Adult Code of Conduct

All our volunteers are expected to behave in accordance with our code of conduct which is detailed below. By agreeing to take on a role in Scouting in Mersey Weaver, you agree to abide by the code of conduct and the policies, rules and procedures which are relevant to volunteers as detailed in the current edition of Policy, Organisation & Rules (POR) as well as this agreement.

  1. If you are unable to attend a section meeting or adult meeting please let your section leader or the appropriate chair know in good time and preferably at least 24 hours before.
  2. All adults are required to take responsibility, with the other leaders in their group, for the activities they provide both indoors and outdoors.
  3. Make sure that every activity you do has a named Leader in charge, and that this person, the other adults, and the young people know who it is. There must always be a leader with a full appointment present at every meeting. If this means a meeting might have to be cancelled, reach out to your ADC, GSL or DESC who will help you find cover/support.
  4. Complete the mandatory training for your role within the time frame required.
  5. Be aware of the number of young people taking part in the activity, take a register and store it in OSM. Ensure you do a frequent head count to be certain that nobody is missing.
  6. Complete a risk assessment for every activity you do, preferably write it down and crucially share it with your team and the young people taking part.
  7. If you are taking the young people away from the normal meeting place, participating in an activity that requires a permit or meeting outside of your usual hours, you are required to let the District Commissioner know through a Nights Away Notification or Adventurous Activity Notificationas appropriate . 
  8. Only adults with the appropriate permits may run adventurous activities or events which involve a young person having a night away from home.
  9. Young Leaders are young people and must be treated as such. Adults should not be alone with them and during nights away experiences separate sleeping arrangements must be provided.
  10. All accidents and near misses must be reported to the Group Scout Leader, logged with the DC team and reported to Unity or via the near miss form.
  11. No smoking is allowed during section meetings. Any smoking on a designated break must be in a safe place away from the activities and young people .
  12. Drug/alcohol abuse will not be tolerated. 
  13. Do not use your personal email account for Scouting.
  14. Keep records on Compass and Online scout manager up to date.
  15. Adults should try and ensure that all young people have equal opportunities to take part in activities. Support and advice is available to help with this as well as advice on making reasonable adjustments.
  16. Adults need to be aware of any disruptive, bullying or aggressive behaviour of any young people and seek help from others in dealing with them. Try to have a consistent approach to these situations throughout the team.
  17. Physical restraint of children is not permissible, unless it is to ensure the safety of the child, other children, volunteers or other people. All incidents must be recorded and reported to your Group Scout Leader/District Explorer Scout Commissioner as appropriate.
  18. If a child talks to you regarding a child protection disclosure or any other personal issue the correct procedures must be followed. Please refer to our Young people first code of practice (The Yellow Card) for further guidance.
  19. Any grievances received from parents or members of the public should be referred to your Group Scout Leader, District Explorer Scout Commissioner or District Commissioner as appropriate.
  20. You should avoid taking responsibility for young people’s personal belongings.
  21. Please don’t go to straight to the media about getting press coverage for your Section or Group. Instead contact our Media and PR Manager who will help coordinate this with you and get the maximum impact.
  22. As stated above, adults should familiarise themselves with POR. This is available to view and download from www.scouts.org.uk/por
  23. If you’re not sure about something ask! 😊

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