Is Scouts South Australia Safe for Kids?

BluebirdV on 21/02/2025 - 13:37
Last edited 21/02/2025 - 14:44 by 1 other user

I was curious to know how safe Scouts is for my 5 year old son?

What safeguards are there against child abuse? Can I be 100 percent sure nothing bad will happen to him if I send him there?

When I was a teenager my brother and I joined a model aeroplane club in 1996. It turned out the guy running it was a child abuser. He ended up getting 4 years in jail for multiple rape and sexual assault on underage boys. Lucky for my brother and I we ran away, and my dad reported him. The abuse was occurring mainly during overnight stays.

Sports & Outdoors Scouts

Comments

  • JimmyF on 21/02/2025 - 17:00
    +3

    Can I be 100 percent sure nothing bad will happen to him if I send him there?

    Can you be 100 percent sure nothing bad will happen when you send him anywhere?

    To be honest, your kid will be safer at Scouts than at school.

    Scouts don't put up with kids being dicks to each other. They normally stop that behaviour very quickly.

    • JimmyF on 21/02/2025 - 17:54
      +1

      LOL neg'd by someone thinking schools are a safe space. Clearly they don't have kids.

      I've got a kid in scouts, zero worries about their safety compared to school from being bullied.

  • pharkurnell on 21/02/2025 - 17:07
    +3

    Can I be 100 percent sure nothing bad will happen to him if I send him there?

    is there anywhere on earth thats 100% ?

    Safe as taking him to church…. no wait.

  • outlander on 21/02/2025 - 17:08
    +2

    5 year olds don't go to scouts. There's Joeys, but I don't think that starts until 7 or 8

    • Protractor on 21/02/2025 - 18:42
      +1

      Troll thread for sure. Way too many holes in the story.

      • eug on 21/02/2025 - 22:21

        Troll thread for sure. Way too many holes in the story.

        I only counted 3.

        • Protractor on 21/02/2025 - 22:22

          Looks like a golf course to me
          Much like the over the top small woman Bali story the OP once upon a timed

      • belongsinforums on 21/02/2025 - 22:39

        timeline matches this post https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/800255
        methinks op is more of a LBH

    • JIMB0 on 21/02/2025 - 19:28
      +1

      Joey scouts start at 5.

    • tenpercent on 22/02/2025 - 07:50

      Nah it's from 5 years old.

  • Seraphin7 on 21/02/2025 - 17:51
    +2

    Can I be 100 percent sure nothing bad will happen to him if I send him there?

    No. But then nor can you be 100% sure nothing bad will happen at home, at school, at the shops, crossing the street, at a friend's place, at a park, at sport, etc., etc.

  • ihbh on 21/02/2025 - 18:09
    +1

    I suggest you do the training that volunteers have to do to see what they have to observe and obviously other adults. There is never one adult with the kids. Doors are always open and parents can stay or pop in any time.

    During overnight camps adults can't go into the kids' tents and the leaders ask for as many volunteer parents to attend as possible to help out. (No adult in their right mind would lead a camp with a big bunch of kids all by themselves.) Also, kids are free to bring knives, so you can post next - how do I make sure my kid doesn't get stabbed by another kid or by themselves (when they trip)?

    Attend yourself to build up your comfort level - there is a free trial period.

  • Euphemistic on 21/02/2025 - 19:20

    Things a re much better than they used to be. More controls in place. Much more awareness and willingness to report etc. Teach your kids what is appropriate and what is not and to tell you if they dont like something.

    End of the day, dont ask us. Send em or dont. Its on you. Nothing saying you cant send them for a couple of weeks and see what the vibe is like. Pull them out if you or your kids dont like the vibe. It doesnt need to be just kiddy fiddling to worry about either, maybe the leader is just a bit of a tool or the pther kids are bullies

    • Protractor on 21/02/2025 - 21:28
      +1

      How dare you suggest 'actual' parenting, let alone PROPER parenting.

  • JIMB0 on 21/02/2025 - 19:34
    +1

    If the guy that ran the model airplane club is there be worried.

