Information for Parents

Answers to all the questions we're frequently asked

We want to make getting into Scouting as easy as possible for you and your young people. As part of any new venture you undertake, you'll have questions surrounding different aspects, and if your young person has deciced they'd like to become a Scout, it will be no different.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us using the details at the bottom of the page.

Can my little boy or girl join?
Absolutely! Scouting has been open to all children, regardless of gender, since 1991.

How old does my young person need to be?
Our Group provides sessions for young people between 6 and 18 years of age:

Beavers for young people between 6 and 8 years of age
Cubs for young people between 8 and 10½ years of age
Scouts for young people between 10½ and 14 years of age
Explorers for young peoople between 14 and 18 years of age

Is there any flexibility in those age ranges?
Most of our sections allow for some flexibility in the age ranges, giving around 6 months either side of the age ranges for young people who need extra time in a section, or who would like to remain within friendship groups when they move up. The only exception to this is in our Explorer Scout Unit, where young people will automatically cease to be a member on their 18th birthday.

Can I join a waiting list if my young person is too young?
Yes. You can find out more about our waiting list in our Be a Scout section.

How safe will my young person be?
Extremely. The safety and wellbeing of our youth is our first concern, as part of The Scout Association's Young People First policy. The Yellow Card for adult volunteers and Orange Card for youth volunteers both detail the child protection policy and code of practice, and our policy is to safeguard the welfare of all members by protecting them from neglect and from physical, sexual and emotional harm.

Can I stay with my young person during their session?
We understand that some of our younger members might prefer to have a familiar grown-up around while they try new things, but we find that even the most nervous of our youth members are absolutely fine once their grown-ups have left the building. That said, if you'd like to help by giving some of your time, you can find out about becoming an adult volunteer and look at the roles we have available.

When do you meet?
Our sections all meet on a Tuesday, at different times.

What times do you meet?
Each of our sections meets at a different time, appropriate to the age range of the young people within the section.

Beavers meet at 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Cubs meet at 6:30pm - 7:45pm
Scouts and Explorers meet at 7:45pm - 9:30pm

Where do you meet?
We meet at our headquarters, at Holy Cross Community Centre in Billesley.

How much does membership cost?
Our membership subscription is priced at £15 per month, per young person, payable by bank transfer as a standing order.

Can I pay based on the number of sessions a young person attends?
In short, no. Our fees are a membership subscription, not an attendance fee, and because our membership subscription helps to cover our programme, rent and other costs, they are payable each month, regardless of the number of sessions your young person attends.

Is there a free trial available?
Yes. To make sure that Scouting is right for your young person, we offer a free two-week trial period during which your young person can meet other young people in their section and consider whether they'd like to join or not.

Are there any other fees?
Yes. New members will need to pay the New Member Joining Fee on joining, and all members need to pay the Census Fee every year.

What's the New Member Joining Fee?
The New Member Joining Fee is made up of two components - the fixed Group Joining Fee and the pro-rated component of the Census Fee. The Group Joining Fee covers the cost of a group polo shirt, the group identity badges, and the group's scarf or necker. It becomes payable after the free trial has finished.

How much is the New Member Joining Fee?
It's between £29.50 and £67.00, based on when you join throughout the year. Because the Census Fee component is pro-rated, the amount you'll pay differs throughout the course of the year, we'll let you know when you come for your free trial session.

What is the Census Fee?
The Census Fee comprises of the UK membership fee, and various levies made at the County and District levels of Scouting. Paying the fee is mandatory and gives membership of the UK Scout Association, providing your young person with the necessary insurance while undertaking activities in the movement.

How much does the Uniform cost?
Your young person will need their uniform before we can invest them as a full member of our group, and you can purchase your uniform from our online store.

Why do you charge more than Scout shops?
On average, we charge around £1 more than Scouts shop prices, but we don't charge you for delivery, so you'll save overall. The extra amount helps us cover our payment processing fees and our volunteers' costs when picking up your items from the Scouts Store.

How do I pay?
Our preferred payment method varies depending on what you're paying for. For membership-related payments, our preferred payment method is bank transfer by standing order. All uniform orders should be placed through our website, or at your child's session, where you can pay using your debit or credit card. For camps, events and other adventurous activities, you'll pay using Direct Debit, through our Online Scout Manager Parent Portal.

