As Woodcraft Folk groups, and others, adapt to making more use of online platforms it has become clear that Zoom is seen as user friendly and has
functionality that enables interaction between participants. However, there are safeguarding issues to consider when meeting online. Good practice considerations for group leaders include:
- Gain parental consent (as you would for a face-to-face meeting)
- Get to know the ‘host’ control settings
- Establish a group agreement about meeting purpose and expected conduct
- Be clear about how participants will be managed during a session e.g. muted or free to chat to each other (facilitator guidance is available)
- Remind young people that they should join Zoom meetings as guests rather than creating their own account
- Do not share joining instructions on social media, but privately with invited guests only
- Create a pin number for your Zoom event and circulate separately from Zoom codes
- Set Zoom event settings to disable screen sharing by all participants – risk assess before allowing the use of chat functions
- Use the waiting room function
- Lock the Zoom event once all participants have arrived
- Disable recording to prevent participants from recording sessions without explicit consent
Further advice and guidance is available through Zoom’s help articles, e.g.:
Issue Date: March 2020
Review Date: March 2022