Safeguarding Guidelines for the use of Zoom with teenagers in a parish/diocesan setting. For the purpose of clarity, a teenager is a person aged thirteen years of age and older. Zoom should not be used to engage with children under the age of thirteen.
- Parishes/diocesan agencies should not use the free version of Zoom as it does not include the security measures that the subscription versions do. The subscription should be taken out by the parish and not by individuals. This should be managed by someone who understands the platform and who is appointed by the priest in charge.
- Church personnel should NOT use a private Zoom account to contact teenagers.
- Teenagers should only use a parent/guardian Zoom account.
- If for any reason a meeting is infiltrated from the outside (Zoom Bombed), that is, if somebody not invited to the meeting appears, the meeting should be terminated immediately. The breach should be reported to Zoom and in the event that the organisers feel that such a breach poses a threat of harm or abuse of the teenagers taking part, this should be reported to the Diocesan Child Safeguarding and Protection Service (CSPS) without delay. Parents should also be informed so that they can decide if they want their child to continue using the platform going forward.
To read and view the full Diocesan Policy on working with teenagers click the following link: Zoom Policy Sept 2020