JOTI COORD IS ONLY ON DUTY DURING THE EVENT!
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Purpose
This guide is for operators on ScoutLink who, during JOTI 2024, may encounter safety and safeguarding incidents. Your role is vital in ensuring the safety and well-being of all users.
There are four sections to this guide, a section for all team members, one for team members who are Under 18 (U18), one for those who are Over 18 (O18) and a final one for coordinators, we would encourage operators to read all three sections to familiarise themselves with the procedures for both and how concerns should be handled and how others further along the chain will respond.
If you need assistance, please contact the OiC on duty or the Duty JOTI Coordinator – click here to find out who is on duty and how to contact them
Contents
High Urgency: Immediate Danger or Risk
Medium Urgency: Serious but Not Immediate
All Volunteers
When faced with a safety or safeguarding concern, ensure you:
Record & Report
Low Level Concerns must be reported and will be taken seriously – for more information please see the coordinators notes section, note 1 – low level concerns.
Safeguarding Contacts:
Duty JOTI Coord | LINK |
Safeguarding | safeguarding@scoutlink.net |
Key Rules and Conduct for Operators:
- Set an Example: As an operator, you are a role model. Always act in a way that upholds ScoutLink’s values.
- Maintain Boundaries: Never engage in private 1-on-1 conversations with users under 18 and vice versa. Always ensure there is another adult present or that the conversation is on a public channel.
- Respect Privacy: Be mindful of a person’s right to privacy but balance this with the need to ensure their safety.
- Report All Concerns: Any concern, no matter how minor it may seem, should be reported immediately. It is better to report and be wrong than to miss a potential safeguarding issue.
- No Inappropriate Behaviour: Do not engage in or tolerate any form of inappropriate behaviour, including the use of suggestive language, physical, or any activities that could be construed as bullying.
Final Reminders:
- Do Not Investigate: Your role is to report, not to investigate. If in doubt, report the incident and seek guidance.
- Use Support Channels: Always contact a coordinator for guidance and support. If you are unsure, safeguarding@scoutlink.net is available for further assistance.
- Maintain Confidentiality: Only discuss safeguarding issues with those who need to know.
Volunteers Under 18 (U18)
As an under 18 Volunteer your safety and well-being are our top priority, and it’s very important that you do not attempt to handle safeguarding situations. It is against Scoutlink policy for anyone under 18 to handle safeguarding manners. These situations can quickly become complicated and may have serious consequences. The most important thing to do is to refer the incident to an over 18 volunteer, and follow these steps. :
- Stay Neutral and Calm: If someone shares a safeguarding concern with you, keep the conversation calm and neutral. Do not ask for more details or try to investigate the situation yourself.
- Calm the Channel: If the user is angry or disruptive, take normal channel management measures. If the user is upset, but not a danger to anyone in the channel, ask them to please wait to talk more about the problem until volunteers are available.
- Collect Information: Collect any information the user has already shared and IRC information like their nick.
- Immediately Seek Help: Go to the #joti channel as quickly as possible and ask an over 18 volunteer for help. OIC’s and IRCOps should handle the case first, but in an emergency, any volunteer over 18 is ok.
- Follow the Adult Volunteer’s Instructions: Once you’ve contacted an adult volunteer, follow their instructions carefully. Do not try to handle the situation on your own. If they ask you to help, tell them Scoutlink policy does not allow you to. If they have any questions, they may contact the JOTI coordinator team.
- Pass on information: Pass along any information you have to the adult volunteer handling the safeguarding matter.
- Walk Away: Once you have handed over the case, do not get involved again – unless specifically asked by a Coordinator.
- Report: Fill in the JOTI Safeguarding report form as best you can, this way we get multiple viewpoints on the case that can help us build a picture of what happened – HERE
If you ever find yourself being told to manage a safeguarding situation, immediately refuse and contact a JOTI Coord. You are not responsible for handling these cases, and any operator who asks you to do so is mistaken. For your own safety, it’s important to make it clear that you are not allowed to get involved in handling safeguarding concerns directly.
Volunteers Over 18 (O18)
Responding to Safeguarding Concerns
You do not need to wait until a child or young person tells you directly that they are experiencing abuse before taking action.
What to Do If a User Discloses Abuse or a Safeguarding Concern:
- Notify OiC: Use either the ops channel or #joti to inform an OiC and pair up with another operator to help you deal with the situation.
- Move To A Safe Space: To ensure the safety of the user and others, move the user to a safe working channel, with yourself and another (O18) volunteer.
- Listen Without Interrupting: Let the young person speak freely and without interruption. Accept what they say and take it seriously.
- Avoid Promise of Confidentiality: Make it clear that the information may need to be shared with trusted members of the ScoutLink team and others within local scouting to ensure their safety.
