Awards process
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Who can approve which awards
In all locations the Commendation Award can only be approved by the UK Chief Volunteer, Chief Volunteers, UK Lead Volunteers, Regional Lead Volunteers (England and Wales), County/Area/Island/Region (Scotland) Lead Volunteers, District Lead Volunteers and Youth Leads.
In all locations District Lead Volunteers* (and above) can approve:
- The Chief Scout's Commendation for Good Service
- The Award for Merit
In England and Wales, County/Area Lead Volunteers* (and above) can approve:
- The Chief Scout's Commendation for Good Service
- The Award for Merit
- The Bar to the Award for Merit
- The Silver Acorn
In Northern Ireland and Scotland, County/Region Lead Volunteers* (and above) can approve:
- The Chief Scout's Commendation for Good Service
- The Award for Merit
- The Bar to the Award for Merit
- The Silver Acorn
In Northern Ireland and Scotland, the Country Headquarters* approve:
-
The Silver Acorn
* The decision to approve these lower Good Service awards sits with the Lead Volunteer or individuals who've been assigned the Award Nominations Supporter accreditation for their location.
Only the National Awards Advisory Group can approve
- The Bar to Silver Acorn
- The Silver Wolf
- Gallantry awards
- Meritorious Conduct awards
- The Cornwell Scout Badge
- The Chief Scout's Personal Award
For any awards to be approved by the National Awards Advisory Group, the nomination must first have been supported locally by the relevant Lead Volunteer or by individuals who've been assigned the Award Nominations Supporter accreditation for their location.
Dip Testing (Bar to the Award for Merit and Silver Acorn nomination)
At Scouts, we deeply appreciate our volunteers and the invaluable contributions they make. Recognising their achievements is essential, and Good Service Awards play a key role in this.
As part of our commitment to maintaining high standards, the National Awards Advisory Group conducts a quality assurance review of 10% of Bar to the Award for Merit and Silver Acorn submissions, selected at random. This ensures consistent and fair decision-making across the UK.
When a County is selected for review, we notify the County Lead Volunteer, providing details of the specific nomination chosen. We then retrieve the award nomination form from the membership system for assessment.
The National Awards Advisory Group reviews these nominations during their meetings, and once the review is complete, we share feedback with the County Lead Volunteer.
We understand that Counties may need extra support with these nominations, and following their review, can assist in signposting you to the dedicated National Awards Advisory Group member in your area to assist.
Thank you for helping us uphold the integrity of the Good Service Awards and for your continued dedication to Scouts!