Growth & Development Resources

As a County, we provide over 7,000 young people with the opportunity to learn skills for life. We want to provide this even more young people, and have Scout Groups that reflect the communities they are in. Thinking about the development of your Section, Group or District is key to making sure it can thrive for years to come.

Here you can find resources to help you with growth and development. If there is an area you would like further support with that is not covered here, please get in touch with Sarah McAtominey, DCC Development (sarah.mcatominey@cycscouts.org.uk)

Grow Your Team

Bringing amazing new adults into Scouting is an important part of making sure we can offer Scouting to as many young people as possible. We know it isn’t always easy but here are some things you can do to attract new people:

• Make sure you are visible in your community, online and in-person
• Connect with local businesses and organisations
• Advertise the tasks you need doing, rather than the roles that need filing
• Get to know the family members in your Group and encourage them to get involved
• Set up a public Facebook page to share all the great things you’re doing
• Share opportunities on the Leeds Volunteering Platform, or Volunteer Wakefield
• Follow up any enquiries quickly
• Join in and catch-up on these Volunteer Recruitment Workshops
• Get your team Ready to Recruit
• Make use of the Recruitment Toolkit
• Top tips for recruiting parents 
• Top tips for recruiting students

Once you’ve got people interested, remember to give them the information they need, explain what level of commitment is needed and any training and DBS requirements. Set them up with a buddy to help them through their first few months and keep checking in to find out how they’re doing. Make sure they feel part of the team and knows what’s going on and most importantly, say thank you for all their hard work!

Need more young people in your Section or Group? Check out these tips for bringing in more young people.

Using Social Media for Recruitment

Social media can be a great way of spreading the word about the great things you do. Here’s where to look for advice and guidance:

• Watch this webinar about using social media to support recruitment
• Read through this social media guidance to optimise your profiles
• Get in touch with our County Communications Manager, Vicky Sanderson (vicky.sanderson@cycscouts.org.uk)

If you’re not sure what to post, there are loads of ready-made pictures and videos on the Scouts Brand Centre. Log in or create an account to look through the ‘Recruitment Ready’ kits on there and post away! Here are some of our favourite videos that you can download and share:

• Skills For Life
• Bear Grylls – Scouts Made Me
• Ed Stafford – #GoodForYou
• Scouts Made Me

Recruiting Managers and Supporters

Great managers aren’t always easy to find – use these resources to help you find the right fit:

• Recruiting GSLs and DCs
• Use these downloadable resources to help with your search
• Use the brand centre to create flyers and posters that you can share
• Use these role descriptions as a guide and to help you identify the tasks you need doing.

Looking After Your Team

Our volunteers should be having as much fun as our young people – but that’s only possible with the right kinds of support. Once you’ve built your team, it’s really important to look after them and keep checking in to make sure everything is okay.

• Plan an induction period for new volunteers where they can be supported by a local buddy or mentor while they get used to their new role
  • You could personalise this Welcome Pack to help new leaders with their induction
• Use informal reviews to check in with your team and make sure they’re happy in their role. Why not use this template agenda?
• Recognise the hard work of your team and always say thank you!
  • There are certificate templates on the Brand Centre you can use for an extra special thank you.

For more tips on managing volunteers, take a look at the Scouts website.

Executive Committees

Executive Committee play a really important role in the running of Scout Groups and Districts. They are charity trustees and carry out administrative tasks to ensure the best quality Scouting can be delivered to young people.

Growing Your Executive Committee

Getting involved with the Exec can be a great way for adults make a difference in Scouting, without working with young people. When talking to interested people share why you enjoy it and the difference it makes to young people. If it seems like a fun team to be a part of people will want to join!

There are loads of places you can look for new people to join your Executive Committee – it doesn’t have to just be within Scouting! How about:

• Job Centres
• Universities
• Company Newsletters
• Family Members
• Local businesses
• Recruitment agencies
• Social media
• Online volunteering sites (e.g. Doing Good Leeds / Volunteer Wakefield)
• Name generation exercise

Here is a leaflet you can share to promote becoming a member of your Executive Committee.

Once you’ve got someone interested, you can try the Four Step Challenge to give them a chance to ‘try before they buy’.

Being a charity trustee is something to take seriously, but try to put peoples’ minds at ease about this. Remember, all Group Executive Committee members are covered by trustee indemnity insurance.

Available Support for Existing Executive Committees

If you are already a member of an Executive Committee, here are some resources to support you in your role:

• • Support and guidance on the national website
  • Watch these Governance Support Webinars
  • Role-specific guides for Executive Committee members
  • Top tips on applying for grants and funds
  • Grant funding for voluntary and community groups in Leeds

• Wakefield Community Grants Scheme

Bouncing Back

COVID-19 has raised many unique challenges for Scouting across the UK. Whatever challenges your Group, Unit, District or County is facing, now is the time for you to decide what you will do in response.

For the most up-to-date information about current restrictions, visit the ‘Readiness Levels Across the UK’ webpage on the national website.

If you haven’t done any Scouting since March 2020, or are struggling to get back to face-to-face meetings that’s okay! The County and your District are here to support you and help you bounce back. Here are some useful resources to help you plan for your return to Scouting:

• Follow this five-step process to get your section back safely
• You could create an action plan to identify what’s going well and what’s not
• You could use this COVID Restart checklist to help you
• Visit the Information Hub to find advice on everything from risk assessments to planning your programme
• Visit the Brand Centre to find COVID materials suitable for Scouting

COVID-19 Risk Assessments

Groups and Sections must document a COVID-19 risk assessment, which should be agreed within the Group by the Executive and Group Scout Committee (or by the District Executive for Explorer Units and Scout Networks), in the same way as other risks are managed.

As of 19^th July 2021, COVID-19 risk assessments are no longer required to be approved by District or County Commissioners.

A COVID-19 risk assessment should lay out what the risks and controls are, just like any other form of risk assessment. The only hazard that is included for this is the risk of people spreading or catching COVID-19. If you’re unsure on how to write this risk assessment, take a look at the templates and examples on the national website or get in touch with your local approver.

Download the ‘Moving to Yellow COVID-19 Restart Risk Assessment’ template