  • AustriaBargain on 21/02/2025 - 20:55
    -2

    Can't be any worse than Queensland's Boys Brigade. Not for abuse, but Boys Brigade always had the biggest dorks in Brisbane.

    • Protractor on 21/02/2025 - 21:29
      -1

      If there's uniforms or badges the dicks come out. Cadets is always filled with bullies and wannabe Rambos.

  • Davo1111 on 21/02/2025 - 22:47

    Scouts is great.

  • yoho on 22/02/2025 - 00:20
    +5

    Scouts is great. It is incredibly well managed for a volunteer organization. Lots of training for the leaders. Typically the leaders have kids in the group.

    Lots of smart rules around interacting with the kids, Including if a kid is misbehaving the leader can pull them aside but must be within eye sight of another adult (another leader or parent helper). If anyone did see a leader, or actually any adult alone with a kid it is reportable, The kids go in pairs to the toilet.

    Even people not in direct contact with the kids (e.g. committee members) need their WWC check, and also have to do various and regular training.

    My son and daughter both got an enormous amount of confidence from doing scouts. My daughter finished in Scouts and my son went onto venturers.

    It actually help my son get a position in Camp America during his gap year. The camp was in cabins but no electricity etc so they wanted kids that could handle camping.

    If you are that worried then sign up as a parent helper and go on the first few camps. With any luck your kids will tell you to not come anymore and you will get some weekends back.

    Your kids will get to enjoy something else in life that doesn't involve a screen.

    The pros outweigh the cons.

  • Clickbait on 22/02/2025 - 00:55
    -3

    The medai has promoted the notion that 100% of pedophiles are Catholic priests,
    The medai has promoted the notion that 100% of Gays are not pedophiles.

    So, put your child in the GAY SCOUTS. They will be perfectly safe there, right.
    I think I would be more cautious of the NDIS than anywhere else

    • SuperMid on 22/02/2025 - 07:24
      +1

      I like the medai, they are a good peoples.

      • Clickbait on 27/02/2025 - 13:56

        I am vision impaired and occasionally miss words.
        But I am so glad Ik am not brain damaged

    • belongsinforums on 23/02/2025 - 15:07

      who is this mysterious medai?

  • morse on 22/02/2025 - 04:34
    +3

    Unfortunately you can’t guarantee any place you leave your children in the care of others is 💯 safe.

    One thing that is helpful is to teach your kids body safety https://www.childsafe.org.au/help-for-families/body-safety-r…

    Also be involved, I think there’s lots of volunteering opportunities with scouts and get to know the other parents.

  • Keplaffintech on 22/02/2025 - 09:19
    +1

    Life is about taking risks and making trade-offs. What is the long term risk of withholding such character and skill building opportunities from your children all of their years?

  • speedyjonzalas on 22/02/2025 - 09:43
    +1

    Any decent sized organisation like that tends to have more processes involved than simple working with children checke.

    I run a large group of around 600+ members, and although we do the normal checks, we also make sure we have processes in place to ensure kids are never by themselves.

    Nothing is 100% safe… but if you are concerned why not volunteer yourself 😀

  • loadofrubbish on 22/02/2025 - 10:24
    +6

    I am a Scout leader in NSW, and my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The leaders invest significant effort into caring for the kids and prioritizing their well-being. There are numerous protocols in place to ensure safety, such as requiring a specific number of leaders to supervise a group. For instance, after an activity ends, at least two leaders must remain present until all children are picked up by their parents.

    That said, it’s frustrating that some parents treat Scouts as a convenient drop-off service, leaving their kids with us and vanishing without offering any support to the group. It often feels like they see it as a low-cost childcare solution for a few hours rather than valuing the program for what it offers.

    Do research Scout groups in South Australia, you want to join a group with experienced volunteer leaders, good financial situation and good gear.

    Note leaders are volunteers. They get paid zero. If you are really worried you can join as leader and enjoy scouts with your kid.

  • LFO on 22/02/2025 - 14:23
    -1

    Can I be 100 percent sure nothing bad will happen to him if I send him there?

    No.

