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Group Teams and their members

4c.1.1 Group teams

4c.1.1.1 Purpose 
A Group consists of Squirrel, Beaver, Cub, and Scout Section Teams (POR 4b.1), a Group Leadership Team (POR 4c.1.2) and a Group Trustee Board (POR 5b.3.3)

4c.1.2 Group Leadership Team

4c.1.2.1 Purpose 
The Group Leadership Team supports volunteers across all sections, helping them to work well together and feel motivated. They make sure the Group is respected and supported in their local community.  

4c.1.2.2 Membership 
Group Leadership Team membership:

  1. Team members are: 
    • the Group Lead Volunteer(s) 
    • all Section Team Leaders of the Group 
    • the sub-team Leaders of any appointed sub-teams of the Group Leadership Team 
    • other Group Leadership Team Members appointed by the Group’s Lead Volunteer(s) 
  2. the Group Lead Volunteer is the Team Leader of the Group Leadership Team. In the case of a joint appointment (two or more volunteers) as Group Lead Volunteer, they must agree between them how best to exercise team leadership of the Group Leadership Team. 

4c.1.2.3 Responsibilities 
The Group Leadership Team must complete the tasks described in the team description. The tasks are grouped under these headings:

  1. Support the Group's sections
  2. Develop our volunteers
  3. Engage with the community
  4. Open new provision
  5. Manage incidents
  6. Support effective processes

Additionally, the Group Leadership Team must: 

  1. Ensure Data Protection compliance in the Group as described in POR 2a.3, including the Leadership Team responsibilities listed at POR 2a.3.2.2 and covering all of the Group’s Teams and sub-teams 
  2. Have in place provisions to respond to data breaches and subject rights requests 

Read the complete Group Leadership Team description on scouts.org.uk.

4c.1.2.4 Sub-teams 
The Group Leadership Team may agree to appoint one or more sub-teams responsible for specific tasks. The Group Leadership Team must approve the creation of a sub-team before it is created. Team Leaders of a sub-team are ex officio Group Leadership Team Members. 

4c.1.3 Partnerships between Groups and Explorer Scout Units

4c.1.3.1 Organisation 
Explorers are a District provision and are part of the District structure, but an Explorer Unit may be partnered with a specific Group.

Where no District 14-24 Team Leader is appointed, the District Lead Volunteer must undertake the role in the context of POR 4c.2.4.

4c.1.3.2 Partnership Agreements 

  1. Where an Explorer Unit is partnered with a Group, there must be a Partnership Agreement in place. 
  2. The purpose of the Partnership Agreement is to document the operational relationship between a District, a Group and an Explorer Unit. 
    Whilst many links may be informal, it is important to have a formal Partnership Agreement to ensure that links are maintained and obvious to both parties. 
  3. Partnership Agreements are not intended to be legally binding documents.  Each Partnership Agreement must include the following sentence: ‘This document is not intended to create legal relations’. 
  4. The Partnership Agreement must be signed by 
    • the District 14-24 Team Leader 
    • the Explorer Section Team Leader 
    • the Group Lead Volunteer. 
  5. Each Partnership Agreement must be reviewed annually.
  6. The signed Partnership Agreement must be made available to the Group Trustee Board and the District Trustee Board. 
  7. Further information: 

4c.1.3.3 District 14–24 Team Leader responsibilities 
The District 14-24 Team Leader must ensure that:

  1. the Partnership Agreement sets out clearly the links between the Explorer Unit and the Group and arrangements on liaison, the use of equipment, facilities, finances and resources
  2. the Partnership Agreement is reviewed regularly to ensure its continuing appropriateness in changing circumstances

4c.1.4 Types of Group

4c.1.4.1 Group registration
A Group may be registered as one of: 

  1. an Open Group (POR 4c.1.5)
  2. a Sponsored Group (POR 4c.1.6)
  3. a Joint Scout and Guide Group (POR 4c.1.7). 

A Group must not formally affiliate with external bodies unless it is registered as a Sponsored Group (POR 4c.1.6) or a Joint Scout and Guide Group (POR 4c.1.7).

This does not apply to partnerships between Groups and Explorer Units (see POR 4c.1.3).

4c.1.5 Open Groups

4c.1.5.1 Purpose 
Most Groups have no formal relationship with any other organisation and have a policy of unrestricted recruitment. Such Groups are called Open Groups.

