Preparing for Face to Face Scouting – Getting back together safely

To keep everyone safe we need members and their parents to:

• Sign-up to the ‘event’ invitation sent to the email address registered as contact in OSM
• Check the Getting everyone back together safely web page
• Check the details in the ‘event’ email for arrival and departure information and any other relevant information or messages from the leaders
• Ensure my child goes to the toilet before traveling to the venue
• Ensure my child washes their hands thoroughly before travelling to the venue
• Follow the arrival and departure instructions fully and maintain social distancing measures

If you need to speak to a leader, please use the Contact Us details or email in the first instance.

To keep everyone safe, we are asking for all young people and volunteers to:

• Go to the toilet before coming to the venue
• Wash hands thoroughly before coming to the venue
• Follow the arrival instructions carefully
• Follow Our keeping safe code
• Wash you hands with the provided anti-bacterial hand wash
• Listen to the leader’s briefing each week carefully
• Wash you hands with the provided anti-bacterial hand wash before leaving

Updated 05/09/2020

Beavers and Cubs who want to wear a face-covering are very welcome to. It is not mandated, but a personal choice. All we ask is that any decoration is appropriate – no skulls, etc. as they can frighten other young people.

Scouts and Explorers must wear face masks when indoors as per Government guidelines unless they are exempt.

Leaders and other adults in scouting – do not need to wear face coverings when delivering face to face scouting sessions indoors. They must do so when not directly delivering activities (preparation, cleaning etc).

We will continue to monitor this and inform you if the guidance changes.

All our leaders have a current and up-to-date first aid qualification and all the bubbles have a fully equipped first aid kit at every meeting.

Following advice from The Scouts, where possible and appropriate a first aider will support a young person to undertake their own first aid.

If this is not possible or not appropriate, the first aider will use the appropriate PPE and deal with the issue as usual. A first aid record form will be completed and parents/carers will be informed after the meeting.

If more serious, parents/carers may be contacted and/or health professional advice sought as normal.

Updated 05/09/2020

We will be operating section meetings in bubbles. Each bubble will have at least 2 leaders (Scouts/Explorers) or 3 leaders (Beavers/Cubs).

Bubbles will be able to meet at the same time at the same place, but will be kept at least 25m apart. To help with this, there will may be staggered arrival/departure times which we ask parents to adhere to as strictly as possible. 

We will still be fully complying with our data protection policy and GDPR. This already includes the necessity to share information within Scouting (e.g. sharing information with the District Executive for approval of our risk assessment purposes) and also with statutory bodies, such as the NHS if ‘test & trace’ requires it.

If this causes you any concern at all, please do speak with to Denise (GSL) or Stuart (AGSL).

We’d love your support! In order to make the group/bubble system work, we need extra adults to support each bubble. Each group/bubble will have a leader-in-charge, but extra adults will be necessary.

Please speak to your section leader if you’re interested in supporting us.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, or who has been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms (within the last two weeks), shouldn’t come to any face-to-face activities, and should follow government guidelines on self-isolation and testing.

Please get in touch with your section leader or Denise (GSL) or Stuart (AGSL).

Updated 03/10/2020

We have developed a risk assessment for all venues that we are using, following guidance from The Scouts which draws on Government guidance and the National Youth Agency.

Our risk assessment has to be approved by a committee of the District Executive and has been developed in partnership with leaders, young people and parents.

Read the current risk assessments – click the link to the section:

Ideally, yes please. However, we appreciate they may have grown! If they don’t wear uniform, please ensure they wear clean clothes, not the same clothes worn at school all day. This will help limit any potential spread.

We do have some Group (18th Ipswich Group) T-Shirt and Sweatshirts in stock, if parents are interested.