WELCOME . . . .

Introduction

Welcome to 1st Langley Scout Group. These notes aim to tell you a little bit about who we are, how we are organised and the part you need to play. They will help you to help your child to enjoy Scouting, so please take a little time to read them. If you want to know more about anything, please ask a Leader.

Introducing Scouting

Scouting is a worldwide movement started over in 1907 by Lord Baden-Powell. Today Scouting continues to expand in over a hundred countries around the world. The Scout Organisation has over 28 million members worldwide.

If you wish to find out more about the Scout Association, feel free to dial into one of the following Web Sites: -

www.Scoutbase.org.uk www.Scouts.org.uk www.berkshirescouts.org.uk

Scouting Mission Statement

The aim of the Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.

The Method of achieving the Aim of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law, and guided by adult leadership.

1st LangleyScout Group

1st Langley is an independent Scout Group, part of The Slough Scout District, which comes under the county of Berkshire. 1st Langley has been based in Gosling Road since 1964. However the group records show that we have been part of the Langley community way back into the early 20th century.

We have a membership of about 70 boys and girls ranging from 6 years to 15 years old. These young people are split by age into sections as follows:

 

* Thursday and Friday Beaver Colony: 6-8 years

* Monday and Wednesday Cub Packs: 8-10½ years

* Scout Troop: 10½ to 14½ years

Since the beginning of 2000 we have welcomed girls into all Sections of the Group.

Why not find out more about 1st Langley at www.1stLangley.org.uk

 

Introducing Beaver Scouts

Beaver Scouts are young people usually aged between six and eight years old. They belong to the first and youngest Section in the Scouting family. Young people can join Beaver Scouts in the three months leading up to their sixth birthday. They can move to the next Section, Cub Scouts, at between eight and eight years six months.

 

Easily recognised by their distinctive turquoise sweatshirts, Beaver Scouts enjoy making friends, playing games, going on visits and helping others. They meet together once a week in a Beaver Scout Colony.

Some Beaver Scout Colonies also organise Sleepovers. These are often the first time a young person spends a night away from home. They take place in suitable buildings, often Scout centres.

Introducing Cub Scouts

Cubs are between 8 ½ and 10 and meet in a Pack. There are loads of fun things that Cub Scouts can do. They get a chance to try lots of different activities like swimming, music, exploring, computing and collecting. If they do them properly they can earn a badge to wear on their uniform.

 

Cub Scouts also get to go on trips and days out, to places like the zoo, theme parks or a farm. They will have an opportunity to go camping with the rest of the Pack. This will mean sleeping in a tent and doing loads of outdoor activities.

Introducing Scouts

The Scout Section is for young people, usually aged between 10½ and 14 years. A young person can come in to the Troop at 10 and may stay until they are 15 years old. The Scout Troop is the third and final Section in the Scout Group.

 

Scouts are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities as part of their programme. "Participation" rather than meeting set standards is the key approach and for the Scout who wants to be recognised for his or her achievements there are a number of Challenges Awards and Activity Badges. Scouts take part in a balanced programme that helps them to find out about the world in which they live, encourages them to know their own abilities and the importance of keeping fit and helps develop their creative talents. It also provides opportunities to explore their own values and personal attitudes.

 

Being outdoors is important and half the Programme is given over to taking part in both the traditional Scouting skills, such as camping, survival and cooking as well as the wide range of adventurous activities, which could be anything from abseiling to yachting.

 

The international aspect gives Scouting a special appeal and many Scouts now travel abroad during their time in the Section. For many years young people from 1st Langley have attended the World Jamborees, most recently in 2002/3 with 25,000 Scouts from around the World in Thailand. Even more are expected to attend the World Jamboree in The United Kingdom in 2007. Scouting is about being with friends, as part of a team, participating fully in the adventure and opportunities of life.

Once a Scout is 14+ they move onto the Explorer Scout section, Which is run as district unit away from 1st Langley. Please contact a Leader if you want to know any more about Explorer Scouts.