4c.1.6 Sponsored Groups

4c.1.6.1 Sponsors 
There is guidance on sponsoring agreements, responsibilities of sponsoring authorities and agreements with regard to property and equipment at Community Sponsorship.

4c.1.6.2 Who may sponsor? 
A Sponsored Group may be sponsored by an organisation approved by UK Headquarters. The Group must have a policy of recruitment – whether unrestricted or restricted – defined in a formal agreement between the Group Trustee Board and the Sponsoring Authority.

Examples of approved organisations include religious bodies, schools, industrial or commercial firms, residents' and community associations and formations of His Majesty's Forces.

4c.1.6.3 Membership is voluntary 
If a Sponsored Group is sponsored by a university, college or school, membership of the Group must be voluntary for the students or pupils of the Sponsoring organisation.

4c.1.6.4 Recruitment must be lawful 
There must be no restriction on recruitment which contravenes the provisions of any law.  

4c.1.6.5 Sponsoring Authority 
The organisation which sponsors the Group must appoint a person or committee to act as the Sponsoring Authority. The District Lead Volunteer must be informed of this appointment.

4c.1.6.6 Disagreements 
In the event of a disagreement between the Sponsoring Authority and the Group Lead Volunteer, the matter must be referred to the District Lead Volunteer. (See POR Chapter 16 for further information) 

4c.1.7 Joint Scout and Guide Groups

4c.1.7.1 Recognition 
Joint Scout and Guide Groups (or Joint Guide and Scout Groups) are recognised and supported by The Scout Association and Girlguiding.

4c.1.7.2 Scouts and Girlguiding are separate organisations 
The Scouts and Girlguiding are each federations of separate charities, with separate Royal Charters. This means that although joint Scout and Guide Groups work together operationally, care must be taken to ensure that rules relevant to each charity are applied, and that governance must be handled separately.

4c.1.7.3 Registration
Joint Scout and Guide Groups must be registered with both Associations and be fully integrated into the normal District, Division and County structures of each Association. 

Registration of a Joint Scout and Guide Group requires the approval of the relevant Scout County ([NI] Regional) Lead Volunteer and Guide County Commissioner.  

4c.1.7.4 Operating arrangements 
The detailed operating arrangements for a Joint Scout and Guide Group are a matter for local agreement. These operating arrangements must be documented, regularly reviewed and agreed separately by the respective Trustee Boards (or their Girlguiding equivalent) referred to in POR 4c.1.7.2.

4c.1.7.5 Programme 
Each section (or Girlguiding equivalent) within the Joint Scout and Guide Group must follow the relevant Association's member programme for the section.  

4c.1.7.6 Ages 4-13 inclusive only 
As a Scout Group, a Joint Scout and Guide Group cannot have an Explorer Scout Unit. They are very strongly encouraged to enter a Partnership Agreement with the Scout District in order to make provision for young people being able to continue in Scouts once they reach their 14th birthday. 

4c.1.7.7 Property 
See POR 5a.8 for matters regarding joint use of property.

4c.1.8 Special Groups

(For people in hospital or with severe disabilities) 

4c.1.8.1 Purpose 
A special provision may be developed to enable young people with a shared protected characteristic to access Scouts such as in a hospice or hospital. Special provisions may be used where it is not possible or appropriate for a young person to access mainstream Scouts.

4c.1.8.2 Reasonable adjustments 
Operations which do not follow the standard age range of sections must be approved by the District Lead Volunteer in consultation with those providing special provision such as a hospice.  Age range flexibility should meet the required standards outlined in POR 4b.8.1.3.

4c.1.8.3 Becoming a member 
Youth membership is acquired through making the Promise at an investiture ceremony. The Promise needs to be meaningful for each member and flexibility in expressing the Promise may be required to meet the needs of the individual.

4c.1.8.4 Uniform 
Members may wear the uniform of the appropriate section to which they belong.

4c.1.8.5 Gateway Award 
The Gateway Award operated by Mencap, as an alternative to the DofE Award, may be achieved following the successful completion of the Gateway Award programme. The cloth badge is worn on the upper left arm.

4c.1.8.6 Guidance 
Further guidance on the formation and operation of Special Groups is available from UK Headquarters.