The Scout & Explorer section volunteers are responsible for this policy.
Last updated March 7th, 2026.
WhatsApp Policy
We occasionally use a dedicated WhatsApp community to keep in touch with older Scouts and Explorers during specific events. This policy outlines how that works and what’s expected from everyone involved.
This policy covers communication between volunteers and young people through our dedicated WhatsApp community and associated group chats. It does not apply to volunteer-to-volunteer communication or any chats created independently by young people.
While our general phone policy discourages phones, for some events, such as those where remote supervision or emergency contact may be needed, we will ask some young people to bring their phones. Young people will be briefed on expectations before the event, and the rest of our phone policy still applies.
Group chats are created for a specific purpose, such as an upcoming event, and are only open for the duration of that activity. Once it is over, the chat is disbanded. By joining a group chat, the young person’s phone number will be shared with others within the same group chat. Young people’s phone numbers may be recorded on OSM.
Young people may remain within the WhatsApp community for future events. The community is only used for events and not for generic communication. Volunteers may retain a copy of the young person’s phone number while they remain within the community. Community members are reviewed regularly.
Parents and carers are not added to the chats directly, but they are welcome to request a copy of the chat history at any time. We will redact other young people’s phone numbers before sharing them. All chat logs are exported and kept by volunteers at the end of each event.
We occasionally use the WhatsApp live location feature during events. This is for the purposes of aiding remote supervision. Volunteers ensure it is turned off when location monitoring is no longer purposeful.
There should be no direct (one-to-one) messages or calls between volunteers and young people. There will always be multiple volunteers present in every group chat. In exceptional circumstances, such as an emergency or period of technical difficulty, direct contact may be necessary. Any contact should be made in the presence of other volunteers, and all exchanges should be logged internally.