Our Membership T&Cs
The 6th Medway Scout Group adheres to The Scout Association Policy, Organisation and Rules.
This policy has been written in accordance with POR Rules 3 Membership.
General admission
We manage admissions into our group to ensure that each section has a spread of ages and where requested friends, and family of existing members are together. Once a young person has joined the group, we ensure that they will always be able to move on to the next section when they reach the appropriate age.
The group is open to all boys and girls of ages 4 to 18.
We allow young people to join the group at any time during the term based on an agreed start date with the section Leader and parent/guardian.
Priorities for admission
In the event there is a waiting list to join our group/sections we will priorities admission in the following order;
- Younger siblings of Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs or Scouts are already within the group.
- Young people moving into the area from elsewhere, who are already active members of a scout group, and for whom 6th Medway is the nearest scout group.
- Young people with a parent who is a uniformed leader in the group, or who commits to becoming a uniformed leader, or to provide equivalent support.
- Anyone else on the waiting list, of an age that we can accommodate, with priority given to those who have been waiting longest, and for whom 6th Medway is the nearest scout group.
Additional need admissions
If a young person has special needs, admission will be at the discretion of the section leaders, who may suggest a trial period. We are not able to offer one-to-one care during meetings and may ask parents to provide any extra support that is needed.
Attendance
We offer membership to as many Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers as we can accommodate with our current facilities and team of adult volunteers. It is important that youth members attend regularly, low attendance makes it difficult for young people to earn badges and can create challenges for the leaders when organising activities.
We expect that occasionally there will be times that mean our youth members may not be able to attend a section meeting or a planned event. We ask that the section leaders are informed in advance when a young person will not be able to attend.
Events we expect all to attend
As well as regular weekly meetings, there are two annual events at which the attendance of all members is required. These are
- Saint George’s Day Parade, on a Sunday in April
- Remembrance Sunday service and war memorial parade, on a Sunday in November
How we handle unexplained absences
If a youth member misses four or more meetings in a term, without timely notice, they may be asked to leave the group at the end of that term. If a young person misses three consecutive meetings without any explanation, we will assume they have left the group and will offer their place to another young person on our waiting list.
Suspensions
Our Leaders will work with youth members and their parent/guardians closely to prevent any need for a suspension. However, on occasion there might be a need for a formal suspension of a youth member.
POR 3.6 requires us to formally suspend a youth member where they have been accused of a serious criminal offence or of behavior that puts adults or young people at serious risk of harm. During this time the youth members may not participate in any activity connected with the Scouts and must not wear uniform or badges.
They must also be offered an independent adult member to act as a supporter.
Dismissals
No youth member will be dismissed without prior consultation and approval of the Group lead volunteer is required before dismissal.