Facebook policy announced

The team at GB’s Support Centre has been receiving an increasing number of questions asking for advice about social networking sites like Facebook.

The Trustee Board of GB England & Wales has now developed a Facebook policy to address this issue and it comes into affect this autumn.

Youth work, such as GB, is very relational and doesn’t just stop at 9pm on a company night. Leaders get involved in many aspects of young people’s lives and there was a need to develop a policy in line with the child protection guidelines already followed.

GB leader's do not need to take action on the policy now - further details about how it should be implemented will be circulated in the autumn.

The policy is as follows: GB is committed to modelling and practicing positive relationships and communications that value, nurture and protect young people in a way that reflects the Christian gospel.

We’re aware GB leaders are in a position of trust among young people and that our relational approach to youth work means we have contact with young people at company and, at times, beyond.

We acknowledge the popularity, opportunities and hazards of social networking sites as a common form of communication today. As such where GB leaders do engage in contact with young people through social media we are committed to doing so openly, accountably and safely at all times.

It is our practice to only make individual connections with young people through the use of group accounts; for leaders not to join a young person’s individual account or give young people under the age of 18 access to their own personal account.