Online Community House rules

Admin_Scope

Welcome 

We are a community connected by disability. Make friends, share experiences, get the advice you need and discuss what matters to you.

Please note, you must be 18 or over to join and use the Scope online community. 

The online community is for peer-to-peer support and is not intended as a source of medical or professional advice. We cannot verify or approve information and materials uploaded by members. For more information, please read our Terms and conditions.

Behaviour expectations:

Be safe:

• Do not include your personal information, including your real name, location, date of birth or contact details in your username, posts or profile.
• Avoid spreading misinformation, check that information you share is appropriate and from reputable sources.
• Do not present opinions as facts. 
• Report any content or comments that concern you.

Be kind:

• Think about how your words might affect others. Be polite and respectful.
• You might disagree with someone’s view, but that is not a reason to be rude or offensive.
• We expect our members to treat each other as they would like to be treated. If we think you are not being civil, we reserve the right to right to restrict or remove your comments and your account.

We welcome members of all background and encourage the sharing of lived experiences. Dismissing, invalidating or undermining someone’s identity or experiences is not acceptable here.

Be supportive

Many people come to the online community for help, or to help others. Many more come to simply chat. 

Please remember some people will be looking for support and may feel stressed or overwhelmed. They might not respond well to criticism or insensitive comments. 

Content we do not allow 

Please note: this list is not exhaustive, and more information can be found in our Terms and conditions.

Self-harm and suicide: We remove any content that describes self-harm or suicide in detail, including methods, dates, times or places.

Eating and drinking: Posts mentioning calories, weight, food quantities, body measurements, or showing weight loss will be removed, along with details about gaining or losing weight.

Abuse and violence: You're encouraged to seek support, but to keep the community safe, we remove detailed descriptions of sexual assault, violence or abuse.

Swearing: Mild swearing is fine if it's in context, not excessive, and not directed at others in the community or Scope representatives.

Personal details: Don’t share personal information, even in private messages. If something feels off, report it.

In addition, we may remove, edit or moderate content if we believe it is: 

• impersonating someone 
• against the law 
• harassing, inaccurate, defamatory, abusive, disrespectful, offensive, indecent, racist, sexist, threatening, vulgar, obscene, hateful or otherwise inappropriate 
• encouraging or promoting suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or substance misuse 
• graphic or distressing descriptions of violence or abuse 
• attempting to exploit, groom or contact others for harmful purposes 
• insensitive 
• misleading 
• dangerous to others 
• advertising 
• crowdfunding or asking for money 
• infringing copyright 
• personal information, like address, email or phone number 
• medical advice 
• any other content deemed inappropriate for the community

In addition, we may close, hide or remove discussions if we feel they threaten the safety of the online community.  

Using your account: 

• Each member must only have one account. 
• Do not impersonate other members, Scope staff, volunteers or public figures. 
• Moderators may restrict or remove accounts that break these rules. 
• We may remove users at our discretion if we feel their presence is doing more harm than good to the community. 

Reporting concerns 

If you see anything that causes concern, please use the ‘Flag and Report’ buttons or email community@scope.org.uk

We take all reports seriously and if we believe it necessary, we will act quickly to protect the community. 

Admin_Scope

Upholding the rules

We do what we can to keep conversation flowing, but this is only possible if our members remain both safe and civil. If we feel the presence of any comment or person conflicts with the interests of the online community (even if individual posts do not explicitly breach our house rules) we reserve the right to immediately and without notice:

• moderate or remove any messages, comments and discussions
• restrict or remove any member’s access to the online community

Our community team works hard to make this a safe, supportive place and there will be times when we will need to step in. When this happens, we understand not everyone will agree with our decisions, but decisions are final.

• Moderators may edit, hide or remove posts and accounts at any time.
• We do not publicly discuss account actions or moderation decisions.
• Reports are reviewed as soon as possible, but our team is not available 24/7. Material will be removed as soon as possible.
• In serious situations, we may need to share information with the appropriate authorities to protect someone’s safety.

Please note: If you have concerns about a moderation decision, you can raise a complaint using the process outlined in the “Complaints” section.

Reporting concerns

If you see anything that causes concern, please use the ‘Flag' and then 'Report’ button or email community@scope.org.uk We take all reports seriously and if we believe it necessary, we will act quickly to protect the community.

Feedback

If you have feedback about anything regarding the community, you can email us at community@scope.org.uk

Complaints

If you’re unhappy with something in the online community, including moderation decisions, user behaviour, or any aspect of how the forum is run, you can make a complaint.

We’ll do our best to resolve things quickly and fairly. If it can’t be resolved informally, we will follow Scope’s formal complaints process.

How to complain

You can:

• Use the ‘Flag' and 'Report’ button on any post
• Submit a complaint through our complaints form
• Email us at community@scope.org.uk
• Call Scope on 0808 800 3333 and ask to make a complaint
• Write to: Complaints, Scope, Here East Press Centre, 14 East Bay Lane, London, E15 2GW

Please include:

• Your name (or say if you wish to remain anonymous)
• What your complaint is about
• What you’d like to happen
• Any access needs we should consider

What happens next

• We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days
• We aim to resolve it within 28 days, and will keep you updated
• If you’re unhappy with the outcome, you can appeal within 10 working days. A senior manager not involved in the original decision will review it and respond within 14 days

Other information

• You can complain anonymously, but we won’t be able to update you on the outcome
• Complaints are kept confidential wherever possible, unless safety or legal concerns require otherwise
• If behaviour is abusive or persistent without resolution, we may end the complaints process
• All complaints are logged and reviewed to improve the community

We’re here to listen and learn. Your feedback helps us keep the online community safe and supportive for everyone.

Moderation

We may use tools to keep conversations civil, supportive and safe.

These include, but are not limited to:

Gentle reminders

We may use a gentle reminder if, for example, you swear persistently.

Account pauses

We may pause your account if we think you may benefit from time away from the online community. If we pause your account, you will not be able to post for a period of time.

Queuing comments

We may queue your comments if we think it is useful to review them before they appear on the online community. Your comments will not be public until we approve them.

Pausing discussions

We may pause a discussion to allow members to cool off. For example, if it seems tensions are escalating.

Closing discussions

We may pause a discussion while we review its content. We may close a discussion if we decide it is doing more to harm than help the online community.

Hiding discussions

We may hide a discussion to allow us to review it. For example, we might hide a discussion on a difficult topic, while we decide whether its content is appropriate for the online community. We will tell the original poster we have hidden their discussion, where possible and appropriate.

3 strikes policy

We operate a ‘3 strikes and you’re out’ policy.

The 3 strikes are:

• a caution
• a final warning
• a ban

You may receive a strike against your account, if we feel your recent contributions have done more to harm than help the online community.

We do not do this lightly, but our decision is final.

Protect yourself and others online

Please join us in keeping the Scope community a safe, supportive place for people to talk and swap ideas.

Please let us know if you feel behaviour is threatening or disturbing.

Report any discussions that could compromise our community’s safety.

Here are some resources you may find useful:

• The Metropolitan Police Service's advice for staying safe online
• Get Safe Online
• Online safety: what parents need to know (NSPCC)
• Online safety for teenagers (Family Lives)
• Safer Net advice for people with learning difficulties
• Dimensions internet safety (easy read PDF 1.53MB)
• Internet Safety for Teens guide (Staysafe.org)

Terms and conditions

Read the full terms and conditions for using this website.

Contact us

If you have any concerns about your safety using the Scope community or about others' behaviour, please message @Community_Scope or email community@scope.org.uk.