    Same as if he never goes anywhere.
    Nothing is guarantee.

    Awareness and parental guidance and supervision is the key. Badly missing with most "victims"

    • [Deactivated] on 22/02/2025 - 20:57

      Why quotation marks around the word victims?

      • belongsinforums on 23/02/2025 - 15:09
        -1

        i think @LFO is insinuating that child victims of abuse ask for it because of their clothing choices

        • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2025 - 15:24

          I don’t see how you got that from his comment.

          • belongsinforums on 23/02/2025 - 17:07
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: why else would you put quotation marks around victims?

            • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2025 - 19:19
              +1

              @belongsinforums: My apologies, I misread your comment as “child victims of abuse didn’t ask for it”. Which is true but you wouldn’t get that from the quotation marks.

              I agree that’s an obvious interpretation and what came to my mind. It’s just such an out there comment its beggars belief anybody would say and mean that.

              OTOH I have heard some people prefer to refer to themselves as survivors so I thought I’d give him the benefit of the doubt and just ask what exactly he meant.

  • grasstown on 22/02/2025 - 17:11

    When I was growing up, about two or three sets of parents also came on any overnight activities to help out with cooking bacon and eggs and other things. I would not let Kids go to a camp unless there were other parents coming as well and I would send my kids to a group where the parents were involved.

  • Pungentia on 22/02/2025 - 17:23
    +1

    In Victoria they have made significant efforts to address past issues through implementing mandatory training, even if you are driving a car with other kids.
    Between the required training and the procedures, I feel safer with my children involved than I would be with other activities like dance, sports clubs, etc, where controls would not be as defined.

  • About The Woolongs on 22/02/2025 - 21:12
    +1

    Sometimes you take a step back and wonder why you've spent so much of your own time reading two people arguing about catholic pedophiles on OzBargain.
    Sometimes.

  • joelmuzz on 23/02/2025 - 08:51
    +1

    The best thing to do is to become one of the leaders yourself and be there with him.

  • simplystu on 23/02/2025 - 23:05
    +1

    I prob don't need to rehash what many have said before …

    1.) scout movement in general == beneficial (both my brother + myself went from cubs-scouts/venturers) … many of qualities that learn can be transferred later on in job roles (leadership/etc).

    2.) if OP is really concerned - they could volunteer to help out - or even a scout leader themselves (my dad did this … mainly because he had ALWAYS helped out with volunteer things - eg. Lion/Rotary/etc).

    No organisation is 100% dismissible of possibility of sex offenders working within it - eg. in the news today about a Tasmanian police officer … police who have some of the highest background checks aren't even immune.

  • Muppet Detector on 28/03/2025 - 19:54

    Your kid gets a pocket knife. Gets taught how to tie all sorts of things up (make knots), learn how to light fires and go camping in the bush at night.

    What could go wrong?

    In my experience, the quality of a scout den depends on its catchment area and the leaders.

    My kids mostly had awesome experiences for Joeys and Cubs but the Scouts troupe were feral and the leaders let them run wild.

    Swapped to Brigades and Cadets (some air, some naval). Cadets was best value for money, did all the stuff scouts did plus had uniform and grooming rules (never had to tell my kid to get a haircut etc or iron uniform or polish shoes etc) super strict discipline requirements and for $200 a year, they provided the fees, the whole uniform including black shiners which kid could also wear to school.

    Bonus of air cadets, they got fixed wing gliders licence for about $200 - they could fly before they could drive!

    Brigades was a bit old fashioned (separated boys and girls) and had an overarching religious component, but their leadership program was exceptional and the boys were exposed to some amazing role models within their community.

    In hindsight, def no Brigades for girls(really old fashioned values), but if you can tolerate the religion, Boys Brigade was full of positives, especially for teen boys.

    As for inappropriate staff, hang around until you are confident with things or even think about becoming a volunteer yourself.

    Our experience was only one kid allowed in bathrooms at a time and no adults at any time.

  • Muppet Detector on 15/04/2025 - 20:03

    Just remembered, Scouts got a few mentions in that Royal Commission into child sexual abuse a few years ago.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join