Elliott Report: The 12 recommendations

Child safeguarding expert Ian Elliott’s report on Scouting Ireland outlines steps to improve organisation

Child safeguarding expert Ian Elliott. Photograph: David Sleator
Child safeguarding expert Ian Elliott. Photograph: David Sleator

– The governance structure of Scouting Ireland should ensure that small, undemocratic cliques of members do not exert undue influence on the decision-making of the organisation.

– A robust disciplinary process should be adopted that will hold volunteers accountable where it has been found that their behaviour is unacceptable or contravenes the expectations that are held.

– Records should be created that reflect the safeguarding practice of the organisation fairly and comprehensively. They should be centrally stored, regularly monitored, and capable of being retrieved easily.

– The board should be regularly updated on the overall safeguarding workload that exists, at any time, in Scouting Ireland.

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– A diligent attempt should be made to establish what documentation exists outside of the official records system, currently.

– Scouting Ireland should make an institutional apology to all those that have been harmed through their contact with scouting in previous years.

– Effective safeguarding must be adequately resourced and prioritised in Scouting Ireland today and in the future. Eliminating preventable harm to young people must be the most important objective before Scouting Ireland today.

– Where it has been shown that an individual, regardless of their position, has placed a young person at risk through their actions, or brought dishonour to the scouting movement by their behaviour, they should be expelled directly.

– Where risk has been identified, this information should be shared with all those people that need to be informed.

– Scouting Ireland should set up an independent audit process that monitors the quality of its safeguarding practice. An audit report should be presented to the board, detailing the findings.

– Scouting Ireland should continue to maintain and nurture a close working relationship with the key safeguarding statutory agencies in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.

– Scouting Ireland should deter an improper use of social media to distribute unsubstantiated allegations.

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter