Resources for Lead Volunteers

Update: Completion of the 2025 Assurance Schedule

We’ve now completed our 2025 assurance schedule. Throughout this work, we focused on three key questions:

• How confident volunteers feel in reporting Safeguarding concerns
• How helpful our mandatory Safety learning is in practice
• How confident Trustees in Groups and Districts are in understanding and carrying out their duties

Volunteers took part in surveys, focus groups and interviews, and we also piloted a new approach - a Safety Check-in activity. Thank you to everyone who contributed - your experience and reflections continue to shape how we strengthen safety and help make sure Scouts is safe.

We’ve now brought together insights from our research and assurance activities, forming a consolidated evidence base and final audit reports. 

Looking Ahead to 2026

Sharing Findings

We’ll be communicating the outcomes of the 2025 schedule across the organisation, ensuring the insights can support improvements, inform decision making and guide future planning.

Strengthening Our Assurance Approach

We’ll continue refining our tools and methods, building on lessons from 2025 - including the practical challenges of moving from theory and planning into observing and understanding real practice.

Developing a New Self-Assessment Tool

We’re beginning work on a new Self-Assessment Tool to help Groups reflect on Safety, Safeguarding and Local Governance. This will draw on:

• Findings from the 2025 assurance schedule
• Current assurance activities at local levels, working with volunteers to understand and build on existing practices.

The aim is to create a practical, supportive resource that reflects both central guidance and real-world experience.

If you would like to know more about our assurance plans for 2026, contact the Risk and Assurance team.