Important things to remember:

• Leaders should ensure that appropriate safeguarding guidance is followed with respect to all on-line communications with young people. At least two adults must be involved in any on-line meeting (why not ask parents to help?)
• Parents/carers of younger members should supervise their on-line meetings
• Remember that minimum age requirements apply to most social media accounts
• Please cover Internet safety with young people in initial on-line meetings see our ThinkUKnow page for resources
• Meeting on-line can be tiring and screen time should be limited. Meetings may therefore be shorter than usual
• On-line meetings should be supported by other means of communication with youth members and parents/carers, typically using Online Scout Manager messaging or social media such as Facebook and Twitter for regular updates between on-line meetings
• Additional efforts may be needed to ensure that on-line meetings are not the only way to participate in a Scouting at Home programme (e.g. two or three friends meeting at one house, with a trusted adult supervising). This way we can include those members for whom regular Internet access may be a challenge or who may not have a computer or web camera.
• Leaders will need to ensure that all participants play an active part in online meetings, giving everyone a chance to be heard and take part

Top tips

• Learn how to use your tool of choice before trying to use it
• Spend time helping participants understand how to use the tool before getting into your content
• Keep things visual, avoid lots of words on a screen if sharing documents