Scouts First Anonymous Reporting

[RememberSchiff]

7/16/24:

"The Scouts First Anonymous Reporting allows anyone to submit anonymous reports of physical, psychological, or sexual abuse. By facilitating two-way, anonymous communications through texting, email, and QR codes, Scouts First Anonymous Reporting ensures youth and adults alike can be heard and start the path to giving them the advice or help they need."

Roger Krone

Chief Scout Executive, President & CEO

More at source:

https://www.scouting.org/executive-comms-blog/scouting-america-introduces-scouts-first-anonymous-reporting/

[skeptic]

As appears to often be the case, there is a point of confusion on the link, https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/safety-moments/scouts-first-helpline/#:~:text=As part of its “Scouts,put a youth at risk. that is part of the notice from Krone.  

Scouts First Helpline

Adult Audience Only

The above seems to me to make this confusing.  Obviously, there is no way to keep the material from youth, so what is with the heading?  

[Eagledad]

I agree we need something like this. But, from my experiences of scouts reporting these things to unit adults they trust, I wonder if the system will encourage victims to bypass unit authorities. Also, I have experience with observing youth making false accusations at adults and youth, which has its own complexities. 

 Accusations of harm can be complicated and I wonder what kind of training the folks handling the reports are getting. 

Barry

[skeptic]

The problem, of course, with false or skewed reports is the damage is done before it is sorted out.  We have seen this myriad times, and it is far worse with the instant media options. Yet, the reason we ended in the mess, aside from our twisted legal system, is that such things often are very difficult to verify, and sensitive, especially to families.  

 

[yknot]

These kinds of anonymous youth reporting systems have been around for years and are fairly commonplace -- Stop It, Say Something, etc.  I think most school districts likely have something along these lines by now. If you are actively around youth, then you've likely already been around youth that have access to one. Most of the ones I'm aware of have a mandatory LEO reporting component. It's not clear what this program entails, but hopefully it does as well. This is more BSA/SA catching up with the rest of the modern world than anything else. 

[Eagledad]

Your being defensive yknot when nobody criticising. But, these reporting systems are only as good or as bad as the training. And, the anonymous reporting system will have to be added to the BSA youth and adult training.

Barry

[Eagle94-A1]

A bunch of mixed feeling on this one.

I can see why being anonymous is important. I know folks who reported stuff to the council, and they become persona non grata. I had that happen to me when I reported an alcohol in camp problem. Dealing with camp staff was one thing, but dealing with the council professional staff was a completely different situation.

But I also know it can be abused. As I posted elsewhere, a good friend was falsely accused of propositioning a Scout to save his own skin because he was being a peeping Tom.

 

[Jameson76]

In theory this is good, but the challenge will be what happens in practice with the information.  If the anonymous report is not handled confidentially there could be issues.  If this report were to move forward with the authorities, not sure how this would square with the 4th and 6th amendments.  The anonymous accuser will hopefully need to be interviewed and vetted before anything should be done.

BSA (sorry SA) National acting on what could be unfounded and non-verified accusations is the other side of the pendulum that swung all the way to not reporting to authorities and trying to handle internally.  Cue up more lawsuits down the road.

[BetterWithCheddar]

I'm all for safety, but I fear the BSA is going to start receiving diminishing returns on their efforts.

I work at a local bank that has a strong presence in my region. My employer has made some major investments in cybersecurity over the last 10 years, but they rarely discuss their efforts publicly. If our customers knew how much we spent on cybersecurity, they might question whether it's safe to invest their money with us.

If you owned a small business (a bar, for example), and 20% of your advertising was "we promise you won't be abused here," who in their right mind would patronize that establishment?

[jcousino]

not sure how any of this is going to were in many states a scout leader is a required reporter . not just  to council level but that state child protective services

[RememberSchiff]

8/12/204:

Scouting America Joins Forces with RealResponse to Enhance Youth Safeguarding

IRVING, TX, Aug. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With a focus on enhanced safety for Scouting youth and parents, Scouting America and RealResponse are proud to announce that they are working together to reduce barriers for communicating safety concerns. By offering a protected and anonymous platform through which to share information, Scouting America continues to embrace innovative ways to keep Scouts safe and deliver unique and valuable experiences.