- Be Reassuring: Show understanding and reassurance. Avoid giving your opinion or making promises you can’t keep.
- Gather Basic Information: Try to obtain the user’s name, location (country), and group affiliation (if possible).
- Explain Next Steps: Inform them that you will try to help but must pass the information on to ensure their safety.
- Log the Conversation: Ensure you secure logs, saving them in a secure place for reference later.
- Submit Your Logs and all Info: All volunteers involved should fill in their own version of the form HERE to report any safeguarding cases no matter how minor, this will generate a case number from RT and any further communications regarding the case should include this case number in the subject line.
- Ensure No Further Risk: Make sure that ScoutLink poses no further risk to the young person’s welfare, and manage emergency situations as appropriate with both the JOTI and Location Coord.
Specific Incidents to Be Aware Of:
Mentions of Self-Harm or Suicide:
- Immediate Action: Refer the young person to local help (ask them which country they are in to point them towards the most appropriate resource) – https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/
- Do Not Investigate Further: Focus on logging, reporting and referral ; your role is to connect the young person with the proper support, not to investigate the issue yourself.
Use of Adult Language/ phrases in a user claiming to be young:
- Intervene and Report: Address the behaviour immediately by reminding the user of ScoutLink rules. Be sure to report the incident to the above form.
- Log the Interaction: Keep a detailed log of the interaction and submit it to the form.
Mentions of Abuse (Physical, Emotional, Sexual, or Neglect):
- Listen and Report: Refer the user to appropriate resources – https://www.hotpeachpages.net/a/countries.html
- Avoid Promise of Confidentiality: Make it clear that the information may need to be shared with trusted members of the ScoutLink team to ensure their safety.
- Do Not Investigate Further: Focus on logging, reporting and referral; your role is to connect the young person with the proper support, not to investigate the issue yourself.
Unsupervised user under 13 (privacy policy)
- Immediately G-line with a message instructing parents to contact us using banned@scoutlink.net. If we receive an email, no need to consult the person that set it to remove.
In An Emergency:
Contact the on duty JOTI coordinator (LINK TO FIND ON DUTY COORD)
Key Rules and Conduct for Operators:
- Set an Example: As an operator, you are a role model. Always act in a way that upholds ScoutLink’s values.
- Maintain Boundaries: Never engage in private 1-on-1 conversations with users under 18. Always ensure there is another adult present or that the conversation is in a public channel.
- Respect Privacy: Be mindful of a young person’s right to privacy but balance this with the need to ensure their safety.
- Report All Concerns: Any concern, no matter how minor it may seem, should be reported immediately. It is better to report and be wrong than to miss a potential safeguarding issue.
- No Inappropriate Behaviour: Do not engage in or tolerate any form of inappropriate behaviour, including the use of suggestive language, physical, or any activities that could be construed as bullying.
Final Reminders:
- Do Not Investigate: Your role is to report, not to investigate. If in doubt, report the incident and seek guidance.
- Use Support Channels: Always contact your Coordinator for guidance and support. If you are unsure, safeguarding@scoutlink.net is available for further assistance.
- Maintain Confidentiality: Only discuss safeguarding issues with those who need to know.
Key Contacts:
- Your Coordinator
- JOTI Coords
- Email: safeguarding@scoutlink.net
Remember: Your actions can make a significant difference in ensuring the safety and well-being of young people on ScoutLink. Always act promptly, professionally, and with the utmost care.
JOTI Coordinators
Incoming incidents will be classified into one of three categories depending on its threat level, depending on various factors such as the number of users impacted and the severity of the risk/ incident. This is based on integrated working across a continuum of need and uses a simplified version of the 4 levels of intervention within safeguarding children and young people, featuring 3 levels of response to be invoked from coordinators.
High Urgency: Immediate Danger or Risk
Examples:
● A young person discloses imminent danger (e.g., threats of self-harm, suicide, or abuse).
● A user is at immediate risk of significant harm.
● Explicit adult content or behaviour directed at a group of users.
● Safeguarding concerns reported regarding a ScoutLink volunteers actions
JOTI Coord Actions:
Follow up with all volunteers involved post incident as a separate review/ debrief and provide necessary support/ updates as appropriate (shared responsibility with JOTI coord).
Phone location coord (CC/RC/DC) and forward report form.
Review support provided to users and operator action. Emergency referral will be required.
Support location coord (CC/RC/DC) with ongoing actions.
Ensure initial case is followed up to a satisfactory close (aim before 2 days, max should be 4 days) and marked as so in case tracking system – see later section on the meaning of satisfactory close within a ScoutLink Safeguarding Context.
Follow up with all volunteers involved post incident as a separate review/ debrief and provide necessary support/ updates as appropriate (shared responsibility with location coord).
