1 Your Virtual Induction GSL Support unit E: working with adults

unit E: working with

adults

scouts.org.uk/gslsupport

2 Your Virtual Induction GSL Support unit E: working with adults

Introduction Welcome to Unit E of Your Virtual Induction. This session looks at all aspects of working with adults in the Scout Group. We will look at ideas for effective recruitment, how to engage parents in the group, the importance and processes of welcome and induction for new adults, the how and why of review, and working together as a team.

Recruitment One of the biggest barriers to providing Scouting as widely as we would like to is the lack of adult volunteers. Recruitment of new volunteers is, therefore, a hot topic in Scouting. It is not realistic to believe that District, County or Country headquarters will be able to solve your recruitment problems, but there is support available to help you.

As a local volunteer yourself, you are best placed to recruit new volunteers: you understand the Group’s needs and dynamics; you know the people locally and they will know you. Recruitment needs to be approached in a professional and flexible manner in order to achieve success.

The most effective tried and tested method of recruiting volunteers in Scouting is the six-step approach. It is quite logical and you are probably already using a number of its elements. Here we hope to provide you with some new ideas.

Step 1 – Identify the roleFirst, you need to identify exactly what roles you need to fill. If you are advertising, don’t forget that people not involved in Scouting may not know by title alone what a role means, so, for example, for a Cub Scout Leader, think about what that person actually does. Sample wording could be as follows.

The role we are trying to fill needs someone to:

• run craft activities for 8 – 10½-year-olds

• manage and lead a team of adults

• run outdoor activities for 8 – 10½-year-olds

• run camp for 8 – 10½-year-olds

• communicate with parents

• ensure safety of 8 – 10½-year-olds

• ensure effective administration of the Cub section.

These parts of the Cub Scout Leader’s role do not necessarily have to be performed by the same person. They could be effectively taken on as part of a team. As lifestyles have changed over time, so has the way people volunteer. By understanding that demands on people’s time have increased, you can understand their need to volunteer in a more flexible way. By breaking down roles into smaller, shared roles carried out by a team, and asking people to commit to a small part of a role for a set period of time, you are more likely to get them to say ‘yes’ to volunteering.

Step 2 – Identify skills A common reason for not volunteering is that the adult asked does not believe they have the skills to do what they see Section Leaders doing. It is important to remind people that they may have skills that are useful to a particular aspect of running the Group or Section. For example, someone with knowledge of accountancy can use their skills on a fundraising committee. Knowing the skills you want for the role you are recruiting can help in finding the right person for the role.

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When thinking about our Cub Scout Leader, the following skills might be identified as desirable:

• patience

• excellent communication skills with children and adults

• methodical approach

• reliability

• initiative and practical skills, or the ability to learn them.

The sort of skills will vary according to who you already have in place. If you already have a Section Leader with fantastic camping and outdoors skills, someone who is comfortable in craft and quieter activities would be a good balance. You will probably identify types of people who have groups of these skills, for example pre-school leaders often make really good Beaver Scout Leaders, but remember that, just because someone has a role-specific skill, it does not mean that they will want to volunteer using it.

Step 3 – Make a listOnce you know the sort of people you are looking for to fill the vacancies you have, you need to create a list of possibilities. There are several ways to do that. These are just some ideas.

AdvertiseWhen creating an advertisement for a volunteer role, you should first think clearly about the message you want to get across, write your advertisement to express it, and ask several people to read it before it goes out so that you know that it reads well. It is important that you communicate the success of your organisation; people will not want to join if they think the Group is failing. ‘The Cub Pack will close if we don’t get anyone’ really doesn’t work as a long-term strategy.

Think where you will place the advertisement to attract the right type of person for the role. If you are looking to attract under-30s, find a club newsletter or website that targets the same age group.

Name generationThis is a method that works well, especially for executive members. Invite members of the local community who have a wide range of contacts. For example, a doctors’ or dentists’ receptionist, the local newsagent, school-crossing attendant, headteacher, and so on.

Be creative and invite a good cross-section of the community. Send out personal invitations asking for two hours of their time. Make sure that you get across that you are not asking them to volunteer, but that you just want their help and advice. Provide refreshments and make sure that the venue is nice and comfortable. If the Scout meeting place is draughty and cold, find a professional location somewhere else (not someone’s home).

Outline to your assembled group the roles you are trying to fill and the skills required. Then ask if anyone knows who fits the bill. Explain that we are a professional association with checking procedures, induction and training and that the people they suggest will be treated well. Suggest where some of these people could be found. For example, pre-school leaders can make excellent Beaver Scout Leaders. Make sure you collect the names and contact details of the people suggested and thank the group for their time.