Is using Direct Debit safe?
Absolutely, and unlike the Direct Debits you probably know about, ours works in a similar to the way PayPal works. You can either choose to be in total control and authorise every single payment, or you can set up an automatic payment schedule. In both cases, no money comes out of your bank account without you first authorising it. Our Parent Portal will simply tell you that there is a payment to make, and you need to press a button to authorise the payment to be made.

Are there any other payment methods I can use?
Not at this time, no. If you're really struggling to use the payment methods outlined above, please speak to us and we'll see what we can do.

How long do I have to pay?
Once you've become a full member, your membership subscriptions will become due after your free trial ends. Our system will send you an invoice with all the details you need. After that, your monthly membership subscription invoice will be sent to you on the first of the month, and it will become due on the 28th. We reserve the right to terminate the group membership of any youth member where membership subs remain unpaid for a period of four weeks or more.

Do you offer any help for people struggling with finances?
Yes. If you do need assistance, and cannot pay your subs, please speak to a member of the senior leadership team in confidence as soon as possible to avoid the suspension of your young people’s membership. While we are a charity, we’ll always try to help as much as we can, offering extended payment plans and other financial assistance, if we can, on a case-by-case basis.

Does my young person have to wear a uniform?
Yes. The Scout Association is a uniformed organisation, and we make sure that all our members wear their uniform with pride.

When do we need to have uniform for our young person?
We ask that all members have their uniform within six weeks of joining. Young people will not be invested into their section without the official uniform. All of the uniform items you need can be found in our scout uniform shop.

Where do badges go?
Our Parent Portal gives you all the details you'll need in order to make sure that badges are sewn onto the right part of your uniform.

Do you have an attendance policy?
Yes. Within reason, and where possible, all young people are expected to attend every session. If your young person is unable to attend a session, you should contact the group as soon as possible to let us know.

What happens if my young person can't attend?
If your young person has an illness which means they'll be away from Scouting for a while, just let us know and we'll look forward to welcoming them back when they're able to return.

What happens if we don't get in touch with the Scout group?
If your young person fails to attend three sessions in a row and we have not heard from you, we reserve the right to terminate their membership of the Group. Before we terminate your young person's membership, we will try one last time to get in touch with you.

My child has been ill. Can they come to Scouts?
If your young person is suffering from an infectious disease, or an illness involving diarrhoea or vomiting, they should not attend until two full clear days after the last occurrence. For a regular weekly Tuesday session, this would mean that if your young person was unwell at any point on a Sunday, they should not attend and you should let us know.

What happens if my young person becomes ill during a session or an event?
If your young person is feeling unwell, becomes ill or is injured during a session or whilst with us at an event, we will contact you and ask you to come and collect them as soon as possible. If we are unable to contact the primary contacts on our records, we will attempt to contact the emergency contact listed.

Are all leaders and helpers trained and vetted?
Simply put, yes. All our adult volunteers that regularly give their time to help young people thrive will be interviewed, asked to provide references, undergo mandatory training to help them be the best they can be, and undergo an enhanced disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. In addition to this, special additional training is provided for our leaders who take young people away on residential events like camps and sleepovers.

What rules do volunteers follow?
All volunteers are bound by and are expected to follow a simple and clear code of behaviour, which we call The Yellow Card. It's gvien to all adults that interact with young people, whether they're an occasional helper, section assistant, leader, supporter or manager, and is included in the training each adult volunteer receives. Every adult volunteer is also given their own Yellow Card to refer back to, which has contact details for The Scouts safeguarding team. You can see a larger version of the Yellow Card at our meeting place on our notice board.

What policies does the Group follow?
Every Scout Group and individual involved in Scouts is bound by the Scouts' Policy, Organisation and Rules. Two of the key policies in POR are child protection and safety. You can see the full policies in the Policy, Organisation and Rules section of the Scouts website.

What are the arrangements for events, camps, activities and nights away?
We will always give you notice, ask for your permission and provide you with a way of contacting the group while your young person is away with us. We will always have at least two adult volunteers present at any residential activities, such as camps and sleepovers, unless the young people involved are participating in an expedition or an event where adults are not expected to attend at all. We’ll always tell you if there is to be no adult presence for a particular activity, and we’ll never ask to take individual young people away on their own.

Can I find out more about The Scouts' policy on safeguarding and safety?
Yes. We've only included the key points of the safety and safeguarding policies here, as we keep up to date with Scouts POR at all times. You can find out more by visiting the Stay Safe: Safety and Safeguarding Policy page on the Scouts website.