Expected Location Coord Actions:
Contact NSO safeguarding team via emergency means/ out of hours as necessary – ensuring details of these interactions are logged with JOTI Coord Team.
Medium Urgency: Serious but Not Immediate
Examples:
● Indications of potential grooming behaviour.
● Disclosures of past abuse or neglect.
● Concerning Conversations About Mental Health
● Severe Bullying/ Abuse from another user
● Non Behaviour Matched Claims of Adult/ Youth Status
● Repeated “out of age range” comments
● Expressed significant dissatisfaction with their living situation
JOTI Coord Actions:
- Forward report form to location coord and actively follow up with location coord immediately.
- Review operator action and support provided to users. Referral will be required.
- Ensure initial case is followed up to a satisfactory close (aim within 4 days, max should be 7 days) and marked as so in case tracking system – see later section on the meaning of satisfactory close within a ScoutLink Safeguarding Context.
- Follow up with all volunteers involved post incident as a separate review/ debrief and provide necessary support/ updates as appropriate (shared responsibility with location coord).
Expected Location Coord Actions: - Contact NSO safeguarding team as necessary – ensuring details of these interactions are logged with JOTI Coord Team.
- Follow up with all volunteers involved post incident as a separate review/ debrief and provide necessary support/ updates as appropriate (shared responsibility with JOTI coord).
Low Urgency: Concerning Behaviour or Rule-Breaking
Examples:
● Low Urgency Concerning Behavior or Rule-Breaking
● “Out of age range” comments
● Other minor concerns regarding user or volunteer wellbeing (e.g. operator being on shift for an extended period of time without breaks)
JOTI Coord Actions:
Follow up with volunteers involved post incident and provide necessary support/ update as appropriate this may potentially be as part of a larger event review (shared responsibility with JOTI coord).
Forward report form to location coord.
Review any operator action previously taken and support provided, consider if this can be supported internally or if referral required.
Ensure initial case is followed up to a satisfactory close (aim within 4 days, max should be 14 days) and marked as so in case tracking system – see later section on the meaning of satisfactory close within a ScoutLink Safeguarding Context.
Follow up with volunteers involved post incident and provide necessary support/ update as appropriate this may potentially be as part of a larger event review (shared responsibility with location coord).
Expected Location Coord Actions:
Liaise with JOTI Coord to review support to be provided.
Satisfactory Conclusion
The definition of a satisfactory conclusion may depend on the nature of the incident, but we set 3 main criterium;
- No further harm presented to the network (or to users by the network)
- Appropriate referrals made and logs of such held by the team
- Any organisations the user has been referred to require no further input/ action required (other than debrief/ review). OR generally no further input/ action required.
- No further harm related to this case is occurring or has the possibility to occur.
This must be assessed on a case by case basis, and more criteria may be added depending on incident severity.
What does case closure look like?
Again this is dependent on the case, but every case closure should include the following;
- Checks that the required documentation and paper trail is held by ScoutLink.
- Final signoff – by all coordinators/ council members involved.
- Closure Confirmation/ Notifications as and when the case is closed
- Review and debriefing with volunteers (within 14 days)
- (If appropriate a conversation with the user informing them of action taken and build feeling of reassurance they are safe on the platform)
Notes for coordinators
Low Level Concerns
Low-level concerns refer to behaviours that may not seem harmful at first but could signal potential risks if left unaddressed. These include:
- Boundary-Pushing: Overly familiar language or unsolicited advice about personal matters.
- Unusual Contact: Frequent communication outside of group activities.
- Overstepping Roles: Taking on responsibilities beyond one’s role or engaging in one-on-one conversations with young people.
While these actions may appear harmless on their own, they represent a slippery slope that can lead to more serious issues if not promptly addressed. It’s crucial to recognize and manage these behaviours early to prevent escalation.
All minor concerns must be logged to ensure they are monitored and addressed appropriately. Ignoring them can lead to the normalisation of inappropriate behaviour, increased risks, and a weakened safeguarding culture.

Actions for Coordinators:
- Promote a Culture of Vigilance: Ensure that all operators and volunteers understand the importance of addressing low-level concerns. Encourage them to report even minor issues, as these can be early warning signs of more serious problems.
- Address Issues Early: When low-level concerns are raised, take them seriously and address them promptly. Provide feedback to the individuals involved, reinforcing the importance of maintaining clear boundaries and appropriate behaviour.
- Document and Monitor: Keep records of low-level concerns and monitor for patterns. This can help identify if a situation is escalating and requires more significant intervention.
- Avoid Complacency: Regularly review safeguarding practices and challenge any attitudes of complacency. Encourage a proactive approach where potential risks are managed before they become serious issues.