Policies

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Judging the severity of an injury can be difficult. Some injuries may manifest later or contribute to other health issues, and it is therefore important that any accidents are recorded in a consistent manner and that the accident is communicated to the parents at the time. Pick up at the end of Summer Camp is very busy and it can be difficult to find the parents to report the accidents to them.

Reporting an Accident at an Event or at a Location other than the Scout Hall:

This process assumes that the Leaders at a campsite may not have internet access and need tomake written records.

1. If a Leader is required to deal with any accident treatment, no matter how small, then the injury [the treatment administered, when, and where, and by whom] should be recorded on areport sheet.

2. A supply of accident record sheets should be taken on camp and stored with or inside the First Aid Kit.

3. Each injury record is entered on a separate sheet. If the same injury is treated more than once (eg plasters or dressings reapplied daily) then the date and details for each repeat are to be written on the back of the record form for that particular injury.

4. On the way back from the Event, the Leaders are to write a list on a sheet of paper with the names of the young people who feature on the accident report forms. This list is stuck on the wall in a prominent position where the parents will be collecting their young people after the outing. The onus is on the parents to ensure they check the list of names and if it features their child, they are to report to a Leader to get a de-brief on what happened. This requirement is to be communicated to the parents and can be included with the information shared regarding the Event and also with the Cancellation Policy.

5. The parents must sign the accident form so the Leaders have a record that they have seen it, and so that it can be stored.

6. The forms are to be photographed/ scanned and uploaded to 1st Hedgecourt Googledocs and saved under a new folder titled ‘Year - Summer Camp Accidents’.

7. The Leaders must report all types of accidents listed in the official Scouts Policy Organisation & Rules (POR) Chapter 7.4 guidance. This is done via an official UKHQ form.

Leaders should also consider whether they need to make the Premises Manager aware of any injuries requiring external treatment.

Here at 1st Hedgecourt we currently run three sections: Beavers, Cubs and Scouts and we aim to adhere to the core age ranges suggested by The Scout Association. Very occasionally we may have to consider the minimum and maximum ages suggested due to the fact that we are nearly always full in each section and with a waiting listing for each section.

We refer to ‘terms’ in our Age Policy. These are specifically our scouting terms and not school terms. Our Scouting terms each start on our first meeting of a term, and finish on our last meeting.

Beavers will be able to attend from the 1st meeting of the term following their 6th birthday, until the end of the term during which they have turned 8. Should their birthday fall during a holiday break, it will be taken as part of the term that has finished, ie they can start the next Section on the first day of the term immediately after their birthday.

Cubs will be able to attend from the beginning of the term after they turn 7 1/2, until they reach 10 1⁄2 -11years. Once Cubs turn 11, they will automatically graduate to Scouts at the beginning of the term following their 11th birthday. A bit of discretion is applied to this transition, as some Cubs are ready for the move up earlier than others. Either group can also get to full capacity from time to time, so this helps the Leaders manage numbers and ensure all new Scouts are ready.

Scouts will be able to attend the Scout Section between the age of 10 1⁄2 - 11 until 14 years. Scouts will leave the Section at the end of the term in which they turn 14.

Assuming regular attendance, this will allow a full 3 years to gain all the relevant badges to achieve their Chief Scout Gold Award.

However, in certain circumstances, Scouts may be able to stay on until age 14.5 years.

This will be at the discretion of the Scout Leader Volunteer.

Discretion is usually applied to allow Scouts to attend a final Summer Camp, provided they will be no more than 14.5 years old on the final day of camp

Whilst attending Scouts is not compulsory, it is very difficult to execute activities well that have been prepared for a full attendance when fewer Scouts attend.

If a Beaver/ Cub/ Scout cannot attend a meeting for any reason, we ask that we be informed as soon as possible so that we do not delay starting our activities. If possible, a full 24 hours before the meeting.

Beavers/ Cubs/ Scouts who do not attend regularly lose out by not having the opportunity to complete their badge work. Additionally, their attendance patterns have a detrimental effect on the rest of their Lodge/Six/Patrol group and this can also create problems for the leaders in organisation of activities. Regular non attendees are also directly depriving another child of a place within the Group. At 1st Hedgecourt we have waiting lists of young people who want to join.

Beavers/ Cubs/ Scouts missing 3 consecutive weeks without valid reason will forfeit their place in the Group. We will assume they have left the group and will offer their place to another young person on our waiting list.

Missing 4 or more weeks during any one term without valid reason will result in forfeit of their place in the Group.

As well as regular weekly meetings, there are two annual events at which the attendance of all members is required.

• St George’s Day Parade, on a Sunday in April

• Remembrance Sunday service on a Sunday in November

All Cubs & Scouts (young people) are expected to be polite, considerate and respectful of others.

Behaviour that we encourage includes taking turns, playing fairly, being quiet when others are speaking, taking care of equipment, and sharing.

Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated.

Unacceptable behaviour may include, but is not limited to, fighting, kicking, teasing, bad language, hitting & pushing, violence, unfriendliness, abuse, name calling, sarcasm and spreading rumours.

Seriously bad behaviour such as verbal abuse of peers or leaders or physical violence of any kind will result in parents being called to collect the young person and immediate removal from the Group.

Here at 1st Hedgecourt we operate a Three Strike System:

1. In the first instance of poor behaviour, the young person will be asked to stop.

2. If the poor behaviour repeats, a verbal warning will be given. The young person will be told what will happen if they don’t comply. This could include temporary removal from a game or activity.

3. If the poor behaviour continues, they will be removed from the activity/ game they are undertaking. Leaders will explain to the young person why their behaviour was not acceptable on the three occasions.

Parents will be notified verbally and /or by email at the end of the Session (or as soon as possible thereafter). The email will give brief details regarding the child’s behaviour.

During Summer Camp the 3 strike policy still applies, and should the young person have to be removed from 3 activities they will not be able to attend the next yearly summer camp.

If a parent receives two behaviour emails during a term, then their young person will miss thenext fun session / outing at the Leaders’ discretion.

If the poor behaviour continues in a second term, the Section Team Leader has the authority to ask the young person to leave the section and allow another person to move into the section from the waiting list.

The support and cooperation of all parents in reinforcing these rules will ensure that our scouts can enjoy and benefit from all our activities.

When informing parents and carers regarding the next upcoming Paid For Event or Summer Camp, the cost and payment schedule is to be shared.

In most cases this is likely to be a one off payment, with staged payments in the case of the Summer Camp due to the higher upfront cost. In the case of Summer Camp, parents need to confirm if their young person is attending Camp, and pay the first stage payment to secure their place.

Below are the policy rules for Summer Camp and event payments:

Parents can cancel for any paid for event or camp at any time, with conditions.

If an event has been paid for, any cancellations afterwards are non refundable. This helps us manage overheads and block bookings that are all committed to at an early date.

For events that require stage payments, these payments are made via OSM.

If cancellation is made at any point during stage payments, all future staged payments will be cancelled immediately, and the Treasurer will be informed of this by the Leaders. Please note, however, that all payments, or payments due, up to the date of cancelling will not be refunded.

By not offering refunds, this secures the payment for the campsite and activities that are all paid for in advance and would be secured very early on during the staged payments period.

For cancellations due to exceptional circumstances, these will be reviewed on an individual basis.