Public standPosition an information stand in a prominent and popular public space, such as a shopping centre or local library, or in conjunction with a local event, school fete or public meeting. Your District will probably have some display banners you can borrow and leaflets are available from the Information Centre for a small cost.

When putting up an information stand, think about how it looks. Use the resources available from the Brand Centre to help develop the right impression.

Do you have the resources to man the stand? If it is manned, who are you going to use? Explorers and younger adult leaders might be best choice for this. It is important to have an ongoing activity as part of your stand so you can keep children busy while you talk to their parents. Some ideas are: balloon modelling; face painting; a craft

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activity; or a competition where you take names and addresses.

Some competition ideas are:

• How many knots can you tie with sweetie laces?

• How fast can you put up our tent?

• How high can you build a tower using marshmallows and spaghetti?

Make sure you allow adults to participate as well as their children. If you have a large event locally, think about bidding for the use of the Mobile Display Unit. It may be too big a project to manage as a Group, but District or County could support you. Ask your local Assistant District Commissioner or Assistant County Commissioner or a Local Development Officer if they can help you with a public stand.

Taster sessionsIf you are looking to recruit whole sections and the people to run them, going into schools to do assemblies and taster sessions can be effective. Run a bright and fun assembly targeted at a specific age group with some games and activities. Give each child an invitation to one or a series of taster sessions stating that they need to bring an adult with them.

On these evenings run a programme similar to a section meeting for the age group you are trying to recruit. As part of these sessions, have an activity where children are separated from adults and while children do a fun activity, adults have an information session on Scouting, how much fun it is for children and underlining how professional the association is. At the end of the session, you could give the young people a goody bag and the parents an information pack including Disclosure forms. Make it clear to adults that this is a strong project with lots of support from the association; however, we do need adults to run it locally. Be clear that they won’t just be left to get on with it but will have someone there with them for a whole term to help with planning and delivering section meetings.

Step 4 – ShortlistSo, you now have identified the role you need to fill, have identified what skills are needed, and have a list of potential volunteers. Remember to consider all options and try not to shoehorn people into a role that is not right for them. It is important that a volunteer gets what they want from Scouting, as well as helping to serve the needs of the Group. If the list you have does not highlight a suitable person for the Scout Leader’s role, but identifies three for Cubs, perhaps now is the time to concentrate on strengthening the Cub Pack and put the Scout Troop on hold for a bit longer. Using new recruits in a role that is most suited to them will bring them more enjoyment and encourage them to stay.

Step 5 – Ask themThis is probably the most important part of the process and one that we are notoriously bad at. It is important that when asking a volunteer you are honest about what you are asking them to do, how much of their time they will need to commit, what extra training they will need to complete. Assure them that they will be joining a team of people who all have the same goals – providing the adventure of Scouting to young people.

You will need to think about who is the best person to do the asking; it may not be you. Work out how and where you will ask them, different people and roles will require different approaches. What happens if they say ‘maybe’? They may want to think about it and do some research or speak to their family. Take some literature with you about the Group and about Scouting. Offer to let them have some thinking time and arrange a date when you will get in touch with them again. Make sure you follow up as agreed and stay positive. What if they say ‘no’? Again, don’t worry. Thank them for their time and ask them to bear you in mind if their circumstances change. If they say ‘yes’ you can move onto the final stage of the six-step model: welcome and induction.

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Step 6 – Welcome and inductionThis is an important part of the process that can sometimes be forgotten. Introduce the new recruit to the rest of the Group. Have a checklist of things they will cover during their induction. Arrange some shadowing so they can observe someone doing a similar role. Make sure you start the appointment process and appoint a Training Adviser. An effective welcome and induction is the key to giving volunteers the knowledge, confidence and support they need to start their role effectively. This unit has more detail about induction later.

Succession planningThis recruitment process is something that should be ongoing, not just in three-year cycles when everybody leaves. You need to understand the needs of your Group and its ‘staffing’ requirements, both for now and in the future. This is succession planning, and you should aim to have it on the agenda of every executive and leaders’ meeting. By being open and honest and allowing everyone the freedom to speak and offer their opinions and wishes regarding their commitment, the Group will be better prepared to face the recruitment of adults.

Some ideas for alternative rolesOften when recruiting new adults to the Group as volunteers, we think about the traditional leadership roles. However, there are a number of smaller roles that can be recruited to cover duties that are usually left to the Section Leaders of Executive Committee. By recruiting to fill these smaller roles, the leaders and executive committees will be free to deliver the programme and manage the Group. Smaller roles are also easier to fill as they are often more flexible and defined than a Section Leader role. Here are some ideas for smaller roles you may like to recruit.

Quartermaster The Group Secretary is responsible for keeping the inventory up to date and ensuring adequate insurance. They can also deal with the day-to-day upkeep, repair and booking in and out of equipment, which will free up the leaders’ time.

