World Scouting is proudly committed to strengthening actions in all the areas of child, youth, and adult safeguarding.
Our Movement recently launched a new Safe from Harm Assessment Tool, which enables National Scout Organizations (NSOs) to assesses their level of compliance against international standards in Safe from Harm and the Movement’s membership requirements. By doing so, NSOs can reflect on their practices, processes, policies, and procedures to offer safer Scouting for all.
Scout et Guides de France became the first of WOSM’s Member Organizations to pilot this new tool, using it to complete an in-person assessment in Paris, France, on 12 - 13 January 2023 to help identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in Safe from Harm.
With the tool built on the Global Support Assessment Tool (GSAT) model, World Scouting’s quality standard in good governance and quality Scouting, Scout et Guides de France were guided through the tool’s 22 criteria with support from both a GSAT assessor and a Safe from Harm consultant. This included on gathering documents around Safe from Harm practices and policies and in the development of a plan of action to further strengthen the organisation’s existing Safe from Harm structures.
Reflecting on the two-day pilot, Coline Garnier from Scout et Guides de France said that “the tool helped us identify where we need to progress in the formalisation of our practices. We did not feel judged at any time in the process, the support received really helped us to clarify how the documents provided can meet a specific level of each criteria.”
A plan of action was developed through the pilot to strengthen Scout et Guides de France’s Safe from Harm efforts.
Garnier underscored the importance of the new tool and the need for NSOs to continually assess their safeguarding standards, saying that "the need to maintain an environment that protects against abuse means never ceasing to analyse and improve its practices”.
Scout et Guides de France is one of nine organisations taking part in the piloting phase of Safe from Harm Assessment Tool. Their valuable participation and feedback provides an opportunity for WOSM to further explore and learn from NSOs about their realities and needs, and how to better support the implementation of Safe from Harm across the Movement.
With the contribution of NSOs and National Scout Associations like Scout et Guides de France, we are proudly moving forward on this journey and making our Movement stronger and safer.
All NSOs are encouraged to use the Safe from Harm Assessment Tool to conduct a Safe from Harm Self-Assessment or request a WOSM Assessment. WOSM Assessments can be done in-person or virtually and with support from a WOSM assessor and a Safe from Harm consultant.
“We aim to maintain the trust of all those who rely on us: our members, the parents who trust us with their young people, the public authorities and partners and broadly the entire community on which we wish to have a positive impact to make a better world,” Garnier said.