Ham Scout Group: Join us!

Joining

You can find general information about joining the Scout Movement on the Scouts web site

We usually have small waiting lists for all sections.

To enrol your child with Ham Scout Group, or to offer your help, please follow the link to our waiting list below whether we have vacancies or not.

We are limited by the amount of adult help we get at meetings, particularly for Squirrels, Beavers and Cubs where the ratios of adult to young people are greater. We currently need adults who are prepared to commit to formal leadership roles. Training and uniform are provided and the group covers all reasonable expenses. Leaders' children are exempted from termly fees. The other leaders and helpers in the group and district provide support. The sooner we have more leaders and helpers, the sooner we will be able to expand the size of each section and empty any waiting lists.

Please enter the relevant details on our waiting list form. This is managed through the Online Scout Manager (OSM) service which we use to simplify and automate much of the administration of our group. Once you submit the details, we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Helping

The group depends entirely on voluntary help for its operation and administration. In order for your child to join, at least one parent is required to commit to helping in one of the following ways:

Become a leader or assistant leader and undertake the formal training as outlined above
Become an occasional helper and attend at least three meetings or activities per term to help the leaders
Join the group Trustee Board and assist with the governance of the group behind the scenes
Join the group support team to help leaders and trustees with the administration and operation of the group.
Join the fundraising team and participate in our fundraising events and activities, notably Ham Fair which we help plan, organise and run each year.

To join the team, adults need to complete an ID Checking form so that we can register you on the Scout Association membership system, "Compass". We can then conduct a DBS check in accordance with the Scouts' safeguarding policy. For the DBS, we will need you to produce ID documents as detailed on the government website. Once your details are submitted, you will be given credentials to log in to thescouts.disclosures.co.uk to confirm the details are correct. The checks then typically take a couple of weeks. Once that is complete, your membership is confirmed. We can then give you access to the adult section of OSM and you can start participating in group activities. For leader roles, your appointment is validated by Richmond District Scouts and they will oversee your personal training plan in conjunction wth our Group Scout Leader.

Training

The Scout Association and Richmond District Scouts provide comprehensive and wide-ranging training to help develop and maintain the skills required to lead and help run a scout group. These are not only practical skills like first aid but also administrative and managerial "skills for life" with a wide application outside of scouting, valued and respected by existing and potential employers as evidence of competence and experience.

Training is modular and may be online, in person or both. All adult helpers, leaders and trustees are required to complete the initial basic modules online:

Essential information
Safety
Safeguarding
GDPR
Tools for the role

Further modules may be required, depending on the role.

Even if you don't have children in the group, please consider using some of your free time to help to keep our group operating. Join us and find out more.

Section Leaders and Helpers

There are four basic categories of assistance and leadership:

Occasional Helpers (OH) are usually parents or other supporters who help at a few meetings or external activities or events per term. The role is non-uniformed and the requirements are simply the basic ID check and some on-site induction from the other leaders.
Section Assistants (SA) provide more regular assistance, for example attending most meetings per term and may choose to become uniformed members themselves. Formal training is provided, mostly online.
Assistant Leaders (AL) are uniformed members who provide direct support to the leaders, helping set and deliver the programme and activities and substituting for the leaders when required. Full training is provided.
Section Leaders (SL) are uniformed members who lead the sections, and are responsible for setting and delivering the programme and activities safely and in accordance with the Scout Association policy and rules. Full training is provided.