Press and publicity liaison officerLocal media and press publicity can be very influential for members of the public. The best way to generate positive coverage for your Scout Group is to contact your County Media Development Manager who will be happy to help you. This relationship could be specifically managed by one designated person.

Magazine/newsletter/website managerWith modern technology, any of these options would be fine. To attract volunteers and funding, the materials need to look professional. You can use The Scout Association’s Brand Centre to create on-brand materials, including newsletters and recruitment posters. See www.scouts.org.uk/brand

Headquarters managerA headquarters manager can help to maintain the group meeting place – a bit of a handyman who can change light bulbs and perhaps be around during the day to grant access to workmen and other visitors. They could also be responsible for bookings, cleaning and grounds maintenance. This could be an example of where you can break a role down in to smaller, more manageable tasks.

Transport managerHave you got a minibus? If so, someone to keep on top of the maintenance and care of it would be very useful. Is there a local garage store it and maintain it for you? Have you asked them?

Record keepingIs there someone who could keep the badge records for you? You can hand over a copy of your programme and attendance records and they can work out which badges/challenges have been completed. They could order in badges for you too.

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Easy fundraisingDo you have any parents who work for large organisations such as high street banks or insurance companies? Many of these large companies do matched funding for charities their employees are involved with. The parent does not need to take on a specific role in Scouting, they usually just have to take part in the fundraising activity.

RecruitersAre any of your parents involved in marketing, public relations or sales? The skills involved in these jobs mean that these people may be able to help you to engage and enthuse potential volunteers.

Scout Active Support UnitsAdults can form a Group Scout Active Support Unit. This is a way for adults to volunteer flexibly to support the Scout Group. The Unit could have a specific function or it could provide general support when required. For more information, please see www.scouts.org.uk/activesupport

Engaging parentsDid you know that 40 to 45% of new volunteers are parents of children involved in the Group or children waiting to join Scouting? Engaging with parents of the young people in your Group will help you to encourage parents to get involved, and provide you with a new source of volunteers!

Engaging parents of a new child to the Group should start early, setting the expectation that parents will be involved throughout their child’s time in Scouting. There are a number of ways to engage and involve parents in your Group including:

• Give new parents a copy of the parent pack, From Abseiling to Zorbing: a parent’s guide to Scouting. It is designed to answer frequently asked questions and welcome them into Scouting. It includes handy diagrams to illustrate the uniform and badges, and case studies to show Scouting benefits their child and parents who volunteer. The pack is complemented by downloadable inserts so you can personalise the pack with local information.

• Ask parents if they’d like to stay for the first meeting their child attends, so they can see what we do and get used to how a meeting works.

• Talk to the parents to find out more about their career, skills, hobbies and availability; listen to what they say and offer them opportunities to be involved where you think they might be interested. For example, a parent who works in the catering industry might be willing to help with delivering the Healthy Eating Badge for Cubs.

• Get parents involved with a parent rota, give out a copy of the programme and ask each parent to sign up to help at one meeting a term.

• Invite parents to join the Group on camp – parents are more likely to volunteer long-term after a residential experience. The resource Using Camps to Recruit Parents is full of excellent information and hints to help you with this. See www.scouts.org.uk/involvingparents

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AppointmentsAs a Line Manager, you play an important role in guiding and supporting new recruits through the appointments process. You are responsible for agreeing the role description, making sure that the adult is aware of their responsibilities, keeping them up to date on the progress of the application, providing support and ensuring theycomplete their Getting Started requirements within five months.

For details on the appointments process and your involvement please refer to Supporting the Journey - The Appointments Process: guide for managers at www.scouts.org.uk/documents/appointment/Managers.pdf

Induction and welcomeAn effective welcome and induction is the key to giving volunteers the knowledge, confidence and support they need to start their role effectively. It can make all the difference in giving volunteers the encouragement to stay beyond the first few months of their appointment.

When planning the welcome and induction of a new volunteer, remember that everyone is unique and has a different knowledge of Scouting, skills and experiences that they bring to their role; tailoring the activities of a new volunteer to suit them is really important.

When planning an induction start by asking yourself the following questions about your new volunteer:

• Who will they have most contact with?

• Who do they need to build effective relationships with?

• Who is doing a similar role?

• What local facilities (buildings and equipment) will they be using?

• What social (or other) events are coming up in the calendar?

• What meetings do they need to attend?

• Are they aware of the training they need to do and how they will do it?

• What should they be aiming to achieve in the first three to six months?

• Do they have the skills and knowledge to achieve this?

Through these questions you can build up a plan which enables a new volunteer to gain knowledge, skills and experience they may need for their role; to meet the people they will be in contact with, and to show them where they can find help and support.

