Information for parents

We will always have a designated Leader in Charge, who is responsible for safety, for each meeting. We have risk assessments that cover our meetings and general activities in the Scout hut. When we go away from the Scout hut, or are planning activities not covered by our general risk assessments, we will carry out activity-specific assessments to ensure the safety of both children and adults.

https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safety

The welfare of children and young people is our priority. Everyone has a duty to report safeguarding concerns, and our leaders will follow the Scout Association’s Safeguarding Code of Conduct (known as the Yellow Card).

https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safe-scouting-cards/young-people-first-yellow-card

To run our Sections, we need to hold personal data relating to the children in our care. Whether this is parent contact details or child birth dates or medical information, this is all personal data that we must handle in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations. Our Data Controller is the Group Lead Volunteer (Group Scout Leader).

Information we need to hold

We need information relating to children to ensure their health and safety while at Scouts, to record attendance, badge work and additional information to ensure we are placing children into the correct Sections. We also need to record whether we have permission to use photographs.

We need contact information for parent / guardians, so we can contact you in case of accidents, or to discuss any issues or concerns we may have.

The information on children and parents is held in an on-line system called “On-line Scout Manager” (OSM). We will also create paper-based attendance lists with emergency contact details, for use in the Scout hut or for activities away from the Scout hut. The information we hold on OSM will be held for no more than 3 years after a child leaves our Scout Group.

To make sure the information we hold is up to date we will ask you to complete the Child Health and Parent / Guardian Contact forms each September. Please notify us as soon as possible if there are changes that we need to be aware of.

The Scout Association holds information on Leaders and Adult helpers. This includes information on training, and DBS criminal record checks. This information is held on a national Scout UK database.

We like to take photographs of activities our Sections are running. We try to take plenty of photos to share with parents. This is both to provide you and your families with a record of your child’s time in Scouting, but also to promote the activities of the Group.

We ask for parent permissions to take photographs and use them on our WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram pages. Parents have a right to not give permission for photographs to be used in this way.

All of our leaders are fully trained in safeguarding and data protection and are aware of which members have parental consent for photography. For this reason, in our hut and on the Rugby Club grounds, we can only allow our Leaders to take photographs and we will never identify children by name.

It is our policy:

1. On 3^rd Buxton Scout Group premises, photographs or videos may only be taken by uniformed 3^rd Buxton (Harpur Hill) Scout Group Leaders.
2. Leaders shall consider parent consents and image suitability before posting photographs or videos on social media sites such as WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram or when providing photographs to local press relating to Scouting activities.
3. Children shall not be named when posting photographs or videos on social media sites such as WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram or when providing photographs to local press relating to Scouting activities.
4. One-off permissions can be given by the Leader in Charge for parents to take photographs or videos where those photographs or videos only include their child, or their child with one or more adult Leaders.

Mobile phones or smartphones are not needed for activities in Scouting. However, smartphones have the capability to take photographs and display media from many sources, some of which can be unsuitable for children. As a Group with responsibility for the safeguarding of young people we are uncomfortable with the risks of smartphones being used to take and share inappropriate photographs or to share inappropriate media.

For some hikes (for example the Border Hike and the Kinder Challenge) a phone in a sealed bag is required for use in case of emergency. Special arrangements will be made by the Section Leaders for managing those phones.

It is our policy that:

1. Mobile phones / smartphones / tablets or similar devices are strictly not allowed on any overnight activity. If found, parents will be asked to come to camp to take the device away.
2. Mobile phones may be required for emergency use on some hikes. In these cases, special arrangements will be made with parents to provide phones or suitable phones will be provided by the Scout Group.
3. Mobile phones / smartphones / tablets or similar devices are not needed and should not be used during Scout meetings.
4. Should a child need to contact a parent, our leaders will use the contact details registered for that child.

As volunteers our leaders and helpers receive no payments for attending Scout meetings. However, it is our view that volunteers should not have to pay for equipment or costs related to delivering activities for our Scout Group.

For camps, volunteers will normally need to make some payments to cover costs associated with their attendance, such as contributions for food and camp fees.

It is our policy that volunteers (leaders and helpers) may claim legitimate expenses from either the Scout Group or from the appropriate Section. These expenses may include:

• Stationary, printing and postage.
• Fuel costs associated with camps, activity meetings and training where these take place outside the Buxton area.
• For each uniformed leader: one adult leader shirt, necker and membership badges.

Where an expenditure is not clearly covered by the above list, the Group Scout Leader or Group Treasurer will seek advice from the Group’s Trustee Board, where the decision and justifications will be recorded in the minutes.

Subscriptions may be paid monthly or each half term. All Sections pay the same:

• Monthly payments: 12 payments of £14.00 (equivalent to £168 / year)

• Half-term payments: 6 payments of £28.00 (equivalent to £168 / year)

The subscription payment covers membership fees of The Scout Association, general running costs, maintenance of the hut and equipment, badges, resources and programme activity costs.  Camps and trips are not included in the subscription payments. 

As a registered UK charity, we are able to reclaim the 25% tax paid by UK taxpayers for all eligible donations (including membership fees). Importantly, we can do this without you paying anything extra. For this reason, if you are able, we ask you to complete a Gift Aid declaration form which should be handed to one of our Section leaders.

Our Group Scout Council includes:

1. all adult members of the Group  
2. all Young Leaders who are members of a Section Team of one of the Group’s sections 
3. all Patrol Leaders of the Troop(s) in the Group 
4. all parents of Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in the Group 
5. the District Lead Volunteer 
6. the District Chair
7. community members – representatives of the local community

As a Scout group and a registered charity, we are required to have a Trustee Board, whose role is to ensure that our Scout Group is running well, is financially sound and compliant with all legal, health and safety and training requirements.

