Tools to support Trustee Boards

At Trustee Board meetings, you may talk about the day-to-day running of Scouts, but your focus should be on making sure things are going to plan, the budget is well-managed, and there’s support in place.

Access the Trustee Board Meeting Agenda Prompts to get an overview of some of the topics you may need to discuss at your meetings, and suggestions of how often to have these discussions.

Annual General Meetings (AGMs) are Scout Council meetings with important legal aspects and key, mandatory aspects the Trustee Board must cover.  

Access the Annual General Meetings webpage to get tips on how to run your AGM and to get an agenda template and script.

Scouts carry out an annual census to create a detailed picture of the young people and volunteers who are members of the organisation.  

Access the Census webpage to find out more information. 

Trustees need to indicate they have agreed to new Sections, Groups or Districts or any changes required to Group or District registrations, as appropriate.

You'll find the forms to make these changes on the Registration forms webpage. 

Check out the Engaging with the local community webpage to know more about identifying and mapping your community and get tips on how to make contact with your local community. 

Every charity must have a governing document, in Scouts we call this a constitution. The constitution is formally adopted through the charity Annual General Meeting (AGM) and it's good practice to re-adopt it at every AGM.

Access the Your Constitution webpage to find out more about how to create a constitution for your Group, District or County/Region/Area (Scotland). 

Trustees volunteer together to make sure Groups, Districts, and Counties/Areas/Regions (Scotland) manage money well and have enough money for now and in the future.  

This means the Trustee board should have clear information on which bank accounts are used and what are the procedures for managing them, create and follow an expenses policy, and make the arrangements for accounting and reporting are in place. 

Here are some resources to help Trustees look after finances and make sure proper accounts are kept: 

• Accounting and reporting: Independent examination of accounts, receipts and payment, scrutineer's report to the trustees and the Trustees' annual report
• Banking: information on maintaining accurate financial records
• Gift Aid: how to claim back taxes as donation to your charity
• Grants and funds for your local Group

Access the Finances webpage to discover more resources. 

Trustees make sure Groups, Districts and Counties/Areas/Regions (Scotland) have the right insurance for people, buildings, and equipment. 

Check out the Insurance webpage to discover more about what insurance automatically provided by the Scouts and what additional insurance cover you may need to purchase.

Trustees must follow POR, key policies, and charity regulations. 

The Trustee Introduction training provides more information on what this means, and what are the charity regulators and regional variations.  

If you’ve already completed your Trustee Introduction training and would like a quick re-cap, take a look at the Trustee Introduction workbook.

Trustees look after records of ownership of property and make sure buildings are well maintained and safe.  

Check out the Your Scout building webpage to get more information on property management, maintenance, insurance and sponsorship agreements.

Some Groups, District and Counties have appointed the Scout Association Trust Corporation (SATC) to hold title to land as a Custodian Trustee on their behalf. 

Check out The Scout Association Trust Corporation webpage to find out more and to understand the procedures required for appointing the SATC. 

All Scout Units are independent charities.  

Those based in England and Wales may not be required to register with the Charity Commission, as they've been ‘excepted’ by a ruling of the Charity Commission. 

Check the Registering as a charity webpage to find out if your Unit should be registered as a charity. 

Identifying, monitoring, and managing risk is a key part of good charity governance and Trustees must develop and maintain a risk register. 

Access the risk register webpage to find out more and to get a risk register template.

Below is a summary of the checks required as of January 2024. Legal requirements can change, so make sure to read the England and Wales Charity Commissions guidance for the latest information on Trustee eligibility.   

There are three registers to check. If a person is listed on one or more of these registers, they’re not able to be a Trustee.   

1. Individual Insolvency Register 
2. Register of disqualifications
3. Register of removed charity Trustees  

OSCR are currently reviewing Trustee eligibility checks for Scotland based on changes to Scottish Charity Law in August 2023. You can read more about these changes in this article.   

Below is a summary of the checks required as of January 2024. However, please check the OSCR website for the latest on Trustee eligibility checks as it’s likely to change. 

There are two registers to check. If a person is listed on one or both of these registers, they’re not able to be a Trustee.  

1. Individual Insolvency Register
2. Register of disqualifications 

Below is a summary of the checks required as of January 2024. Legal requirements can change, so make sure to read the Northern Ireland Charity Commissions guidance for the latest information on Trustee eligibility.  

There are two registers to check. If a person is listed on one or both of these registers, they’re not able to be a Trustee.  

1. Individual Insolvency Register
2. Register of disqualifications

Please follow advice from your relevant charity regulator.  

• Guernsey Registry
• Isle of Man Government website
• Jersey Charity Commissioner