, but reporting may be instead to Children and Families within the local authority.

LADO does not exist where I am.

She thought they already knew.

Not to my knowledge. I know the family and they are really decent. He has a younger sibling who is totally different to him. I know you never know what’s happening behind closed doors, but it seems unlikely this is entirely a parenting issue.

Are you not in the UK?

I was surprised the school have taken this approach. They have always seemed to be on top of things when I’ve had to deal with them, but thinking about it, I have come across some outdated thinking when dealing with them on other issues. I’m not sure they are protecting him, more protecting themselves as they clearly haven’t dealt with it properly.

I am not in England.

I expect it would be CFS, but I’m not sure it will make any difference. Because I don’t have the details, they will simply speak to the school who will spin the same line.

@WorriedWifie if you're in Scotland you can put your concerns, in writing, to the Child Protection Co-ordinator of the school. The in writing part is important as it forms an evidence trail.

You couch it as a concern about your daughter's safety while in school and ask how they will keep her safe.

However they are not , and should not, discuss what action the have taken with regards to the boy due to confidentiality.

They should reassure you and explain how they are going about keeping your daughter safe while she is school.

The absolutely can't just ignore your concerns.

I appreciate you have already reported to Scouts. However it is clear, and understandable that you are concerned that school is not a safe place. School need to address that.

Definitely report it. Police have specialised units dealing with situations like this and he needs to be on their radar. Do it for the safety of all the children.

OP, that link up thread reports to national Scout HQ right? But have you actually informed the local Scout Group of your concerns? They may well be able to quietly remove him from young leader duties.

I didn't necessarily mean at home or with his parents. I'd just be curious where he's learnt that behaviour? There is a worrying number of boys being influenced by people like Andrew Tate. I just wonder if he is accessing this kind of content or if there's something's happening or that has happened to him that's led to this type of behaviour.

Report to scouts for sure, encourage parents of upskirting victims to report to police so it will show on DBS