Inclusion toolkit: District and County/Area/Region
Inclusion toolkit: District and County/Area/Region
This toolkit is for volunteers at District and County/Area/Region level. You’ll find questions to reflect on, practical tips and resources to help you build on what’s already going well and make your District and County/Area/Region even more inclusive.
You may wish to print off the PDF version of this resource: Inclusion toolkit: District and County/Area/Region
Ideas for when to use this toolkit:
- As part of a regular review.
- As part of an activity for District or County/Area/Region volunteers.
- As part of a team meeting.
- With volunteers from other Districts or Counties/Areas/Regions to learn from and support each other.
- When prompted by your line manager.
- Before recruitment drives.
- When a new Lead Volunteer or Trustee joins.
- Whenever you’d like to reflect on your inclusivity.
Does your District or County/Area/Region’s Leadership Team and Trustee Board reflect the diversity of the local area?
Compare the demographics of your local area with those of your District or County/Area/Region. You can use ONS census maps to compare your local area to who’s in Scouts, and spot which groups might be missing out.
Growing: Our Leadership Team and Trustee Board don’t yet reflect the diversity of the local area in any demographic areas (gender, ethnicity, disability, age, faith, sexual orientation or socio-economic background), or they reflect diversity in one area.
Steady: Our Leadership Team and Trustee Board reflect the diversity of the local area in two or three demographic areas (gender, disability, age, faith, sexual orientation or socio-economic background), but ethnicity isn’t one of these.
Strong: Our Leadership Team and Trustee Board reflect the diversity of the local area in three or more demographic areas (gender, ethnicity, disability, age, faith, sexual orientation or socio-economic background), including ethnicity.
- Use the Furthering Reach Toolkit to learn more about your local community and find practical tips for recruiting volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
- Partner with schools, community groups, places of faith, faith leaders, community champions and clubs that engage people from diverse backgrounds. Go along to their events or activities to introduce Scouts and share opportunities.
- Share stories of diverse Scout volunteers and ambassadors, like Dwayne Fields and Ellie Simmonds, to show that Scouts is for everyone.
- Plan a Scout swap shop to help save costs by giving pre-loved items a new home and let volunteers know about unform swapping schemes.
- Offer discounts or extra financial support for volunteers on low-incomes to support with things like uniform costs.
- Read our guidance on supporting members around faiths and beliefs to find tips on how to make your Groups and faith events more inclusive of different faith and beliefs.
- Use inclusive promotional materials and actively engage with your community to show that Scouts is open to everyone.
- Decide how to encourage diverse people to join. For example, offer flexible volunteering roles and hybrid meetings, remove financial barriers and address accessibility concerns.
- Discover how a Drey has diversified their volunteer leadership team in Squirrels.
Does your District or County/Area/Region offer accessible volunteer learning?
Growing: We offer little or no accessible volunteer learning. Accessibility isn’t regularly considered when planning. Learning follows the same schedule each year, and accessible learning materials aren’t yet provided.
Steady: We make changes to offer accessible volunteer learning when asked, or when we think changes are needed, but not as a regular part of planning. Learning is free, and the calendar is shared in advance. We’re looking at ways to make times and locations more accessible. Some accessible learning materials are provided.
Strong: We think about accessibility from the start when planning volunteer learning. We regularly review how accessible volunteer learning is and make adjustments. Learning is free and offered at various times and locations, including online. Accessible learning materials are widely available. Feedback is collected and acted on.
- Offer free volunteer learning sessions at different times and days.
- Provide hybrid options, in-person and online, for more flexibility.
- Let volunteers know about available support for learning when they join and ask if they need any adjustments, like assistive technology, alternative learning materials or extra support.
- Collect feedback after each session and use it to improve the learning experience.
Does your District or County/Area/Region actively support new ideas to make Scouts more inclusive?
Growing: New ideas to make Scouts more inclusive aren’t yet discussed or acted on. We usually stick to how things have always been done.
Steady: New ideas to make Scouts more inclusive are sometimes discussed and acted on, but this depends on who suggests them or if there’s immediate interest.
Strong: New ideas to make Scouts more inclusive are regularly welcomed, discussed and acted on. Our District or Area/County/Region explores new approaches together.
- Explore free online courses on inclusion and diversity, like those on FutureLearn. Share what you learn with the team.
- Learn about Scouts' volunteering culture. Run a volunteer-only activity to build trust, encourage open discussions and create a space where everyone feels comfortable suggesting new ideas.
- Organise a volunteer-only camp, social or workshop to focus on team building, making it easier to introduce and embrace new ways of doing things.
- Inspire your team with stories of people who’ve made Scouts more inclusive.
- Regularly ask young people, parents and carers, and volunteers for ideas on how to make Scouts more welcoming, and act on their suggestions.
Does your District or County/Area/Region have a welcoming and supportive joining journey for volunteers?
Growing: We don’t yet have a clear induction process, or if we do, it’s rarely followed. New volunteers don’t usually get much support or guidance during the joining journey.
Steady: We have a clear induction process, but it’s not always followed. New volunteers get some support and guidance during the joining journey.
Strong: We have a clear induction process, and the joining journey is welcoming, supportive and flexible. New volunteers are supported from the start, including through Growing Roots learning. Feedback is collected and acted on to improve the experience. Volunteers often share that they feel welcomed and included.
- Review how clear, inclusive, supportive and welcoming your recruitment and induction process is for new volunteers. Make the process more structured and transparent, so volunteers know what to expect.
- Explore ways to make the joining journey more flexible to accommodate diverse volunteer needs and schedules.
