A safe space for under 18s
Explore a safe space if you're aged 10-17
Page last updated: 6 June 2023
When you step into a leadership role, or take on some of our permit opportunities, it’s important to understand how to make guiding a safe space.
If you're aged 10-17, you can explore what this means using our activities.
10-13-year-olds
If you’re a Rainbow or Brownie helper, doing your Guide Camp permit or aged 13 and volunteering with Girlguiding as part of an external award, for example, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, you should do the below.
We also recommend that you complete the activity sheets if you’re going to be volunteering at residential events.
And when you get to challenge 3a part 1 of your Guide camp permit, if you’re doing it, you’ll need to complete these activity sheets.
You’ll go through some activity sheets with your leader. You’ll explore:
- How you can help other people feel safe around you.
- How to keep physical spaces safe.
- What to do if someone tells you something you’re worried about.
You and your leaders can find all the tools you need here:
- A safe space activity sheet for under 14s.
- A safe space activity sheet for under 14s in large print.
- Risk picture.
- Leaders’ guidance.
- Editable information letter for parents of 10-13-year-olds.
- Editable information letter for parents of 14-17-year-olds.
14-17-year-olds
If you’re a young leader, peer educator, doing your lead away permit, or doing your Duke of Edinburgh’s Award through Girlguiding, you should complete a safe space for 14-17-year-olds. You can do the training on the learning platform.
Find out how you can log onto the learning platform.
If you can’t access the e-learning, speak to your commissioner to find a face-to-face training instead.
The training will take you through:
- Your role as a leader and the basics you need to know safety.
- How to plan for risks and deal with them when they come up unexpectedly.
Safeguarding and knowing what to do when someone tells you something worrying is important. We recommend that you complete the 14-17 learning for volunteering at your unit meetings. And you must complete it before attending any residential events or doing your lead away permit.
The training will stay in date until 120 days after your 18th birthday, when you’ll need to make sure you’re in an adult role in guiding. Then you’ll do one of our other a safe space courses, depending on your role.
I'm a leader. How can I support young people with their a safe space training?
For 10–13-year-olds, you’ll be checking the activities as they go, and helping steer them in the right direction. There’s more information about this in the leaders’ guidance notes.
For 14-17-year-olds, you can look through the course content on the learning platform, under 'Supporting young members to complete a safe space'. This can’t be logged on GO, but it’s there to help you. It’s a good idea to have a conversation with young people after the e-learning too. You can find guidance about how to do this on that part of the learning platform.
If the young volunteer is unable to complete the training online, then a local face-to-face session can be set up
The editable information letter for parents of 10-13-year-olds and editable information letter for parents of 14-17-year-olds can be used to give parents and carers information about the training.
Note for commissioners
We strongly recommend that all young volunteers complete the a safe space activity for their age group as part of their induction to volunteering with a unit or at an event.
Young volunteers aged 14-17 will be made 'active' as soon as they are given their role, even if they haven’t done the a safe space training.
Commissioners can see which young volunteers aged 14-17 have not completed the a safe space 14-17 training through the dropdown in the safe practice tab on GO.
The 14-17 a safe space is equal to both a safe space levels 1 and 2 in all circumstances, and so you can sign off REN forms where young leaders and young external volunteers have this completed.
