It is essential that parents inform our leaders about any special needs of their child, in particular if they have specific medical or educational needs.  If leaders are not aware of these needs, then it can be difficult to cater for them and can lead to difficult situations.  Our leaders are first aid trained, but need to know if a Beaver, Cub or Scout has asthma, is carrying an inhaler, has an allergy, or has any other crucial medical equipment with them, or have a medical condition.  

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts will adapt the program to be as inclusive as possible. We strive to make the program that we run offer the same level of challenge to all children, regardless of their medical or educational needs.

Our objective is to promote positive behaviour with the Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts.  However, we also recognise that it is natural that all young people will potentially behave in a challenging way at some point. Positive behavior will be recognised and rewarded (Green Card)

Where we do encounter challenging behaviour, we will speak with the young person involved, firmly, fairly and quietly.  Where an incident is more serious, then we may ask the young person to sit out of an activity for 5 minutes to reflect on what they did (Yellow Card).  Where behaviour is persistent and/or potentially a danger to themselves or others (activity dependent) then we may need to ask the young person to sit out of the activity (Red Card). 

We will engage and work with any parents and work in partnership, with the support of the Group Scout Leader, to address persistent challenging behaviour. 

Where the group is collectively acting in a challenging way as a whole, we will call attention to this by raising our hands (all leaders); this is the signal to all Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts to stop what they are doing, be silent, and raise their hands also.  We will endeavour to avoid raising our voices unless it is essential to gain attention of the whole troop quickly. 

It is the Policy of our Scout Section that mobile phones must not be taken on camps, activities or to weekly meetings unless specifically authorized in advance for camera work or if an agreement is made with parents.

Within the rules of the Scout Association, we have a strict procedure for contacting parents or the relevant authorities should accidents or problems arise at a meeting, on an activity or camp. Mobile phones can compromise this procedure. Every meeting, camp and activity have an official telephone number for you to contact (in the event of an emergency). The meeting camp or activity leader is also able to contact parents, either directly or via a home contact, should the need arise. 

A mobile phone gives Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts the opportunity to contact their parents directly, bypassing the role of leaders. Undue distress may be caused on the part of the parent and/or their child concerning incidents leaders may know nothing about. This particularly applies to cases of homesickness. It is important that Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts use a leader as their first point of contact for any concerns or problems they have, so that the leader team can work to resolve these issues. Leaders will then arrange to contact parents via the official channels as and when necessary.  

Most mobile phones have cameras and internet access, meaning there is the potential for actions taken by Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts, however innocent the intent, to be misinterpreted, leading unintentionally to Child Protection issues. This is particularly true if photographs are taken without consent or are inappropriate and then subsequently broadcast on social networks.  

There is a non optional monthly subscription of £12 per month for each Beaver, Cub or Scout. This will need to be payed via OSM using direct debit. Parents will need to authorize this on OSM for each child.

In addition, and as a part of our program, we arrange activities and camps that have costs. These too should be paid via OSM.