The Trustee Board consists of a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and a number of other Board members.

Trustees hold their posts for up to three years, and then must be re-elected by the Group Scout Council.

Our Group Scout Council is required to hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) within six months of the end of the Group’s financial year (31st December).

Our AGM is usually held in May or June.

At the AGM the Trustee board and Group Lead Volunteer report back to the Group Scout Council on the previous year and the Group Scout Council confirms or votes on membership of the Trustee Board.

Our uniform consists of a sweatshirt or shirt that you can sew badges on and our orange and white necker to represent our Group.

• Squirrels         Red sweatshirt
• Beavers           Turquoise sweatshirt
• Cub Scouts     Dark green sweatshirt
• Scouts             Teal green shirt

These should be accompanied by plain, dark trousers or leggings.

Please talk to our leaders about where to buy shirts and sizing. We do hold some samples for sizing and can order batches to reduce posting costs.

Neckers and membership badges will be presented to members when they are invested into Scouting.

We expect children to attend Section meetings in their sweatshirt or shirt with footwear suitable for the activity.  Those who have been invested should also wear their necker to all Scouting events.

Sections work together on badges at their weekly meetings, away at camps and events, or even at home. There are over 200 badges that can be earned and parts of our programmes will be aimed at achieving specific badges.

If there is an activity, sport or hobby outside of Scouting that your child is involved with, there may be a badge they can work towards at home. Please discuss this with your leader.

For those up for a challenge, there are loads of exciting badges to aim for, such as the Chief Scout’s Acorn, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond Awards. These are the highest awards that Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers can earn.

When badges are awarded, they should be sewn onto the Scouting shirt or sweatshirt. Information on where to sew badges can be found on the Scout Association web site at: https://www.scouts.org.uk/information-for-parents/uniform-and-costs/.

When a new Section member has shown that they are committed to attending the Section meetings the Section leader will invest them into the Section.

Investment involves:

• Making the Scout Section promise
• Receiving District and Group badges
• Receiving a Group necker (for those new to the group only)

Before the investiture we will discuss with the new Section member which version of the promise they prefer to use (versions are available for different religious beliefs).

As a child approaches the age limit for a Section, we will start the process of moving up.

We try to arrange moving up so that small groups move up together, usually at the start of new School terms. Where possible, there will be an opportunity to attend a couple of session of the new group before the move.

We do sometimes delay moving up if there are space issues or if (in consultation with the parents) we believe the child will benefit from staying in the younger age group for longer.

Scouts have the opportunity to move up to an Explorer Unit. Our District has three Explorer Groups, one in Buxton, the others at Taxal and Chinley. Many Scouts from our Group move up to Solomon’s Explorer Scout Unit, based at 1^st Buxton Scout Hut.

Explorer Scouts provides access to many new activities and challenges, including the opportunity to do Young Leader training. As a Young Leader you might help out at one of the local Scout groups. Our Group has benefitted from having some fantastic Young Leaders helping out at our Beavers, Cubs and Scout Sections.

We ask all members of Scouting to follow the behaviours and values expressed in the Scout Law and the promises made at their investiture (see https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/the-scout-promise).

We ask Sections as part of their meetings programme (usually in September) to discuss and develop a code of conduct, which members are asked to sign-up to.

It is useful for us to know if your child is not attending a meeting, e.g. due to illness or school event. You can use e-mail or the WhatsApp group to let us know.

If your child no-longer wishes, or is no-longer able, to be a member of our Scout Group, please let us know, so we can make their place available to someone on our waiting list.

If your child had not attended for more than 3 weeks, without any information from parents, we will assume the place is no-longer required. We will then make the place available to someone on our waiting list.

As a successful Group, our Sections often run close to capacity. This means we cannot always accept new applicants, or they may have to wait until we have space within a Section.

When considering new starters into a Section we give priority to children moving up from the Section below.

We have a waiting list for those applicants that we cannot start straight away. Those on the waiting list will be given priority over other new applicants,

A Leader will always be available at the start of meetings. If you are delivering forms or payments, please make sure that we have noted that you have delivered it, and help us by marking it clearly with your child’s name.

If you need to discuss something with a leader, let us know, but please be patient, we may need to ensure that the Section is supervised by other Leaders, so we can talk to you properly.

At the end of the meeting, please come into the hut to collect your child. We will not let anyone leave until we know they are being collected by a responsible adult. If you have arranged for your child to be collected by another parent, please let us know this when they are dropped off.

Please note that this is an important safety issue: At the end of meetings there is traffic up and down the slope into the car park, right outside our main door. We want to be confident that children are properly supervised as the cross the carpark entrance.

There are many ways you can help our Scout Group. Each Section will need some parent helpers on meeting nights. You might help the children with badge activities, set up for games, or if you have a skill you want to share, lead an activity. It’s always fun and rewarding and you will learn things yourself – Do you know the difference between a knot and lashing? Can you light a fire without matches? Can you put up a tent?

We will need help from time-to-time with camps. Packing trailers, transporting kit to camp, putting up tents is always hard work for the leaders and help is always appreciated.

We also do work to maintain our hut and the land we are responsible for around the hut. Occasionally we will need help with this work. On these occasions, we are grateful for any help you can give; it all helps to take some of the load from our volunteer leaders.

Our Squirrels, Beavers and Cubs Sections will always need parent helpers for meetings. Our Scouts section will occasionally ask for help with certain activities.

We will ask for parents to put their names against upcoming meetings. When you do join us, you will be welcomed by our leaders who will talk you through the activities and how you can help.