As part of its “Scouts First” approach to the protection and safety of youth, Scouting America established a dedicated 24-hour helpline (1-844-SCOUTS1) to receive reports of behaviors that might put a youth at risk. Expanding on that safety focus, Scouting America will now offer a text option and a QR code to share feedback and concerns at any time.

Utilizing the RealResponse platform, Scouts and their families can share their concerns and questions in real-time, with the knowledge that these communications are going to the right place in the fastest way possible, anonymously, often creating meaningful dialogue about tough issues.

“As one of the foremost youth programs in the country, recognized for its tremendous tradition and the rich experiences it offers kids of all ages, I couldn’t be more pleased and honored to bring Scouting America on board,” says David Chadwick, founder and CEO of RealResponse. “We are like-minded in our endeavors to create exceptional and safe experiences for youth and young adults participating in organized programs, and elevating their voices to ensure that they are heard helps us achieve this.”

The safety and security of youth and their families will always be the primary focus at Scouting America. To ensure the safety and well-being of all its members, Scouting America has policies in place including criminal background checks for leaders and volunteers, mandatory youth protection training, two-deep leadership (two adults at all Scouting events and meetings), no one-on-one contact between adults and youth members including digital communication, as well as rules against, hazing, bullying, and harassment.

“As a former Scout who had an amazing experience, it is of utmost importance to me that everyone participating in this organization has a similar experience,” stated Roger Krone, president and chief executive officer of Scouting America. “We are always looking for cutting edge, sophisticated tools to keep our kids safe. With RealResponse, we are providing a private and protected way for parents and Scouts to communicate, enabling us to turn feedback into positive action while ensuring a safe environment for every youth and family who want a Scouting experience.”

About Scouting America
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”

Scouting America welcomes all of America’s youth into its programs. Our goal is to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow with us in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have been through our programs since our founding, and currently more than 1 million youth are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils throughout the country.

To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, visit Scouting.org.

About RealResponse
Founded in 2015, RealResponse provides a secure, confidential platform for individuals to provide feedback on difficult or sensitive issues within an organization. We ensure voices are heard and people are empowered – with real-time, two-way anonymous communications. These insights enhance communication between participants and their respective organizations and provide valuable opportunities to turn feedback into action. For more information, visit realresponse.com.

Contact Data

Gordon Shattles
National Director of Corporate Communications
Scouting America
(214) 236-2575
Gordon.Shattles@scouting.org

Sources:

https://www.streetinsider.com/Globe+Newswire/Scouting+America+Joins+Forces+with+RealResponse+to+Enhance+Youth+Safeguarding/23584334.html

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/08/12/2928580/0/en/Scouting-America-Joins-Forces-with-RealResponse-to-Enhance-Youth-Safeguarding.html

[RememberSchiff]

How do "they" authenticate an anonymous dialog. What is real?

Will a case number and passcode be assigned?

Using his case number and passcode, can the scout download a case history which will include the actions taken by named parties along with their contact information?

How is closure decided?

A lot of questions.

My $0.02,

[skeptic]

Complete closure can never happen, sadly.  Some may be better at partitioning things off in order to function, but everything is locked up in some manner within each of us.  And on occasion, something erupts to send us over the edge into despair or ecstasy.  

[mrjohns2]

1 hour ago, skeptic said:

Complete closure can never happen, sadly.

I believe what @RemberSchiff was talking about was closure of the case (follow-up still needed. engage local resources, engage local law enforcement, or whatever).

[jcousino]

Again i ask how does this affect states were scouter are legal required reporter?

Does BSA report any issue dealing with child  abuse to local law enforcement or are the in fact hidden possible child  abuse ?( to maybe protect their name again. 

i question BSA  ability  to filter where they  have an involved risk? 

Fr. john Cousino