Skip to main content

Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Applicants' Guide

Interim process for when Compass goes offline

This process will be impacted by Compass going offline for everyone from Thursday 7 November. For details on how this process is impacted and what you'll need to do instead, please take a look at our interim processes.

Find out more about the interim processes

(FS120801) Published October 2024, replacing Jan 2015.

Introduction

This page provides a guide to applicants wishing to gain a nights away permit. It should be read in conjunction with Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) of The Scout Association. Find out more about the scheme for Nights Away Assessors and for Lead Volunteers and Approvers.

The Nights Away Permit Scheme

A Nights Away Permit allows you to lead nights away events for young people within Scouts. It shows people in Scouts, the young people and their parents and carers that you have the necessary skills and experience to be able to lead these important events.

The Nights Away Permit Scheme is a national scheme, so when you have a permit it'll allow you to lead nights away events for young people from any District or County.

Each permit can be tailored to the level of your skills, experience and requirements, meaning that restrictions may be placed on such matters as areas, venues or group sizes. This makes sure that you can lead events at the right level.

What will be assessed?

To gain a permit, you'll be assessed in four areas:

1. Technical Competence.

2. Knowledge of Scout Association Rules for Nights Away.

3. Safety and Safeguarding.

4. Personal Suitability.

The last two will be checked by your responsible Lead Volunteer or Permit Approver (see FS120803 Nights Away Permit Scheme - Lead Volunteers and Approvers Guide), Knowledge will be checked by the responsible Lead Volunteer or a Nights Away Assessor, and Technical Competence by a Nights Away Assessor. (see FS120804 Nights Away Permit Scheme – Nights Away Assessors).

During your Technical Competence assessment you will be assessed for your skills, knowledge and experience. This is likely to be through a practical assessment, except where you are renewing an identical permit, and you have recent on-going experience. This assessment is not supposed to trick you or catch you out.

It is to assess your level of technical competence, and your Nights Away Assessor should also be able to support and provide advice to you throughout the process of planning, running and evaluating an event, as well as assessing you.

Full details of the syllabus you will be assessed against can be found in the Nights Away Assessment Checklist. If you are unsure about anything to do with the assessment or how it will be run, please talk to your Nights Away Assessor beforehand.

If the Nights Away Assessor or responsible Lead Volunteer or Permit Approver recommends certain restrictions on your permit they should let you know why this is. They should also be able to tell you what further experience or skills you require to gain a permit with fewer restrictions.

Learning and support

There is no compulsory learning modules that you need to complete before going forward for an assessment.

The important aspect is being able to prove you have the skills during the assessment, not where you got them from. However, there are a number of places that you can find learning and support.

The most obvious and recommended place to learn skills is through Module 16 (Introduction to Residential Experiences) and Module 38 (Skills for Residential Experiences) could give you some additional basic knowledge.

In addition to this valuable experience can be gained by attending or helping on the leadership team for residential events being run by someone else who holds a nights away permit.

Using your permit

Once you have gained your permit you can use it to run the activity up to the level permitted by any restrictions placed on it. Please remember that although there is no requirement to hold a first aid qualification to gain a nights away permit, and that your permit will remain valid whether you hold a first aid qualification or not, you are required to have a first aid holder present at every nights away event.

All groups undertaking a nights away event must have immediate access to someone who has a current first aid qualification, minimum First Response. The level of first aid competence required for each event will be determined by the event risk assessment.

Having a permit does not override the need for all activities to have the (usually informal) approval of the responsible Lead Volunteer, and in the case of nights away events this is done through the Nights Away Notification Form (NAN).

Before any nights away event takes place you need to send all the details that can be found on Form NAN, using your local digital solution or using the Nights away notification function in the membership system to your Lead Volunteer or Nights Away Approver. It is the Lead Volunteer or Nights Away Approver that gives approval for events to take place, not campsite wardens or managers. 

You may act as Permit holder for more than one Group at an event, but they remain your responsibility, and you must ensure that the appropriate Lead Volunteers are informed.

Event Passports

To encourage young people led residential events, such as patrol camps or Explorer Scout expeditions, when you hold a nights away permit you can grant a nights away passport to an under 18 year old. This'll allow the young person to lead a residential event for members of their own section and it only lasts for a single event.

You can only issue a Passport to the level of your own permit. It's not to be used if an adult, who hasn't got a permit, is going to be present for the duration (or a significant part) of the residential event in a leadership capacity.

Before granting a Passport, you'll need to check that you're happy that the young person has the skills to lead that event safely and successfully, as you remain responsible for the event. The young person given the passport will be leading the event, so it can't be given if there'll be adults present running the event, who're looking for a way around the Rules, as they don't have permits.

You can get hold of passports through the Scout Brand Centre.

Activity leaders & permit holders

During the course of a residential experience the permit holder has overall responsibility. However, some activities during the course of the residential will require an activity leader overseeing their team. i.e. a climbing team member on a campsite, a horse-riding team member, activity team member who is responsible for that part of the programme.

In these instances, the activity leader should have a more thorough knowledge of the activity and consequently are best placed to ensure that it is safe and fun for all. The permit holder is still responsible and must ensure that the activity leader is competent to lead that part of the programme and the appropriate risk assessments have been completed satisfactorily. If the permit holder has any concerns during the course of the activity, then they should take the appropriate action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all concerned.

Applying for a permit

To get a permit you should apply using the permit application within the membership system, as part of this process you will log your experience and identify a Nights Away Assessor.

Although there is no requirement to get approval from anyone in applying for a permit, it is good practice to let your Group Lead Volunteer or responsible Lead Volunteer know of your intentions beforehand. They can often provide valuable guidance and support.

Once you have been assessed by the Nights Away Assessor, they will issue a recommendation for the level of permit they believe your skills and experience are capable of fulfilling.

This recommendation is not a permit, the permit will be granted on the membership system once your Lead Volunteer/ Permit Approver has completed the remaining parts of the process.

Renewal

All permits have an expiry date which is a maximum of 5 years from the issue date. After this the permit ceases to be valid. Renewal of a permit is conducted in the same way as initial application except the form of assessment is likely to differ.

The permit holder will need to apply for a permit through the membership system, this will identify a Nights Away Assessor who will consider the experience of the applicant and decide the most appropriate form of assessment.

A practical assessment is unlikely to be required but the Nights Away Assessor may wish to meet the applicant or may simply consider the experience listed and issue a recommendation to the commissioner on the strength of the known evidence.

Nights Away Assessment Checklist

Download now