Service agreement
A service agreement is a document that contains details about how the Scout Active Support Unit will support Scouting.
This should be agreed between the Line Manager and the Scout Active Support Manager after consultation with the Scout Active Support members.
Where the Line Manager is not the Group Scout Leader/responsible Commissioner, this Service Agreement should then be approved by the Group Scout Leader/responsible Commissioner.
This document will be a living document and subject to change. There should be a clearly defined process for agreeing changes.
How is a service agreement written?
A Scout Active Support Unit should only be started when an area needing support has been identified by the Group Scout Leader, District Commissioner or County Commissioner. With this being so, the Group Scout Leader or responsible Commissioner should be in an ideal position to write the service agreement in partnership with the Scout Active Support Manager.
Areas of growth and development within a Group, District or County can be identified and listed with actions to form the basis of the service agreement.
All activities detailed within it should comply with Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR), which explains how The Scout Association is organised and how it should operate.
What should a service agreement look like?
The service agreement should provide an outline of the areas of development that the Scout Active Support Unit will concentrate on during the next twelve months. The agreement consists of three parts:
1. Introduction & Membership conditions
2. Service Provision
3. Support Provided
Below, please find an example of the structure of a service agreement. If you would like to use this model. You can create your own template, however, it should include the 3 parts.
The first section is an introduction to the Scout Active Support Unit including their name and level of operation (Group, District, or County). This section could also contain the Membership Conditions (which could include subscription details, meeting times, venue etc).
This should include all of the headings below and ideally should be created in Landscape format.
This is the part of the agreement which will need to be updated and agreed on a regular basis throughout the 12-month period, and this section is what the Scout Active Support Unit is going to provide for the Unit (activity, support, etc.)
The service provision of the service agreement could be laid out as below.
Need:
The need includes a description, and how that will be achieved, so it is clear to whoever reads the document. An example could be a need to recruit more adults and young people.
Method:
The method is how the need will be achieved. So with the above example, advertisements could be put in local libraries, shops and schools.
Target:
Each item should be assigned a target so that it is clear where most effort should be assigned should be by importance of each of the needs. This could be a target to be reached, for example 1 per cent adult Membership growth or the order in which things should be tackled.
Completion Date:
The completion date is when each need should have been achieved. This could be a specific date or could be something that is ongoing such as continued recruitment of adult volunteers.
This page contains 3 important sections:
a. Support that is provided to the Unit from the County/District/Group (i.e. could be the Membership Subscriptions are paid for by the
County)
b. Development that is required for the Unit to provide the support/activity that is being requested (i.e. 6 of the Unit members require first aid training)
c. Signatures of the Scout Active Support Manager, the Responsible Commissioner/GSL and dates that the agreement was signed.
Support to be provided by [1st Scout County]:
- District Quarter Master to provide all equipment for all functions
Development for [1st County Support Unit]:
- Provide Food Hygiene Handling Course before March.
Service agreement template
Download the template