Session 4 – Staffing
Session 4 – Staffing
Objectives
1. Describe the planning process for a residential experience.
2. Know how to choose and prepare staff for a residential experience.
Topics covered
- personal enquiries
- identifying event team and roles
- managing event team
- ratios of adults to young people
There are a number of key responsibilities to take on at any residential experience. In the younger three sections, adults usually fulfil these roles. In Explorer Scouts and Scout Network, the young people themselves can begin to take some responsibility.
If you invite people to come and help, they should feel useful and valued. By delegating various roles and responsibilities, the event leader can maintain an overview and respond to emergencies.
It’s important that all team members are approached with enough time for the appropriate safeguarding checks to be completed.
Task (30 minutes)
The first step in selecting a team is to decide what skills you need and then what roles are needed.
Split the participants into their groups. Ask the participants to think of as many as possible examples of the skills that are needed on a residential experience to write them on a sticky note. Get them to think back to the programmes they have planned and what skills might be needed there.
This activity repeats some of the work done in the Introduction to Residential Experiences module, so if you are running the two courses to together you may wish to adapt or combine the task.
You should start the activity with lots of random sticky notes and end with them arranged into events teams, thus allowing participants to think visually about planning their team.
If the participants are planning for a real experience they could then include a step where they match the skills to the volunteers they have available. This will then show them where they need to recruit volunteers.
Examples of skills may include:
- supervising activities
- running activities
- cooking
- cleaning
- driving
- administration
- games
- washing up
- erecting tents
- carrying out inspections
Bring the participants back to discuss. Highlight to the participants that the exercise they have completed is the start of the process of selecting a team. Once they know what skills are needed, they can start to think about the team and divide up the tasks and responsibilities. Having the flexibility to divide the tasks and skills between the numbers of volunteers you have, means people can take on as much or as little responsibility as they want. Try to stay focused on the tasks and skills, rather than roles or titles.
Things to consider include:
Ratios - it's important to consider the ratios of adults to young people as outlined in POR.
Limits - there may be upper or lower limits of participants allowed, depending on the number of adults available, budget or site limitations.
The Event Leader - this will be the leader who is overall in charge of the experience or event. They may delegate responsibilities to the team, but they are responsible for making the final decisions and ensuring everything goes to plan.
Leaders - it’s useful for young people to have a face that is familiar to them, but they don’t have to rely purely on the leadership team. They could draw on District and County teams, other Groups or Scout Active Support Units.
Families - parents and relatives are often willing to help out, and The Big Adventure method encourages this.
Safeguarding - they need to ensure that any adult at your event has had the appropriate safeguarding checks, so advance planning is important.
Young people - older Scouts, Explorers and Scout Network members and Explorer Scout Young Leaders could also play a part in the leadership team, whilst remembering they are youth members.
The Nights Away Permit Holder - someone on the team must hold a permit suitable for the experience or event.
First Aider - there must also be someone who is the designated First Aider and has the relevant training.
Safety overview - there needs to be a leader in charge to monitor the overall safety of all or each separate part of the camp activities. Please see the Safety Checklist for Leaders for further guidance.
Task (10 minutes)
Managing the Team
Once a team is assigned, someone needs to manage them. Ask the participants to spend five minutes thinking about how they make the most of their team and what they might need to do before during and after the event.
Report back (10 minutes)
Ask the participants to feedback and ensure that the following points are covered:
- involve all helpers in the programme planning
- have regular and clear communication
- hold meetings close to the time of the event
- give appropriate training, both general and specific, to all helpers
- ensure all adult participants and Young Leaders know who is the leader in charge for safety purposes
- ensure there are regular updates throughout the event
- create daily duties/rotas
- provide opportunities for downtime during the event
- take time to evaluate the event
- don’t forget to thank your supporters and volunteers
To summarise, let participants know that in this session they have demonstrated how to assess the requirements needed for a staffing team for a residential experience and look at how they could allocate roles and how they manage the teams they recruit.
Resources
- Safety Checklist for Leaders
- sticky notes
- pens and pencils