Parents / Guardians

Parents / Guardians must be prepared to help at a evening meetings at least once every half term for each of their children in the group. Without sufficient adult supervision the sections cannot run, so we really depend on you for this.  You can sign up for the rota on Online Scout Manager, under the Programme tab.

All roles in the group are filled by volunteers and people can sign up to give up as much time as they can, either working directly with the Young People or in supportive roles. Weekly roles are great, but we do also have a variety of roles who would prefer something less regular – we can juggle around people’s time! Please fill in this form Get Involved or speak to your child’s section leader.

We have a safeguarding policy and here is a link to our ‘Young People First’ code of practice (yellow card). Please read through the do’s and don’ts. I am sure you will understand this policy keeps our young people and adults safe.

If you are unable to do a date you have selected please swap with another parent and please let your section leader know.

Younger children may accompany you on your rota evening but they remain your responsibility at all times.

If you have any queries or concerns at all don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your assistance without occasional helpers we would not be able to run the section.

We have a termly subscriptions for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts which are collected at the beginning of the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms.

Subscription is £35 per term -Payment is due for the term and is not normally refundable if the young person leaves the group after they have been invested.

This meets the cost of:

• the day-to-day cost of running the Section that your child is in;
• the running expenses of 5th Camberwell Scout Group, including badges, rent and upkeep of equipment;
• support from the Southwark District Scouts, and Greater South London County Scout Association, including running events and maintaining campsite;
• the Scout Association’s annual membership fee, which includes insurance cover for individuals while on approved Scout activities.

In addition to the subscription there are additional cost for camps, events, trips and resources which will always be notified in advance and costs always kept to a minimum.

There is a bursary fund available for parents/guardians who wish to apply.  Please speak to your Section Leader in confidence. Click to download the Application Form.

As a charity the payment of subscriptions qualify for ‘Gift Aid’, allowing the Group to claim a percentage of the fee you pay from HMRC. If you are a UK tax payer, please confirm declaration via the Online Scout Management System to ensure that we are able to claim this extra amount, helping to make membership fees go further. If you would like further information, please contact our Treasurer.

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts are expected to wear uniform to evening meetings and events unless otherwise specified. At the 5th Camberwell whilst we are relaxed about insisting on full uniform trousers and shoes we expect our young people to be dressed as follows:

• Beavers should wear the uniform turquoise sweatshirt, group scarf and woggle
• Cubs should wear the uniform green sweatshirt, group scarf and woggle
• Scouts should wear the uniform green shirt, group scarf and woggle

Uniform may be purchased from Thomas school uniform shop on Croxted Rd http://www.thomasschoolwear.co.uk or online via the Scout shop https://shop.Scouts.org.uk.  Other online sources are available but purchasing direct from the Scout shop will support the Scouts association direct.

Young people also benefit from discounts at outdoor stores where you may be buying their camping kit  https://fundraising.scouts.org.uk/member-discounts.

Scouting is an inclusive, values based movement and membership is open to all those who share our fundamental values. 

Scouts UK’s Equal Opportunities Policy outlines what we do to ensure the movement is open and accessible; and that people are treated equally and with respect. This policy is reflective of the ethos of Scouting, expressed by our fundamental values (integrity, care, co-operation, respect and belief) and our commitment to delivering Scouting for all. 

By removing any real or perceived barriers to participation, we can ensure that even more young people can enjoy the adventure of Scouting and that Scouting will be as diverse as the communities in which we live. 

More about our organizational commitment to inclusivity is available within our current strategy; Skills for Life (2018-2023). 

For practical support to deliver inclusive Scouting please refer to the online support and guidance on the Scouts UK website.

We use a system called Online Scout Manager (OSM) to help to manage the Scout group. This system makes it really easy for you to view upcoming events, weekly meeting activities and badges awarded. You can also use OSM to pay for subs, events and camps online by secure Direct Debit.

When your first payment is due you will receive an email with a secure link. The easiest way to make your payments is by setting up a Direct Debit subscription which ensures all payments due are automatically made on time. You will receive an email 3 days before each payment is taken from your bank account and the Direct Debit can be cancelled at any time. 

All Direct Debit payments are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee which means you are entitled to a full and immediate refund if there are any errors in a payment. The Direct Debit payments are handled by a company called GoCardless, which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland. Your bank account details are held only by GoCardless and are never shared with Online Scout Manager or our Scout Group. Setting up an account with GoCardless is very easy and should take no more than one minute. 

When your first payment to our group is due you will receive an email with a secure link to invite you to set up an account. You will typically see two payment schedules in OSM: one schedule for regular “Subscription” payments and a second schedule for occasional “Camp and Event” payments. You will need to set up a Direct Debit subscription for each schedule but you only need to register with GoCardless once.

If you would like further information on the payments in OSM, please contact our Treasurer.

Please keep these up to date in OSM (Online Scout Manager). Please refer to our data privacy notice for how we use this data.

Throughout the year there will be opportunities for members to enjoy a camp or a special ‘trip’ out, many of which are linked to badge work.

All Camps/ Trips are generally managed through OSM (Online Scout Manager) and will:

• Incur an extra cost which will be advised well in advance of the trip
• Require permission forms to be completed
• Require appropriate kit – lists will be issued prior to the event

Payment for camps usually consists of a single payment for the event. Payments are not refundable and no discounts can be offered if the member cannot attend all days of a particular camp. If you have any difficulty with payment please feel free to ask one of the leaders for a discrete and private talk.

There are 3 types of awards:

• Activity
• Challenge
• Staged (these go across all scouting sections)

A member may begin working towards badges as soon as they first come to their section. Badges will not be awarded before investiture. The various badges will involve work at the meetings, at special events or camps, and a certain amount of work to be completed at home.

There is detailed information available about badges for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers on the scouts.org.uk website. There is also an iPhone and Android Phone App which has all the badge requirements.

All Scout Leaders have to follow and abide by the rules and guidelines laid down in the Scout Association publication ‘Policy, Organisation & Rules‘.

The Group Scout Leader manages and supports the Scout Group and its Leaders to ensure it runs effectively and that Scouting within the Group develops. Some of the tasks for which the Group Scout Leader is responsible may be delegated to others in the Group. The Group Scout Leader is also responsible to the District Commissioner and supports scouting across the District.

Each Section in the Group: Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, has a Section Leader who is supported by a team of Assistant Section Leaders. Each section is run independently, although there are close links with all the sections in the Group.

Young Leaders, usually Explorer Scouts who are under 18 also volunteer and help support all our Sections. Parents and other adult volunteers regularly help support the meetings and event activities. These are Occasional Helpers and require DBS checks.

The services of others may be sought for instruction in particular activities such as First Aid, Climbing, etc., when we run such events or in helping run a badge activity in a chosen specialism such as Photography or Electronics.

In addition to the uniformed leaders, there is a dedicated team of adults, the Group Executive, who support the Group Scout Leader and are responsible for keeping the Group running through such activities as fund-raising, maintaining the group’s equipment and supporting the uniformed leaders at events and regular meetings. The Executive is coordinated by the Group Chairperson.

All parents / guardians are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting held during the autumn term. It is extremely important as it is when the Group Executive Committee is elected.

As a parent / guardian of a group member, you have the right to elect members to serve on the Group Executive Committee who administer and run the Scout Group,. The Committee is made up of the parents / guardians of Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Section Leaders. The main task that faces the committee is that of recruiting leaders, fund-raising and ensuring the group camping and scouting equipment is maintained.

As a parent / guardian of a member we shall be looking for your ongoing support, and perhaps also as a member of the Executive Committee some time in the future.