Have Scouts said anything about Assistant leader 'Baloo' Challenor?

[Doyenne]

Just wondering whether the Scout Association have made any sort of announcement re their assistant leader being charged. They will have been told by the police at the very latest when he was charged so they have had plenty of time to prepare a statement

Taken a look at Scouts UK and there are no statements in the News section etc.

it is Bank Holiday. That said, they should be media savvy enough, and they've had enough notice, to have had some comment prepared.

Scouts UK have a lot of questions to answer about how he got through DBS when the Social Services etc, RSPCA etc.. involvement with the Challenor family seem to have been happening over a stretch of years.

Those poor parents

I really wish we could hide this news from them. Ignorance is bliss.

I'm quite surprised at their silence too - it has been clearly mentioned in a couple of the media pieces that he was an assistant scout leader, and I would have thought the scouts would want to get ahead of the inevitable speculation.

Or maybe they are currently panicking and making sure there wasn't any complaints or information about him, that the scouts held, that would make them look bad.

Sorry, wrong thread about the same subject.

It's all very curious.

Do the Scouts have a policy on this?

As a very minimum I would have expected something like "if you are charged with/facing trial for any offence of a sexual or violent nature, you must disclose this immediately to your immediate superior and accept that you will be suspended (without prejudice) until the verdict. A guilty verdict will result in a permanent ban from scouting."

If they don't have such a policy, we should be asking why not.

I wonder what’s going through the heads of the ‘woke’ girl guild bosses? There’s no way this won’t cause a few of them to question the recent decision to ignore the risks they’ve put their girls in.

Does anyone here send their DC to Scouts?

We could write and ask but would probably be better coming from someone with DC at scouts.

Lots of questions.

Did Scouts know?

If not, why?

What are its specific policies to prevent such infiltration?

How often are leaders asked whether new disclosures should be made?

How often are leaders police checked?

Did the police not alert Scouts?

Etc.

I wonder what’s going through the heads of the ‘woke’ girl guild bosses? There’s no way this won’t cause a few of them to question the recent decision to ignore the risks they’ve put their girls in.

I don't believe they give a shit. If they're thinking about it at all they'll be hoping everyone will forget about their policy of not informing parents. They're not going to change their policy, that would make it look like they were wrong to have even considered it in the first place.

He was an assistant scout leader? Jeez!! How the heck did he get approved?

Never have I been so glad DS is a "non-joiner" and doesn't fancy the idea of the scouts.

This sort of thing should get the Guides to rethink their policy, but sadly, I don't think it will.

Truly shocking. We need a response from the Scouting Association.

I know a scout leader and she says all that is done is the initial enhance CRB check (now called something else). If you passed that, 10 years ago in her case, you are then free to spend the next 10 years doing whatever you want with the children in your care. Which is astounding rellay in the light of the Jimmy Saville era. My children were cubs and scouts and I had to fill in multiple forms to allow them to be given calpol if ill while camping. And yet somebody could be on trial/convicted for abuse of animals and children and can continue volunteering? Makes me very angry.

I used to work for a kids drama/performing arts organisation. We had a policy of DBS checks every 3 years but we had to immediately disclose any allegations/charges to the CP officer & we would be suspended pending investigation.

Someone had their class taken off them because she did not disclose that her husband had been charged with child internet pornography offences (Home address used as correspondence base).

I’m appalled that this doesn’t seem to be the case in other organisations.

Alexander that's good to know. That's exactly the sort of policy that should be in place in all organisations working with children and/or vulnerable adults (see my earlier post) - it should be spelled out that you have an immediate duty to disclose, and failure to do so will result in your expulsion from the organisation.

DH coaches waterspouts (volunteer basis) recently had to go through EDBS to train Scout Leaders and similar because DH has to go on land where Scouts and other children might be present.

I'm amazed if Scouts UK etc. don't have mandatory re-checks on DBS, EDBS and a policy that states you have to report SS/Police/RSPCA involvement etc.

Unfortunately Juells, you’re more than likely correct. I wonder how long it’ll be before something like this affects the guilds. But of course the TRAs will deny that the person involved is even trans.

I’m actually surprised that the TRAs and their handmaidens haven’t said that the child rapist isn’t trans. Well done stonewall, this is what you’ve welcomed under the trans umbrella. 😒

I was a scout leader, umm, 20yrs ago and then there was just one CRB check at the start, no rechecks or anything.

AlexanderHamilton Images of child sexual abuse not pornography.

If you are under investigation for a crime like his, what are the processes? Is it incumbent only on you to disclose to your organisation? I do know someone who volunteered with scouts and a year or so later was charged with a sex crime (and eventually he pleased guilty and is now on the register). Everyone in the community knew, so there was no way he could have continued working there. However, if he'd been able to keep it quiet how would scouts or any other voluntary organisation get wind of it? I know DBS checks need to be done every so often, but in the interim?

Exactly MsPavlichenko. I hate the way media has managed to influence the public into using the term, ‘child pornography’. It’s child rape and abuse. It’s as if it’s too shocking to use those words. Abuse is shocking, horrific and cruel. Use the correct words to describe it. and breath I’m not getting at you, AlexanderHamilton, as I know you meant no harm by using that term, but we must call it what it is, instead of ‘sanitising’ it.

Also, the response from this particular scouts leadership team was very blaze bordering on, accusations of this nature almost being an occupational hazard.

There is a safeguarding email contact.
[email protected].

I have a child in Scouts and would like to know the answers to many of these questions posted. Not very good at wording emails though.