Safeguarding Policy

Last updated: October 2026 · McLaughlin Sportek Ltd trading as The Scout Hub

The welfare of every young person using The Scout Hub comes before any other consideration — commercial, product, or convenience. Where a choice exists between making the platform more useful for clubs and reducing risk to a young player, we choose the latter.

1. Who this applies to

Anyone with a player account whose age on file is 13-17, or whose age isn't yet set — treated as a possible minor by default, the safe assumption rather than the convenient one. Staff, club, scout and agent accounts are 18+ only at signup; they aren't covered by this policy as data subjects, but they are covered by it as people whose conduct toward a youth account this policy governs (see §5).

2. What protections exist today

These aren't promises — they're how the platform is actually built:

  • No messaging with youth accounts: No 1:1 conversation can exist between a youth account and anyone else, in either direction, under any circumstances.
  • Application-only contact: A club can only respond to a youth account through a status update on an application the player themselves started — never the reverse.
  • Guardian copied on every response: Every status update to a youth applicant is also emailed to the guardian on file.
  • No direct session invites to youth accounts: A club can't invite a youth player to a private session without them having applied first.
  • Guardian consent required before activation: A parent/guardian's name, email and explicit consent must be on file before a youth account can complete setup.
  • Safety reminders shown throughout: A one-time notice at signup, and the same core points shown again every time a youth account applies to a trial or vacancy.
  • Location & club affiliation hidden: Never shown to anyone except a club the player has directly applied to.
  • Never on the Discover map: No exception, regardless of application history.
  • No payment surfaces: Nothing to buy, nothing to be upsold — removes any incentive to keep a youth account "engaged" for revenue.
  • Report a concern: Available on every profile, listing and message, reaching a prioritised admin review queue (see §3).

3. Reporting and response

Anyone can report a concern using the "Report a concern" button on any profile, listing or message. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. You can also contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

We review every report involving a young person, and every report of grooming, sexual content or threats of harm, within 24 hours. We review all other reports within 3 days. Whether a young person is involved is worked out from the accounts' actual ages on file, not trusted from whoever files the report, so it can't be gamed either way. We never tell the reported party who filed a report.

When a report involves a young person, we immediately restrict the reported adult's access to young people's profiles, applications and listings while we review it.

We keep evidence relating to a report, even if an account is deleted, for as long as needed to investigate and for 12 months after the report is closed.

Where a concern relates to an adult who works with children, our Designated Safeguarding Lead will refer it, as appropriate, to:

  • the police;
  • the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO);
  • the relevant club's Welfare Officer;
  • the County FA Designated Safeguarding Officer.

4. Adults with access to under-18s

Only verified clubs can see applications from players aged 13-17. Every such club must:

  • name a Club Welfare Officer;
  • confirm that everyone at the club who works with under-18s holds an in-date FA DBS check;
  • renew this confirmation every 12 months.

The Scout Hub does not run DBS checks itself: clubs attest instead, following FA standards. A club without a current attestation can only post adults-only trials, and can't see applications from young players.

Coaches can view youth applications on a club's behalf only when the club has confirmed they hold an in-date FA DBS check. Independent scouts and agents cannot view young people's profiles or applications.

5. What we ask of clubs and scouts

By using The Scout Hub to review or respond to a youth applicant, a club or scout agrees to:

  • Never ask a youth applicant, or their guardian, to communicate off-platform before responding to their application through the normal status-update flow.
  • Have their own appropriate safeguarding arrangements in place for any trial or session a youth applicant may attend — including, at minimum, never being left alone with a young person outside a supervised group setting.
  • Report anything about another user that raises a safeguarding question via "Report a concern" — including about their own club or colleagues.

6. Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mekhail McLaughlin, Founder. Contact: hello@thescouthub.co.uk (flag your message as safeguarding-related).

7. How this policy relates to our other policies

This document sits alongside, and doesn't replace, our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. It's reviewed at minimum annually, and immediately after any safeguarding incident or any change to how youth accounts contact clubs.

8. Contact

General enquiries and safeguarding concerns: hello@thescouthub.co.uk — flag your message as safeguarding-related and it's treated as urgent.

NSPCC helpline: 0808 800 5000 · NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit: 0116 234 7278 · Emergency: 999