Key induction activities might include:

• introducing the new recruit to the rest of the Group

• having a checklist of things that they will cover during their induction

• arranging some shadowing so that they can observe someone doing the same or similar role

• making sure that the appointment process is started

• appointing a Training Adviser if necessary.

Alongside the activities detailed in the induction plan, regular contact between the adult and their Line Manager is important in the first few months. Agree how often meetings will occur to check the progress of the induction and highlight any issues that may arise. Also make sure they know who they can contact and how to contact them if they have any questions.

If they are new to Scouting, adults will receive a welcome pack when they are issued with their provisional appointment. This pack is a basic introduction to Scouting in the UK. It can also be helpful to provide your new adult volunteer with local, tailored information about their role and about Scouting in the local area.

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Information could include things like:

• a map of the District

• the District structure

• the contact details for any volunteers they may need to speak to

• dates, times and venues of meetings they need to attend

• the training diary and contact details of their Training Adviser (if relevant)

• role description (if agreed)

• the induction plan that has been agreed

An induction pack template that can be used for Group and District roles can be found at www.scouts.org.uk/induction

ReviewA review in Scouting is simply an opportunity to look at what has happened since someone started their role, or since their last review, and to see what further support and guidance they might need. Reviews can be both formal and informal, depending on what stage an individual is at in the course of their appointment.

When an adult reaches the end date for their current appointment, a formal review should be undertaken to discuss how their time in Scouting has been. Reviews provide the opportunity to say ‘well done’ and ‘thank you’ to your volunteers for their hard work and achievements over the time in their current appointment. It also provides the opportunity to discuss any negative or difficult issues a volunteer may be experiencing in their role. Carrying out a review can help with the decision of whether someone’s role is still right for them, or whether they would be better suited elsewhere.

But reviews do not have to mean a long, formal meeting going over every activity someone has planned and carried out since you last met. An informal review can take the form of be a quiet chat to check that the Beaver Scout Leader has understood the changes to the programme and is happy with implementing them.

If you are organised and spread all reviews out over the year then it will not seem as daunting. Diarise reviews for all leaders along with the other meetings and make sure that everyone knows how important they are and how valuable they can be; it is their chance to provide feedback to you as well. By carrying out reviews, you will be helping your team to become stronger by working together in the same direction.

You can also take this opportunity to set targets or goals for the volunteer. You should be careful not to make this feel too much like work, but by having a plan to work towards you can demonstrate that the Group is moving forward. The leader you are reviewing will probably also set some of their own targets. For example, within the course of your chat, they may let you know that they would like to achieve their Nights Away Permit. This is something you can make a note of and help by advising of the training dates.

There are a number of resources listed below to help you conduct reviews.

FS140049: Group Parents EveningsFS270001: The Data Protection ActFS330084: Group Information FormBS320030: Recruitment of Adult Volunteers www.scoutbase.org.uk/support/integration/resources/index.htmRecruitment prompt card – Information CentreWelcome Prompt Card – Information CentreIn Scotland: Welcome – Information for Parents and Guardians – Scottish HeadquartersBS320032: InductionInduction Prompt card – Information Centrewww.scouts.org.uk/supportresources

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ConclusionScouting is a youth movement that aims to deliver adventurous activities to young people, but that fundamentally relies on adult volunteers to run the activities and support the Group. Balancing the interests and needs of adults against those of the young people is important. Overall, it is important to remember that, although we are all volunteers, we are all working towards the same goal, and it is important to have fun too.

Communication is your most powerful tool and the Group that talks to each other and helps each other out will be the strongest. By planning ahead and communicating that plan to your team, you will build trust and understand, and your aims and methods and will work with you.

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NotesAlthough in some parts of the British Isles, Scout Counties are known as Areas or Islands – and in one case Bailiwick – for ease of reading this resource simply refers to County/Counties. In Scotland there is no direct equivalent to County or Area. In Scotland Scouting is organised into Districts and Regions, each with distinct responsibilities. Some ‘County’ functions are the responsibility of Scottish Regions, whilst others lie with Scottish Districts. The focus of responsibility is outlined in Scottish Variations from POR.

Further support Support is always available from the Scout Information Centre; they can be contacted by phone, email or by post:

t: 0845 300 1818 e: info.centre@scouts.org.ukp: The Information Centre

Gilwell Park Chingford London E4 7QW

For insurance enquiries, please contact Unity Insurance Services at www.scouts.org.uk/insurance

Support is also available from the Regional Development Service (England), who can be contacted through the Information Centre or by email:

e: rds@scouts.org.uk

In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales contact the Country Headquarters at:

e: info@scoutsni.come: shq@scouts-scotland.org.uke: admin@scoutswales.org.uk

www.scouts.org.uk/gslsupport