35 hours volunteer leave

Volunteering is at the heart of Scouts, but as our movement grows, we don’t have enough volunteers to meet demand, leading to growing waiting lists. The biggest barrier is lack of time, which is why young people and volunteers who helped develop our Scouts manifesto proposed a right to request volunteer leave - making it easier for more people to give back while balancing work commitments.

At the same time, volunteering is declining across the UK. As one of the country’s largest volunteer-led organisations, we want to champion its importance. Volunteering benefits young people, volunteers, and society, strengthening communities and fostering connections. Our goal is to raise awareness and engage the government in discussions on how to better support volunteering - whether through policy changes or broader recognition of its value - even if legislative change isn’t immediate.

This campaign is part of our Scouts manifesto, developed last year with young people and volunteers who shared their priorities for building brighter tomorrows for young people, volunteers and society.

We are working alongside St John Ambulance, Girlguiding, and Sea Cadets, all of whom depend on volunteers to deliver essential services. Together, we aim to make volunteering more accessible and valued across society.

We understand that not all businesses can offer mandatory volunteer leave. That’s why we are campaigning for a right to request, rather than a requirement. This approach gives employees the chance to ask for time off to volunteer while allowing businesses to decide what works best for them.

As part of this campaign, we want to raise awareness of the benefits of volunteering for both communities and workplaces. By making volunteer leave more accessible, more people can take part in meaningful activities that support their communities. 

At Scouts, we believe offering volunteer leave in hours rather than full days is key to supporting charities and community groups in a sustainable way. Flexibility makes volunteering more accessible and manageable, allowing people to fit it into their routine. With 35 hours of volunteer leave per year, someone could volunteer weekly at a Squirrel drey or Beaver colony for almost a full year, providing the ongoing support that organisations like ours rely on.

Polling shows that 39% of people would rather volunteer for one or two hours a month than take multiple full days off. A flexible, hourly approach makes it easier for more people to get involved while ensuring charities and community groups benefit from consistent, long-term support.

We understand that not all businesses, especially smaller ones, can easily offer paid volunteer leave. That’s why we’re advocating for a right to request, allowing businesses to work with employees to manage volunteer time in a way that fits their operations. This approach follows a similar model to flexible working requests, ensuring both employees and employers can find a solution that works for them.

Many businesses already offer volunteer leave, typically ranging from a few days to five days per year (equivalent to 35 hours). Some allow employees to take full days—ideal for Scout camps or group trips—while others provide flexibility with half-day or hourly leave, making it easier to volunteer around work schedules. By offering greater flexibility, this policy ensures volunteering is more accessible, manageable, and sustainable for everyone.

Polling shows that around two-thirds of employed people in the UK don’t receive any paid time off for volunteering. For those who don’t currently volunteer, the biggest barrier is lack of flexibility and work commitments - with 48% of people citing this as their main reason for not getting involved.

By introducing a right to request up to 35 hours of paid volunteer leave, we can help remove this barrier. Giving employees the option to take time off without financial loss makes volunteering a realistic and accessible choice. This flexibility would allow more people to get involved, whether that’s helping at a Scout group or supporting local community projects, all while balancing their work commitments.

Every signature counts! If you sign up for updates, we’ll let you know when we reach important milestones, like 10,000 signatures – this will get the government’s attention. If we reach 100,000 signatures, the government may even run a debate about volunteer leave and this could happen even sooner!