Manager Hub

Support for Managers

There are two main roles for adults in Scouting: working with young people and supporting those who work with them. This page is for volunteers responsible for leading and managing support to adults who work with young people.

It is aimed at all those with line management responsibility including Group Scout Leaders, District Commissioners, County/Area/Regional Commissioners, County Scout Network Commissioners and District Explorer Scout Commissioners.

Being a manager in Scouting

You might not think of yourself as a ‘manager’. But, as a Group Scout Leader or Commissioner, you are.

Some people argue that using the word ‘manager’ makes Scouting seem more like work than a hobby. But this misses the point that good management in Scouting is about providing effective support and good leadership to our adult volunteers so that they can get the most out of their volunteering.

A good manager in Scouting provides other adults with an excellent Scouting experience. They support adults working directly with young people so that they are motivated, inspired and focused on providing first-class Scouting opportunities for young people. A good manager thanks our volunteers for all their hard work and helps make sure we keep them.

Scouting is about making life better, and this approach comes from the top.

Your role is to provide direction and to help people see the bigger picture by providing great leadership for the future.

The six aspects of good Scouting leadership and management

1. 1. Providing direction A good manager in Scouting will create a vision for Scouting in their area and provide clear leadership to implement that vision. Find out more…
   2. Working with people A good manager in Scouting will create a team spirit and work effectively with people in their area based on trust and the fundamentals of Scouting. Find out more…
   3. Achieving results A good manager in Scouting will ensure that goals are achieved, plans are seen through to completion and that good relationships are maintained with parents of young people in Scouting and the local community.
   4. Enabling change A good manager in Scouting will encourage people to think of creative ways to improve scouting in their area and then implement the appropriate improvements.  Find out more…
   5. Using resources A good manager in Scouting will ensure that sufficient resources and information are available to help people in their area to provide excellent scouting. Find out more…
   6. Managing your time and personal skills A good manager in Scouting will use their time effectively and continue to learn and improve the skills that they bring to their role.

Your role is to support other adult volunteers so they are motivated and inspired to provide first class scouting opportunities for young people. Whether it’s someone to talk to or thank them, or practical help with recruiting other volunteers, they need you and Scouting needs you. It is a tricky but important and rewarding role.

What support is available

Being a manager in Scouting is an important and rewarding role, but it can be a tricky one. Often you may not have a colleague in the Group or District that you can easily or quickly ask for help. The Scouts Website has a wealth of information but here below, are 12 top areas that you might visit if you are not sure about something or need some help.

Scout Association Strategy

Line Manager Induction

Supporting Local Scouting

Photography,Video & Audio Recording of Scout Events

Risk Assessments

Complaints

Emergencies & Incident Reporting

Managing Premises

Staying Safe for Managers

Data & Documents

Structure of Committees

Training

For further information on the Adult Training Scheme for Managers & Supporters click here.

To support adult members through the training scheme, training advisers are assigned to the learners you line manage.

To understand a training advisers role in an adult learner’s journey, there is a handy managers guide plus other resources for you to download from The Scouts website.

Get involved

Why not join the managers in Scouting Facebook group? The group is an online space to share ideas and best practice. It also functions as a mutual form of support for managers.

Report Assistant Tools

Three tools have been developed to assist with the reporting and analysis of management data.

The tools are Microsoft Excel programs that take the output from Compass reports and highlight areas for investigation by local managers.  Anyone can use the tools if they have access to the relevant Compass reports and Microsoft Excel on the local PC/laptop (not an online version of Excel).

• The Compliance Assistant uses the output from the Compass Appointments Report and highlights potential issues in the appointments process, initial training, safety, safeguarding and first aid training.
• The Training Assistant takes the Compass Training Report to help identify outstanding training and assist with the planning of training.
• The Awards Assistant uses the Compass Awards Report to identify potential candidates for Chief Scout Good Service Awards.