- Gather feedback from new volunteers to improve the joining journey.
- Offer new volunteers a buddy to help them settle into their role.
- Look at our welcoming volunteers pages to find out more.
Does your District or County/Area/Region use inclusive, accessible and representative marketing and recruitment materials?
Growing: Marketing and recruitment materials rarely use diverse images and inclusive language, and they aren’t usually accessible for disabled people (such as large print, easy-read, screen reader compatible versions). We advertise on one or two online platforms or physical spaces.
Steady: Marketing and recruitment materials sometimes use diverse images and inclusive language, and some materials are accessible for disabled people (such as large print, easy-read, screen reader compatible versions). We advertise on three or more online platforms or physical spaces.
Strong: Marketing and recruitment materials use diverse images and inclusive language, and they’re accessible for disabled people (such as large print, easy-read, screen reader compatible versions). We advertise on five or more online platforms or physical spaces, reaching diverse communities.
- Review your marketing and recruitment materials to make sure they’re accessible. Talk about offering alternatives, such as Braille, large print, easy-read or versions that are compatible with screen readers.
- Reflect the diversity of your local area through your marketing and recruitment materials. You can find demographic data for your local area using the ONS census maps.
- Use inclusive language, such as ‘parents and carers’ instead of ‘mums and dads’.
How does your District or County/Area/Region actively involve more people in Scouts, especially people from underrepresented groups?
Compare the demographics of your local area with those of your District or County/Area/Region. You can use ONS census maps to compare your local area to who’s in Scouts, and spot which groups might be missing out.
Growing: We haven’t really explored how to get more people involved in Scouts. We don’t usually talk about how to reach more people, including those from underrepresented groups.
Steady: We’ve started thinking about how to get more people involved in Scouts. We’ve had some conversations and tried a few ways to reach more people, including those from underrepresented groups.
Strong: We have a good understanding of which groups are underrepresented in our area. We regularly talk about how to reach more people and take action to do so. We’ve made Scouts more welcoming and inclusive, and we actively connect with different communities to find out how Scouts can work for them. We gather feedback from people outside of Scouts to help us keep improving.
- Contact your Local Growth Officer to explore support and ideas.
- Use the Furthering Reach Toolkit to learn more about your local community and find practical tips for recruiting volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
- Partner with schools, community groups, places of faith, faith leaders, community champions and clubs that engage people from diverse backgrounds. Go along to their events or activities to introduce Scouts and share opportunities.
- Gather ideas from people inside and outside of Scouts using surveys, discussions or suggestion boxes on how to make Scouts more welcoming and inclusive. Use this to create an action plan.
- Find grants and funds to make Scouts more accessible, such as funding for assistive technology, transportation or additional support.
- Read our guidance on inclusive growth planning.
How well does the District or County/Area/Region support and retain volunteers from underrepresented groups?
Compare the demographics of your local area with those of your District or County/Area/Region. You can use ONS census maps to compare your local area to who’s in Scouts, and spot which groups might be missing out.
Growing: We provide little to no tailored support and development opportunities for volunteers from underrepresented groups. We see a high turnover rate among these volunteers, and we don’t currently explore why people leave.
Steady: We provide some tailored support and development opportunities for volunteers from underrepresented groups, but they’re not well-known. We have a relatively high turnover rate among these volunteers and occasionally explore why people leave.
Strong: We provide tailored support and development opportunities for volunteers from underrepresented groups, and these are widely publicised and well-known. We have a low turnover rate among these volunteers and consistently explore why people leave. We use this feedback to learn how we can be even more welcoming and inclusive.
- Hold regular check-ins to provide ongoing support.
- Plan and find learning and development opportunities tailored for volunteers from underrepresented groups, like mentorship opportunities and networking events.
- Carry out exit chats or surveys to understand why volunteers leave and use the feedback to improve.
- Create a welcoming and inclusive culture where volunteers are celebrated and feedback is acted on.
Does your District or County/Area/Region actively respond to feedback or queries about inclusion?
Growing: We don’t yet have a clear and documented process for people to give feedback or raise queries about inclusion. We aren’t sure how to respond to or act on feedback.
Steady: We have a process for collecting feedback and addressing queries about inclusion, but it’s not documented, consistently applied or well-known. We sometimes respond to and act on feedback.
Strong: We regularly seek feedback about inclusion, and we have a clear, documented, well-known process for collecting feedback and addressing queries. We make improvements based on feedback. The feedback and improvements are communicated to members.
- Let all members know their feedback on inclusion is valued.
- Provide multiple ways for members to regularly share feedback, such as anonymous surveys, suggestion boxes, reviews or meetings.
- Create a clear process for collecting, recording and acting on feedback. Share this process with members and explain how their feedback will be used.
- After acting on feedback, follow up with members to communicate what’s been done via email, newsletters or meetings.
- Regularly review the feedback process and make changes as needed. Ask for feedback on the process itself.
- Make sure your feedback process follows data protection regulations in line with Scouts' Data Protection Policy.
Discover more about inclusive growth
Furthering Reach Toolkit
The Furthering Reach Toolkit can help you better understand communities in your local area.
Explore the Furthering Reach Toolkit
Accessible Spaces Checklist
This resource helps you check how accessible your meeting place, activities and other spaces are.
Use the Accessible Spaces Checklist
Growth planning guidance
Our growth planning guidance helps you use data to plan your next steps and find opportunities to grow.
Check out our growth planning guidance
Support from Growth and Communities
Our Growth and Communities Team supports volunteers to grow and develop Scouts locally.