Young members policy

Policy last updated 13 October 2025

See change log for recent updates to this webpage

All girls have a home at Girlguiding, whoever they are, and wherever they are. 

Girlguiding offers fun, adventure, and challenges for all girls. Our young members aren't just Rainbows or Rangers, but young leaders, peer educators and advocates too.

This policy explains who can be a young member, starting their membership, managing inappropriate behaviour from young members or their parents or carers, our involvement in family legal disputes, our expectations for volunteers, and how we support a safe young member experience.

This policy applies to all adult volunteers and adult members (all referred to as volunteers in policies), in Girlguiding. 

You should read this alongside the young members procedure. 

Definitions used in this policy

Our glossary lays out a few definitions of key terms that are used across our policies - take a look.

• Behaviour that challenges – behaviour that’s challenging for others or themselves to manage and can cause distress to themselves or others. Behaviour that challenges isn’t necessarily inappropriate behaviour, though if it continues despite reasonable adjustments, it could be.
• Bullying - deliberate behaviour that causes physical or emotional harm to another person or people. It happens repeatedly, even when asked to stop.
• Harassment - unwanted behaviour which someone finds offensive, makes them feel intimidated or humiliated, or creates a hostile or degrading environment.
• Inappropriate behaviour - includes harmful behaviour like bullying and harassment, unsafe behaviour, as well as behaviour which is disruptive to an activity or others. Relational conflict isn’t considered to be inappropriate behaviour, unless it’s ongoing and unable to be resolved.
• Relational conflict - conflict which doesn’t fit the definitions of bullying or harassment, and is often accidental or unintentional. It can be sparked by a clash of personalities or by a buildup of incidents that cause tension. 

Girlguiding’s commitment to a rewarding young member and volunteer experience 

Young membership is open to any girl or young woman aged from 4 to 18, up to their 19th birthday, though as a reasonable adjustment only, we can be flexible on the upper age range of a section. Find out more in our guidance on starting new young members.

Volunteers should encourage parents or carers to put their personal details on our membership system GO.  It is important for parents or carers or volunteers to keep this information updated if there are any changes.  
 
We invite all young members to make the promise. The unit leadership team should work with young members to prepare unit guidelines. This is so everyone understands how they should behave with one another. 
 
In cases of behaviour that challenges, or inappropriate behaviour from a young member, the unit leadership team must work with the young member and their parents or carers to try to find a mutually agreed solution. Volunteers must consider the circumstances of the young member and whether any reasonable adjustments could help.

Girlguiding doesn’t tolerate ongoing inappropriate behaviour from young members. If a resolution can't be found, as a last resort, the unit leadership team may remove the young member from the unit. The unit leadership team must discuss and agree possible actions and solutions with their local commissioner before doing so. They’ll also need to explain to the parent or carer why this action is being taken. 
 
Please see the young members procedure for more information.

Expectations of parents or carers

Girlguiding has a duty of care to our volunteers. We have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment. Inappropriate behaviour (including bullying and harassment) from parents or carers towards volunteers, other parents or carers, or young members may lead to withdrawal of membership from the young person in their care. 
 
Please see the young members procedure for more information. 

Family legal disputes

Girlguiding will only get involved with a family legal dispute when a court order is provided by legal representation. If so, we'll only communicate with the parent or carer with legal responsibility for the young member, as recorded on our membership system. 
 
If a volunteer is asked to be involved in a family legal dispute, with or without a court order, or if they have a safeguarding concern, they must contact the HQ safeguarding team.

If parents or carers have joint responsibility for a young member, it's vital that this information is recorded with the young members' contact details. This includes the details of the parent or carer who should be contacted in an emergency.

Volunteers should work with parents or carers to keep this information up to date. Volunteers must ensure that we hold the correct information on our membership system. 

Expectations

All volunteers must:

• Follow the correct process for starting new young members. This includes joining a unit of the appropriate section.
• Offer spaces in units in line with our managing your waiting list guidance.
• Make Girlguiding a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. This means recognising differences and making reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
• Work with young members and their parents or carers to find a mutually agreed solution to their inappropriate behaviour. Young members must only be removed from a unit as a last resort, and only because of inappropriate behaviour on their part, or their parents or carers.
• Report any safeguarding concerns in line with our safeguarding policy. If you have a safeguarding concern, you must make a report within 24 hours, or as soon as possible if it’s an emergency.
• Contact the HQ safeguarding team if you receive a court order or anything from a legal representative. Never get involved in any family legal disputes without a court order. 

How Girlguiding supports a safe young member experience

• We have personal accident and public liability insurance policies which cover all young members while they’re taking part in guiding activities (not including overseas trips).
• We handle all the information we receive in line with our managing information policy.
• Our safeguarding policy and procedure helps volunteers recognise the signs of harm and abuse, and make reports to our safeguarding team. 
• We have safer guiding training, e-learnings, and webinars on safety and safeguarding, risk assessments, equality and diversity, and doing our best standards.
• We have guidance around recruiting new girls, welcoming young members and managing waiting lists.
• Breaches of this policy by adult volunteers will be managed under the managing concerns about adult volunteers policy and procedure.