Support Teams
Understand what District and County Support Teams do and how they help volunteers
District Support Team Description
Purpose
The District Support Team gives tools and resources to help Scouts run smoothly.
- Support Team Leaders
- Support Team Members
Other volunteers are automatically members of this team because of their roles in Scouts:
-
Team Leaders of any District Support Team sub-teams. For example, Campsite Service Team.
Support Scouts locally by engaging with the community:
- Create and look after relationships with other organisations that can help Scouts grow locally and further our reach into more communities.
- Create a positive image of Scouts in the local community. For example, through local media, showing that Scouts is inclusive and open to all.
- Plan and run fundraising events when they’re needed.
Open new provision:
- Work with Groups and other District teams to open, close, or merge Sections (depending on local demand).
Support effective processes:
- Carry out finance administration. This could include paying expenses/invoices, tracking income/expenditure against the budget, and buying badges/awards/uniform for the District.
- Set up and look after email, web, social media, and web meeting systems for the District (and, if appropriate, for Groups and Units).
- If there are staff, make sure they’re properly managed and well recognised. This includes following employment law and acting as a responsible employer in line with Scout values.
- Look after joining enquiries across the District and help Section Teams understand any additional needs of young people joining Scouts.
- Governance administration for the Trustee Board, to include meeting preparation, minute taking and AGM organisation.
Look after property and equipment:
- Check bookings and maintenance for any District-owned property and equipment (including 14-24 Sections).
- Oversee meeting places for 14-24 Sections (whether they’re rented, leased, or owned).
We expect that members of this team will take part in regulated activity.
All Support Team Members must complete:
- The learning everyone needs
In addition, Support Team Leaders must complete:
- Leading Scout Volunteers
You can find out more about our learning content on the learning page.
County Support Team Description
Purpose
The County Support Team gives tools and resources to help Scouts run smoothly in their County.
- Support Team Leaders
- Support Team Members
Other volunteers are automatically members of this team because of their roles in Scouts:
-
Team Leaders of any County Support Team sub-teams. For example, Community Engagement Team.
Support Scouts locally by engaging with the community:
- Create and look after relationships with other organisations that can help Scouts grow locally and further our reach into more communities.
- Create a positive image of Scouts in the local community. For example, through local media, showing that Scouts is inclusive and open to all.
- Plan and run fundraising events when they’re needed.
Support effective processes:
- Carry out finance administration. This could include paying expenses/invoices, tracking income/expenditure against the budget, and buying badges/awards/uniform for the County.
- Set up and look after email, web, social media, and web meeting systems for the County (and, if appropriate, for Districts, Groups and Units).
- Help with other admin to support County teams.
- If there are staff, make sure they’re properly managed and well recognised. This includes following employment law and acting as a responsible employer in line with Scout values.
- Governance administration for the Trustee Board, to include meeting preparation, minute taking and AGM organisation.
Look after property and equipment:
- Check bookings and maintenance for any County-owned property and equipment.
We expect that members of this team will take part in regulated activity.
Permissions in our new digital system
All volunteers will have access to our new digital system and will be expected to sign in to manage their own membership and complete learning. Some volunteers will have further permissions to the system features depending on which team(s) they’re in, and what their role is in that team.
All members will be able to nominate for awards, apply for grants, apply for permits and Nights Away Notifications, use Data explorer, and search for members who are visible for them.
Members of the Support Team will also be able to add and end roles , support with criminal record checks, create and update Units, and create custom Data explorer dashboards, and download these.
The Support Team Leader will also be able to manage members of the team, add and end accreditations, hold Welcome Conversations and reviews, create sub-teams, manage volunteer enquiries, and view suspended members’ records.
Helpful resources
We've compiled some of the most useful resources for Team Members and Team Leaders to look through, to help them understand their responsibilities. These links don't cover everything though, and Team Leaders should make sure that all the tasks on the Team Description are being carried out.
What you need to do to be ready for change
There are simple actions that all volunteers can take to make sure that they, and their team, are ready for change. From making sure that data is up-to-date, to understanding the changes, and how processes may change locally.
Find out what you need to do to prepare for changeInformation for volunteers who lead teams
There are some responsibilities that sit with Team Leaders, such as welcoming volunteers to the team, and making sure that everyone knows what tasks they're working on, and has the support they need.
Read our guidance for Lead Volunteers and Team Leaders