How to run a Welcome Conversation

In a Group, this is likely to be a member of the Group Leadership Team, perhaps the Lead Volunteer or Section/Sub-team Team Leader. They must have completed their Welcome Conversation learning and should’ve already met the new volunteer.  

If someone other than the Lead Volunteer is responsible for recruitment, and they have the Welcome Conversation Volunteer accreditation, they're able to do the conversation in place of the Lead Volunteer or Team Leader.  

This must be someone who is not part of the same Group or Team as the new volunteer, who has the Welcome Conversation Volunteer accreditation.

The independent Welcome Conversation volunteer must hold a full, current appointment in a role which requires a Welcome Conversation or Appointments Panel as part of the joining journey. 

They must also hold an active role in the Scouts, and be, or have been within the previous 5 years, in a similar role in a Section Team at Group level, or in an Explorer Unit within a different Scout Group or Explorer Unit to the new volunteer being appointed.

A similar role in a Section Team means a role in the same section as the volunteer is joining, or the section that is the previous or next age section to the section the volunteer is joining. For example, at Group Level, if you’re a Beaver Section Team Member, you might take part in a Welcome Conversation for someone who’s coming into a Squirrel, Beaver or Cub Section Team Member role.  

At District or County Level, this means someone in a similar District or County role within a different team to the new volunteer being appointed.

To have a Welcome Conversation Volunteer accreditation, you’ll need to be an active, full member of a Group, District or County Team, who's completed the necessary learning, and agreed with the Volunteering Development Team Leader that you’re happy to take on these responsibilities. This can’t be anyone whose only role is Trustee, or whose only role does not have a criminal record check.  

The Volunteering Development Team will make sure there are enough Welcome Conversation Volunteers locally and be able to support with finding someone to support the conversation from outside the Group / District if needed.

Invite the new volunteer to a Welcome Conversation 

Contact the new volunteer via their preferred method (phone call or email) and agree a time and a place that’s good for them. This could be a Scouts meeting place, local District building, a coffee shop, or even over a virtual tool such as Zoom or Teams. Make sure to:

• Explain that this will be an informal conversation rather than an interview, and a chance for them to ask any questions
• Let them know how volunteering can be flexible
• Hold the conversation once the new volunteer is sure they’d like to take on the role 
• Share our Welcome Conversation checklist

Plan the conversation

• The new volunteer’s Team Leader or their delegate should make sure an independent volunteer with the Welcome Conversation Volunteer accreditation can attend the conversation
• Plan how you’ll deliver the conversation together, making sure it’s conversational and open 
• The conversation shouldn’t last longer than 45 minutes, so plan how long you want to spend on each area to help structure it

Create a warm and open environment

• Check name pronunciation or ask for any other names the new volunteer might go by 
• Thank them for their time and interest in volunteering, while avoiding making any assumptions about them 
• Find out what they would like to get out of their time at Scouts and any other interests they may have 

Discuss their team and joining journey

• Talk about their team and how their role fits into the structure of Scouts, you don’t have to go into too much detail just yet (Section, Group, District and County is enough for now) 
• Make sure they understand their responsibilities and the potential tasks they’ll be doing 
• Check they've received a link to confirm their details and can sign in to scouts.org.uk 
• Explain the steps in the joining journey they've completed and any outstanding tasks they still need to do (the Lead Volunteer or Team Leader can quickly see this on their membership record) 

Our values, policies, Promise and the importance of safeguarding

• Go over the importance of the Yellow Card (Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults), check the new volunteer has received a copy and agrees to follow it. Check the volunteer also knows how to report any safeguarding concerns directly to the HQ Safeguarding Team and share the link to our safeguarding policy
  
• Confirm they've read and understand our Scouts values, policies, Promise and Our Volunteering Culture. They don’t need to remember everything, but they need to know where to find them and confirm they’re happy to accept them 

Further support

• Explain their role will be supported through more learning and development 
• Confirm any access needs or how we can make their time at Scouts more inclusive 
• Check they know where to go if they’ve got a question or just need some help 
• Offer them a local buddy 
• Check they’ve been given a welcome pack to help them in their role 
• Let them know they can update their personal information online at any time 

After the conversation, the new volunteer’s Team Leader will need to record the outcome.

• If a delegate attended the Welcome Conversation, rather than the new volunteer’s Team Leader, they’ll need to inform the Team Leader of the outcome of the conversation, so they can then record this onto the new volunteer’s record.  
• Everyone will have a chance to say whether they’re happy with how the conversation went. 
• The new volunteer can then continue their volunteering journey. 

Remember, the Welcome Conversation is only one step in the joining journey. Once all joining journey steps are complete the new volunteer's appointment will move to ‘full’ status. Until that point, they can volunteer but must not have unsupervised access to young people.