Age UK Croydon: Safeguarding Guidelines for Zoom

Choice of Zoom

AUKC have adopted the use of Zoom as the preferred technology to manage remote the service and support of Older People in Croydon. It has been chosen for it immediacy and relative ease of use for a broad range of people.

As it is also the chosen platform for a wide variety of classes, workshops and talks by other organizations and teachers, it means that clients can really get a lot out of learning to use this over another platform.

We constantly review the software change within Zoom to ensure they continue to meet our needs and will use these guidelines as a framework to assess future technology should we need to review Zoom.

Facilitation of Zoom meetings

• All group meetings must be hosted via a licensed version of Zoom, owned by AUKC with an @ageukcroydon.org.uk email address. Personal accounts should not be used to facilitate a meeting.
• All Tech Befriender meetings must be hosted via of a pool of FREE account set up using Tech Befriender Proton Mail email addresses.
• The designated meeting host shall be responsible for the invitation, communication and record keeping related to the meeting.
• The designated meeting host is responsible for all security aspects within the meeting but may assign a co-host (if a group meeting)
• The designated meeting host shall send the meeting invitation by email as the preferred method, or by WhatsApp or text if agreed with the participant.
• The meeting host shall send all invitations directly, and not rely on or encourage meeting information to be forwarded by another person or posted in social media unless it is agreed to be a public meeting.
• All designated meeting hosts and co-hosts must adopt the use of video unless there is a technical reason I that day why they cannot). It is at the discretion of the older person to use video although they should be encouraged to do so if they have the means.

Use of Zoom within internal meetings

• All meetings should have a password and make use of the Waiting Room.
• The meeting must be ‘Locked’ once all expected attendees are present.
• The host should know how to Remove a Participant immediately.
• The recording of group meetings is allowed although participants must be made aware before recording commences and be given the option to hide their video

Use of Zoom within client meetings

• For accessibility, the password function is recommended but can be removed for clients new to the technology
• A waiting Room must be used
• The meeting must be ‘Locked’ once all expected attendees are present.
• The host should know how to Remove a Participant immediately.
• The recording of meetings is not allowed
• The above points must be explained to the client in the first meeting to reassure them