Welcome managers in Scouting

There are two main roles for adults in Scouting: working with young people and supporting those who work with them.

This information is aimed at all those with line management responsibility including Group Scout Leaders, District Commissioners, County/Area/Regional Commissioners, County Scout Network Commissioners and District Explorer Scout Commissioners.

Being a manager in Scouting

You might not think of yourself as a 'manager'. But, as a Group Scout Leader or Commissioner, you are.

Your role is to support other adult volunteers so they are motivated and inspired to provide first class scouting opportunities for young people. Whether it’s someone to talk to or thank them, or practical help with recruiting other volunteers, they need you and Scouting needs you. It's a tricky but important and rewarding role. 

How we can support you

Being a manager in Scouting is an important and rewarding role, but it can be a tricky one.

This section of the Member Resources area gives you easy access to a wide range of resources to help you with the challenging aspects of your vital role, from carrying out reviews to dealing with disputes, and from developing your Group Trustee Board to recruiting new volunteers.

Training

For further information on the Adult Training Scheme and how you can access management training.

To support adult members through the training scheme, training advisers are assigned to the learners you line manage. To understand a training advisers role in a adult learners journey, there is a handy Trainers Adviser's Guide for Managers and Supporters.

Get involved

Why not join the managers in Scouting Facebook group? The group is an online space to share ideas and best practice. It also functions as a mutual form of support for managers.

We're always looking for new ideas about good leadership and management in Scouting so please contact us on managers@scouts.org.uk to share yours or with suggestions about how we could improve our support to you.

Report Assistant Tools

Three tools have been developed to assist with the reporting and analysis of management data.

The tools are Microsoft Excel programs that take the output from Compass reports and highlight areas for investigation by local managers.  Anyone can use the tools if they have access to the relevant Compass reports and Microsoft Excel on the local PC/laptop (not an online version of Excel).

• The Compliance Assistant uses the output from the Compass Appointments Report and highlights potential issues in the appointments process, initial training, safety, safeguarding and first aid training. 
• The Training Assistant takes the Compass Training Report to help identify outstanding training and assist with the planning of training.
• The Awards Assistant uses the Compass Awards Report to identify potential candidates for Chief Scout Good Service Awards.

Understanding my role 

Every volunteer in Scouting should know what is expected of them as well as what skills they can expect to develop.

The first step to ensure this happens is agreeing a role description.

Our role descriptions for managers in Scouting incorporate the six areas of leadership and management that make a good leader. They can be edited to reflect your local situation.

Remember that you can use RAG (red, amber, green) assessment methods to help identify areas of strong performance and where more support and training is required by a volunteer. Contact your local regional development officer or country HQ for more information on how to conduct RAG assessments, and they will support you through this.