6th Lichfield Scout Group Admissions, transfer between sections and external transfer policy.

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Background 

 

The 6th Lichfield Scout Group is a particularly popular group due to demographics, community, a large and relatively new housing estate , proximity to good schools and the programme provided by all sections. As such, waiting lists and lists of intent are existing for most sections. To ensure fairness and continuity of leadership, the following policy will be applied. The Policy of the Scout Association is given under POR rule 3.32 as below.

 

a. The decision to admit anyone to membership of a Scout Group rests with the Group Scout Leader, in accordance with The Scout Association’s policies.

 

b. The Group Scout Leader will generally delegate responsibility for admissions to the Leader in charge of the Section concerned. This decision must be made in accordance with The Scout Association’s Policies.

 

c. There may be situations where a Group does not have the capacity or resources to meet the needs of a young person or make the reasonable adjustments necessary.

In such instances, the District Commissioner should work with the parents/carer to find an alternative Group. For 6th Lichfield, the policy is applied as per the following procedures.

 

1. Waiting lists and lists of intent.

 

a) A waiting list is defined as a list of young people who are of an age to join a specified section.

b) A list of intent is a list of young people who have not yet reached the age when they are able to join a specified section.

c) For 6th Lichfield, specified sections are:

 

Squirrel Scouts .

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Minimum age 4 and remain in the section until their 6th birthday (maximum age is not defined in POR as of Oct 2021)

 

Beaver Scouts .

The core age range of the Beaver Scout Colony is from 6 years to 8 years. A young person may join at 5¾ years and remain until 8½ years.

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Cub Scouts.
The core age range of the Cub Scout Pack is from 8 years to 10½ years.

A young person may join at 7½ years and remain in the Pack until their 11th birthday.

 

Scouts.

 

The core age range of the Scout Troop is from 10½ years to 14 years. A young person may join at 10 years and remain until 14½ years

 

Note that a degree of flexibility is given in POR rule 3.12b. Paragraph vii is quoted verbatim below: “Permitting a young person with additional needs to be in a Section outside of the core age range may enable the individual to access Scouting. Where appropriate, this recommendation should be made in consultation with the primary caregiver, Section Leaders, Group Scout Leader and local Inclusion appointments, and should be approved by the District Commissioner. Under no circumstances can anyone aged 18 years or over, regardless of ability, remain in a Squirrel Scout Drey, Beaver Scout Colony, Cub Scout Pack Scout Troop or Explorer Scout Unit.”

 

2. Joining a waiting list or list of intent.

 

a) To avoid any confusion, duplication or omission, the lists will be administered by one person, the List Administrator*.

b) The Administrator will be appointed by the GSL and will:

 

a. Have all enquires from the website, district (via the GSL) and e-mail to group members forwarded to them.

b. All enquiries will be responded to by the Administrator.

c. All enquiries will be informed:

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i. That the group is full (if applicable).

ii. That volunteering roles are available for adults aged 18+.

iii. That other groups are available and be signposted to them if applicable.

iv. Be given the opportunity to join the waiting list or list of intent, but reminded that spaces may not become available.

v. Keep a record of all correspondence.  An e-mail account sixth.lichfield.enquiries@gmail.com will be used to ensure a traceable trail in the event of query or dispute

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d. Maintain the waiting list and list of intent on Online Scout Manager. An inter-section information sheet may also be kept , but should not contain any personal information other than that relevant to moving a young person into the group.

 

3. Joining the 6th Lichfield

 

Joining will be decided on the following priorities:

 

i.     Child of a uniformed leader or Executive Committee Member

ii     Living within reasonable proximity of our HQ

iii.   Time on the list of intent/waiting list.

 

The section leader will decide based on these parameters in conjunction with the GSL in the event of doubt or dispute. The records will then be transferred to section from the waiting list.
 

4. Transfers

 

Places in Scouting within Lichfield District are generally at a premium. As such:

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• 6th Lichfield will not accept transfers from within the District as the YP has a place in Scouting within reasonable distance.

• There is no obligation to accept YP into the Group when a family has moved into Lichfield from outside the area, however it is generally accepted practise that the YP is accepted into the relevant section.

 

The GSL can authorise a temporary increase in section size to accommodate this, subject to maintaining correct ratios. As they have a place in Scouting, we believe that it is only right that they can continue their journey.

 

5. Movement between sections

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It is accepted practise that a YP moves smoothly between sections, however this is not a given right. Section leaders will normally and routinely liaise on inter-section movement in conjunction with the parents/carers of the YP. In the eventuality of any difficulty, for example the section having no capacity, behavioral issues etc, then the GSL shall be involved to find a resolution. Irrespective, the section leader has the right to manage their section.

 

Notes to the Policy:

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• Online Scout Manager (OSM) is a secure GDPR compliant system which shall be used as the prime source of personal data storage. See the Group Privacy and Data Policy.

• *The List Administrator is Kate Ecclestone-Brown

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Version 1.0

Adopted by Group Executive 1st November 2021

Prepared by C.M.Ecob Group Scout Leader (Acting) 16.10.2021

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