Leaders & Helpers

 

Each Section has a Leader and one or more Assistant Leaders. The Scout Association makes all helpers and Leaders fill in a CRB (Police check) form before they can start. All Leaders must then undertake a certain amount of training before they gain their warrant. This training follows a national scheme that has been widely copied by industry. All leaders are volunteers and are not paid for their work.

Helpers and Instructors play an important role in the leader team in support of the warranted leaders. They are also CRB (Police Checked) by the Scout Association. Instructors usually have a special skill or experience to contribute. The role of Helper or Instructor is particularly suited to those who cannot or do not wish to make a commitment to attend every meeting.

New Helpers and Instructors are always welcome and if you would like to know more please contact the Group Scout Leader.

The Group Scout Leader (GSL) leads the team of leaders and helpers and has overall responsibility for the Sections.

A list of current Section Leaders is given below.

Group Scout Leader Steve Sutton

Assistant Group Scout Leaders Neil Gauld

Friday Beaver Scout Leader Caroline Hayward

Monday Cub Scout Leader Matthew Foster

Wednesday Cub Scout Leader Amanda Purdy

Scout Leader Michael Duke

Please See attached Form for contact details

Child Protection Policy

It is the policy of The Scout Association to safeguard the welfare of all Members by protecting them from physical, sexual and emotional harm.

The Scout Association is committed to:

■taking into account in all its considerations and activities the interests and well-being of young people;

■respecting the rights, wishes and feelings of the young people with whom it is working;

■taking all, practicable steps to protect them from physical, sexual and emotional abuse; and

■Promoting the welfare of young people and their protection within a relationship of trust.

Keeping Children Safe

The Group encourages Leaders, etc to take part in the Keeping Children Safe programme. This programme is designed for any adult in Scouting whose involvement brings them into contact with our youth membership. It is designed to help individuals increase their understanding of the unique role they play in keeping children safe from harm.

Individuals who successfully complete the programme receive a certificate of completion from the NSPCC.

Further details of this programme are included as an appendix at the end of these notes

Young People First

The Scout Association requires Adult leaders to follow a 21 point code of behaviour, which is provided to each Adult on a yellow pocket-sized card.

Further details of this code are included as an appendix at the end of these notes

Uniform

All members are required to wear the correct uniform for their section as follows:

■Beavers ... Turquoise uniform sweatshirt and bottoms.

■Cubs ... dark green uniform sweatshirt and navy trousers

■Scouts ............ teal green uniform shirt and navy trousers

Everybody, including Leaders, wears the green and red scarf, which identifies them as a member of 1st Langley. Uniform shirts and jumpers can be obtained from a number of sources supplying Scout wear, but scarves are only available from “Four Points” in the Village shopping Centre in Slough.

There are a few Group rules to bring to your attention:

■Special Scout trousers are not required but we will only accept dark school trousers or similar when in uniform (except Beavers as below). Jeans, jogging bottoms, etc. are not acceptable except for activities. However we do not recommend jeans on activities where there is a possibility of them getting wet as they can become heavy and, on camps or hikes for example, do not dry well. Beavers can wear navy bottoms to match their sweatshirts.

■Dark shoes must be worn when in uniform. Trainers are only to be worn for activities.

The position of the membership and award badges on a uniform is:

In addition to uniform we have Group Tee shirts and Sweatshirts which can be purchased through the Section Leader. We particularly encourage the wearing of Group tee shirts on activities as it encourages a sense of belonging and makes it much easier for Leaders to identify our members.

Management of the Scout Group

Every Scout Group is an autonomous organisation holding its property and equipment and admitting young people to membership of the Scout Group subject to the policy and rules of The Scout Association.

A Scout Group is led by a Group Scout Leader and managed by a Group Executive Committee. They are accountable to the Group Council for the satisfactory running of the Group.

 

The Group Scout Leader is assisted and supported by the Group Leaders in the delivery of the progressive training scheme for young people within the Group.

The GSL is helped by those adults who work directly with the young people and by the Group Chairperson. The Chairperson leads the Group Executive Committee, which provides support to the Group through administration, fund-raising and a very wide range of support activities. Once a year the Group must hold an Annual General Meeting of the Group Council (including of all adults connected to the Group). The AGM reports on the year’s events and elections of the Group’s Officers and Executive will take place. This provides a forum for comment and future planning.

