FAQ's

Does the young person have to fill in the form themselves?

Ideally, yes, a young person should fill in the log book themselves. However - with the aim of supporting accessibility - a parent, leader or mentor can fill in the logbook on behalf of someone who may not be able to. A note in the details box explaining this exemption should be included with the log book submission.

Can paid work count towards an ICV?

This depends on the work and the activity agree with your mentor. For example, a normal job or side job will not meet any of the award criteria so will not count. However, paid opportunities such as Camp America could count provided the activities are agreed by a mentor and reflection is done as to how the role has challenged you.

Can I take a break from Scouting or the award?

It is possible to take a break from an activity and then to restart from where you stopped. This could happen, for example, during a period of school, college or university exams.

In this circumstance you could also have a break in your membership (but any activities undertaken during this time cannot count towards your award). It is important to keep up to date with the award requirements so make sure you go to scouts.org.uk to check for any update.

What happens if I am approaching 25 and have not finished?

The award must be completed before your 25th birthday, as this is a youth award. In some circumstances, it may be possible to request an extension but this must be approved in advance by the relevant Lead Volunteer who is listed to sign off the award.

Can I get an age extension?

As above, the award must be completed by your 25th birthday as this is the age that you must leave the Scout Network section. In the case of extreme extenuating circumstances, please discuss your situation with the relevant Lead Volunteer who is listed to sign off the award. 

Should an over 18 going direct for KSA be completing six KSA ICVs or should they be completing 2xPlatinum, 2xDiamond, 2xKSA?
Depends on the individual, but the wording on the platinum is aimed at 14-16yr olds. Is it challenging enough for your participant? In most cases, possibly not.

If a Platinum or Diamond award has been signed off, can you reject the ICV around it? 
Yes. The King's Award is the highest award and there are no quality control measures for the Platinum and Diamond Awards. If an ICV is not appropriate then the award can be returned. These checks should be made at the District or County level, both through the logbook and the presentation, as every element of the award should be under scrutiny. The only exception to this is the DofE Award, which is externally verified. This is something that this guidance needs to address to ensure that platinum and diamond awards are of a high enough quality.

Can one camp or event count toward multiple ICVs? 
Usually, no. If you complete a project that would count as a value whilst away on an international, it will either count as one or the other, not as both. 

Can someone complete 6x Platinum levels for the KSA? 
In extreme circumstances, this may be possible. Depending on the ability of the individual, six platinum level challenges may be of a similar difficulty to those who complete a standard or higher progression. Notes should be made in the details box explaining the exemption and included with the logbook.

Can twins or siblings use the same ICVs for their KSAs? 
Usually logbooks are completed as an individual as part of their journey, and this goes for the sign off process. However, if we get two logbooks at the same time with the same surname, we may do a side by side comparison – this goes for twins or older/younger siblings. If there are no differences between the two log books then we will reject both.

There was an example of this where the two log books for twins had been submitted by a parent who is also a leader, and they were word for word identical. Both got rejected.

Another example is a pair of brothers had done the same ICVs with the same sections/groups but the wording was slightly different. The younger brother has a SEN requirement and his older brother was helping them through it. After some rewording, both the logbooks were accepted.

How should I get started on the award?

Start by talking to your leader or a local volunteer in the 14-24 Programme Team to find out what support is available locally.

You should find someone to be your mentor – this could be a local volunteer who has been a mentor previously, a volunteer you know well, someone in the King’s Scout Working Party, or anyone else in Scouting. Give your mentor a copy of this guide so they can support you fully as you work towards these awards.

When you start each award, you should plan out your activities for each section. This will help to ensure that you are using the correct activities in the correct section and not double counting them. Your leader, local lead volunteer, or mentor will help you with this and will approve your plans.

A logbook is available for each award to help with tracking progress and logging the activities you undertake.

Do I need to register to complete the award?

You do not need to register to complete the Chief Scouts Platinum, Chief Scouts Diamond or King’s Scout Awards. There may be local registration processes in place, to support how the award is run locally.

Can I work towards more than one award at a time?

Chief and King’s Scouts awards:

• An award does not have to be completed before activities can count for the next award
• For example, if you have completed the expedition element of your Chief Scout’s Diamond Award but not the rest of the award, you can begin the expedition section of the King’s Scout Award as long as you are over the age of 16 and have registered for the King’s Scout Award
• Once you have an award signed off, you can’t go back and complete and earlier award (for example, once you have your chief Scout’s Diamond, you can’t then complete your Platinum award). So make sure you get the awards signed off in the correct order if working towards more than one at a time.

The Explorer Belt and SOWA can be completed alongside any of the other top awards.

Where can I find example activities for each section?

Guidance and example activities can be found on the Top Awards oppertunities page.  

Can I change the activities I complete during the award?

You can change what activities you choose to complete as part of the award as many times as you like. As long as the activities you choose to count are agreed with your leader or mentor to be appropriately challenging and meet the requirements of the award.

What should be the time commitment for the challenges?

The minimum time requirements for each section are expressed in months, during which you need to undertake a regular commitment averaging at least an hour a week.

What should be the time commitment for the ICV activities? 

There is no set time requirement for the ICV activities. They should be challenging but not feel daunting.

Our recommended timings are:

• Platinum - 4 to 6 hours
• Diamond - 8 to 10 hours
• King’s Scout Award - 12 to 14 hours

However, if these suggested timings make the activity seem way to challenging or way to easy, adjust accordingly.

Can I count an activity towards multiple topics for the ICVs?

Activities can only count for one ICV topic (for example, if you complete the Scouts of the World award, you can only count it once and must pick which topic it counts for).

What counts as camping?

Camping includes other outdoor shelters, such as bivouacs and snow holes, often used in Scouting activities – basically sleeping anywhere except in a building or vehicle.

Can Nights Away count towards multiple awards?

Nights away used for your Chief Scout’s Platinum and Diamond Awards can be counted towards the higher awards. Nights away completed as part of your Explorer Belt or Scouts of the World Award can also be counted towards your Chief and King’s Scout awards.

Can I use Nights Away completed whilst volunteering with Scouting?

Yes - Nights away completed volunteering as an Explorer Scout Young Leader or as an adult volunteer with a younger section in Scouting do count towards this requirement. 

Where do we get Chief Scout’s Award badges and certificates from?

Badges and certificates for the Chief Scout’s Awards are available from Scout Store or via badge secretaries. King’s Scout Award badges and certificates are sent out by UKHQ, although replacement or extra badges can be ordered from Scout Store.  

What other awards/badges can I get completing these awards?

• You can gain Nights Away staged activity badges for the nights away you undertake for all the top awards
• Explorer Belt and Scouts of the World Awards can be used as ICV activities for the Chief and King’s Scout awards
• The Chief and King’s Scout Awards link closely to the DofE and Gateway awards so you may want to complete the awards together.