Managing free time activities safely

FS120340 (Published March 2023, replacing May 2020)

Introduction

A large number of incidents occur when members are undertaking free time activities, this could be at the beginning or end of your meeting, during break in the normal section programme, or time before bed on a camp.

This guidance is designed to provide volunteers with some suggestions of how to manage these free time activities in order to reduce the potential for incidents and injuries.

Directly before and after section meetings

It’s easy for volunteers to be distracted whilst talking to parents and setting up the meeting place; this could result in the young people not being supervised.

Try dividing responsibilities and set a volunteer or Young Leader with the task of occupying the young people when they arrive and before they leave. This could be with a game or a quick activity, such as something that’ll help them get ahead in your main programme activity for that session. Make sure games allow for people to arrive or leave throughout, and avoid more boisterous activities. Take a look at our guidance on active games.

Remember that, although this activity is at the start or the end of the session, it’s still part of the meeting or activity, so should have been correctly risk assessed. Take a look at our guidance on risk assessments. 

In between activities

Often young people get distracted between activities when there is nothing to focus their attention. Planning your programme to have a smooth transition, with different leaders taking the lead on each element, will allow for this to be seamless. Clearly communicate with the young people explaining what the next activity is so that you keep their attention. Plan the programme to be challenging, relevant and rewarding and promote positive behaviour amongst the group. Training modules you may find beneficial are Promoting Positive Behaviour and Delivering a Quality Programme.

Free time during Nights Away activities

Many sections programme in a free time slot into their Nights Away event, giving young people more freedom. This is great for allowing the young people to explore the environment, play games or rest, but can result in young people over stretching their abilities and incidents occurring.

Setting clear boundaries will help remove some potential hazards, be clear on rules and expectations and have some supervision, although this could be more indirect than normal. Have someone on hand to run some games or simple activities if the young people start to get bored or stray outside the agreed area, rules or similar.

For example: some Scout and Explore groups chose to allow Scouts to use knives during free time for whittling. If so, you need to carefully consider how this activity will be assessed for risk, supervised and the storage of the knives. For further guidance, take a look at our knife safety guidance. 

As someone leading a Nights Away event, make sure you’ve used the Safety Checklist for Leaders, as this’ll help you identify risks and find suitable ways of managing them.

Unsupervised evening activities during nights away activities (for example, in rooms or tents before bed)

Young people will be excited about being away from home and having the freedom of being unsupervised. However, this can lead to unsuitable behaviour. Set clear rules and expectations and monitor, and have regular check-ins that everyone is OK. Always follow the Yellow Card.

Having some quiet activities or encouraging young people to bring their own can make for a calmer atmosphere in the evenings and help reduce incidents.

Free time during trips and outings

The older the young people are the more likely they are to want independence. Giving young people the freedom to explore in small groups is part of helping them to develop and grow. Be sure to do this with some clear boundaries and expectations in place. Make sure each group of young people knows how you will communicate with them.

Consider how those leading the trip will supervise this activity and how close you will be. This’ll depend on the age and maturity of the young people and the location you are in. The activity would still need to be risk assessed, but the young people could be involved in this process.

More support

If you’re unsure as to how to manage your situation, seek advice from your Section Team, Group Leadership Team or other experienced volunteers.

If you’ve any concerns over the safety of an activity, don’t do it or stop it and find an alternative activity. You can re-plan the activity at a later date.

If you need advice on what training’s available, ask your Group Leadership Team to put you in touch with your Local Training Manager.