When your Section’s Leadership Team is ready to begin planning a return to face-to-face Scouting, the first thing to get started with is your risk assessments.

There is no pressure to return, if you as Leaders are not ready and no Section can meet without an approved risk assessment.

 

First of all, ensure that you have read through all the guidance available on www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/scouts-at-home/getting-everyone-back-together-safely/
These documents have been produced to help you and provide very useful checklists to use, to make sure you have everything covered.

Once a Section’s Leaders have prepared a risk assessment for each environment they wish to meet in, these need to be checked by your GSL and Group Executive Committee. (Each one may look very similar, but will have some aspects that are specific to each location – such as toilet arrangements, hand washing facilities available, drop-off and collection procedures.)

 

Once they are happy and confident with them, they will be submitted via the HQ Smart Sheets Form, to District. This can be done a Section at time, there is no pressure for every Section in a Group to return at the same time.

When doing this, please could the submitter ensure that you put Linda’s details in as the Approver, so it gets to the right District!
These are:

  • Linda Thelwell
  • dc@blacktoftbeacon-scouts.org.uk

The District has a working party who are looking at each risk assessment submitted and providing comments, suggestions and changes. The decision is then made by the District Chair and the District Commissioner – or their nominee, as to whether the risk assessment is ‘Approved’ or ‘Not Approved’.

If a risk assessment is submitted by a Thursday, then we are aiming to have made a decision by the following Thursday. This gives a 7 day turnaround time.

The District Team will also be checking to see if there any Leaders within the Group whose Safeguarding or Safety Training is out of date, as a Leader cannot return to face-to-face Scouting without these. We will also be looking at any DBS checks for adults in the Group that need completing too.

 

If it is ‘Approved’, then the Section can meet at the locations they have risk assessed. They should communicate their plans to parents & carers and ensure they understand what is expected of them.
Section’s also need to ensure they have acquired any additional resources before holding any meetings, such as; PPE they have named in their risk assessments, enough quantities of hand soap or hand gel, cleaning supplies, etc.

If a risk assessment is ‘Not Approved’, then a member of the District Team will be in touch to let you know of any changes that need to be made. The submitter will also receive an email stating this from the HQ Smart Sheets Form. The process then starts again by re-submitting risk assessments via the HQ Smart Sheets Form, after changes have been made.

 

Do not panic if a risk assessment is ‘Not Approved’, it doesn’t matter and it is not about being the first to do anything. It is about keeping everyone safe!