Fund-raising is an important part of the Group’s activity as money will be necessary for:

■maintenance and repair of the Group Headquarters

■equipment for camping and expeditions

■events - activities and outings

■training of Leaders

■day to day activities - indoor and out

■administration and insurance cover

Details of the Group’s current Officers are given below.

ChairpersonMrs.Julie Kralyic

Vice-ChairpersonTBA

TreasurerTBA

SecretaryMrs. Jackie Jones

Hall and Bus BookingsTBA

Quarter MasterTBA

Finances

The Annual Budget of the Group is in the region of £21,000 which works out at around £220 for each child. The group gets no grants or other external funding, being entirely dependent on membership subscriptions and fund raising. The National Scout Association does not fund us; in fact we pay a levy to it to pay for insurance, etc.

The Group is a registered charity, number 300691.

Subscriptions

Like most organisations we charge a membership subscription which we try to keep at a reasonable level. For 2004/5 we charge £10 per month for the first child and £6.50 per month for each additional child. This works out at under £3 per week and, we believe, represents excellent value for money.

Unless there are special circumstances we require all members to pay the subscription monthly by standing order. This avoids the need for Leaders to collect money at meetings. The Standing Orders run until cancelled or a new mandate is submitted to your bank. You should have completed a standing order mandate when your child joined, but if you have not received one please contact Glyn Halls on 01628 676971.

In exceptional circumstances, for example if you do not have a bank account, you can pay equal instalments due on 1st April and 1st October. However, we regret that to avoid additional work for leaders we are unable to accept weekly payment at meetings.

We will also give consideration to helping any family that may have difficulty in paying the subscriptions. However, our resources are limited and it is important that you approach us as early as possible.

In addition to Subscriptions we have to charge for camps and other outings based on actual cost.

Gift Aid

Gift Aid gives us a chance to increase the value of the subscription and so keep them as low as possible at no cost to you by claiming back an extra 28% from the Inland Revenue. The main requirement is that you must pay a minimum in Income Tax in the year of the amount we claim - that’s about £40 for one child at current subscription rates. All you need to do is complete a Gift Aid form and we will do the rest. Please remember that for us to be able to recover the tax the same person must sign the Gift Aid form and pay the subscription.

Fund-raising and Maintenance

 

Subscriptions cover only about 40% of our budget so other fund-raising such as raffles, Langley Carnival, fairs, race nights and Quiz nights is important. Your support and assistance at these events is vital if we are to get sufficient income from them. Otherwise subscriptions are bound to rise.

In a Group like ours the costs are substantial but many of them can also be considerably reduced by doing the work ourselves. Repair and maintenance of buildings and vehicles are activities where a lot can be achieved with basic skills and a willingness to put in a few hours. Routine activities like cleaning, grass cutting, etc. are essential if we are to maintain a decent, healthy environment for your children, but someone has to do them.

The leaders and helpers can be counted on to help with raising money, carrying out repairs, etc. but they give a lot of their time already and their primary role is to give fun and training to the young people. It is therefore vital that you give your support so that the Sections can carry on with their tradition of providing a wide, safe and varied range of activities and experiences for all their members.

Please remember that the Scout Group is not some faceless national bureaucracy but a small group of unpaid volunteers whose primary objective is to help your child to develop and have fun. Please give us your full support.

Adventurous Activities

In order to get the widest benefit from Scouting we encourage adventurous activities appropriate to the age of the child. Some of these activities for older members, such as hill walking, climbing and canoeing are potentially hazardous. The Scout Association has strict rules regarding participation in such activities, which we follow. In particular we will always ensure that leaders are suitably qualified and will seek your consent to your child taking part.

 

Because of the Scout Association’s Rules we are not required to register under the Activity Centres (Young Persons Safety) Act 1995 where activities are run by or for members of the Scout movement. On the few occasions where commercial organisations are used we will ensure that they are registered under the Act.

