Communicating Electronically

This concerns the use of mobile phones, email, SMS (text) messages, MSN Messenger and other electronic communication methods.

The issues involved in communicating electronically are not basically different from those in face to face communication, except that the person is not with you so neither of you can use facial expressions or body language to clarify your meaning. It is also normally private, so others are not there to provide a context and background. Also, it does in principle create a record which could in some circumstance be printed out and used in evidence.

We need to be aware that those who wish to abuse young people often start with electronic communications and then attempt to lure young people into an unprotected face to face meeting.

Good practice is to communicate in such a way that achieves its purpose without unintentionally encouraging habits in young people which could be dangerous.

A few Do’s and Don’t’s:

• If young people want you to hold their mobile phone numbers, email addresses or similar, make sure that their parents know and have agreed.
• Keep communications short. If you need a discussion, fix a time to do so face to face during or following the group, and follow the guidelines on counselling.
• Use an appropriate tone: friendly, but not over-familiar or personal.
• While communications should be warm and friendly, they should not suggest or offer a special relationship.
• Respect the young person’s confidentiality unless abuse is suspected or disclosed. (It may involve a process to reach this point.)
• Make sure that your communication is such that, in principle, it would not embarrass you for it to be seen by the young person’s parents or church officials.

Stephen Barber
Child Protection Adviser
Diocese of Oxford
2 January 2007