If you have any queries regarding our rules or the qualifications of anyone leading an activity please do not hesitate to talk to your child’s Section Leader.

Transport

 

The Group is very conscious of concerns regarding safe transport and we take our responsibilities very seriously. Our minibus is fitted with lap belts to all seats. For longer journeys we insist that there are always at least two drivers on board.

Medical Matters

It is essential that our Leaders are aware of any medical condition, which could affect your child while they are in our care. They obviously need to be aware of problems such as allergies, asthma or epilepsy, which could arise during meetings, but there may be other less obvious things, which could give, rise to difficulties. Please let the Leader know. Any such information will be treated in strict confidence.

Data Protection Act 1984

The Group and some of the sections maintain a computer database of the members. We are not required to register these under the Data Protection Act, but we are required to advise you of their existence.

Records include name, address, date of birth, dietary, medical information, ethnic group, etc. of the young people in the Group; names, addresses and phone numbers of their parents or guardians. The data is put together from information provided when the young person joins the Group, from camp forms, etc.

The data bases have been set up for use within the Group for two main purposes - to provide Leaders with vital information on the young people in their care and to maintain accurate membership records for the collection of subscriptions, etc. In addition we are required to provide the Scout Association with details of our members details.

If you require further details please telephone the Assistant Group Scout Leader or speak to the section Leader. We hope that you will not object to your personal data being held in this way but if you do please speak to the Group Scout Leader before confirming your objection in writing.

How can I help 1st Langley?

Ask a young person why they stay in Scouting, and they will probably say because they 'get something out of it'. This is true for adults in scouting too!

Being an adult in Scouting can be challenging but also very rewarding. What adults get out of Scouting, depends on what they put in! Adults stay involved for a variety of reasons and some are the same as for young people – it is fun, there is chance to make new friends, and adults get the same opportunity for adventure. There is also the chance for adults to see young people develop and grow, and know they have contributed to it by passing on your skills and abilities and investing time in them.

Giving is often just as rewarding as receiving, and giving your time and effort to Scouting will certainly be very rewarding.

We have many roles at 1st Langley… So please do not be afraid to offer your support.

 

Young People First

The Scout Association requires Adult leaders to follow the following code of behaviour:

Do put the 'Young People First' guidance into practice

Do treat everyone with respect

Do provide an example you wish others to follow

Do plan activities, which involve more than one other person being present, or at least are within sight or hearing of others

Do respect a young person's right to personal privacy

Do have separate sleeping accommodation for leaders and young people

Do provide access for young people to talk about any concerns they may have

Do encourage young people and adults to feel comfortable and caring enough to point out attitudes or behaviour they do not like

Do avoid situations that compromise your relationship with young people and are unacceptable within a relationship of trust (e.g. a sexual relationship between a leader and a youth member over the age of consent)

Do remember that someone else might misinterpret your actions, no matter how well intentioned

Do recognise that caution is required even in sensitive moments of counselling, such as when dealing with bullying, bereavement or abuse

Do NOT permit abusive peer activities (e.g. initiation ceremonies, ridiculing, bullying)

Do NOT play physical contact games with young people

Do NOT have any inappropriate physical or verbal contact with others

Do NOT jump to conclusions about others without checking facts

Do NOT allow yourself to be drawn into inappropriate attention seeking behaviour such as tantrums or crushes

Do NOT show favouritism to any individual

Do NOT make suggestive remarks or gestures, even in fun

Do NOT let suspicion, disclosure or allegation of abuse, go unrecorded or unreported

Do NOT rely on just your good name to protect you

Do NOT believe "it could never happen to me"

 

Keeping Children Safe

The Keeping Children Safe programme uses a distance learning technique that ensures that, wherever an individual is located, everybody receives a consistent message, at a time and place that suit. The programme comprises three short modules; each with an accompanying questionnaire, in a multi-choice answer format, designed to reinforce the key learning points. When all modules have been completed, participants receive feedback that enables them to check their answers and confirm their understanding of the programme. The programme material builds into a high quality reference handbook which participants retain.