Do you have a Child & Youth Protection Policy? We have a Child & Youth Protection Policy which outlines SCOUTS New Zealand’s commitment to protecting the safety of all young people involved with our programmes.  Our full policy can be found on scouts.org.nz

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Do you carry out Police and reference checks? Yes, we do. Safety is a top priority in Scouting, so we have a Police vetting system and reference checks in place to ensure the safety of other volunteers and of course our young people. 

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How can my child benefit from joining Scouts? Parents tell us Scouting gives their children more confidence, responsibility and a broader set of friends. Scouting can help develop your child’s social skills and encourage self-sufficiency, and gives them access to activities and opportunities that may have been otherwise unavailable to them. A huge number of parents agreed that since their child joined Scouting family life was easier and they were ‘nicer children to live with’.  As your child progresses through Scouts, you will see signs of the positive impact their Scouting adventure has on them.

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I don’t feel I have any suitable skills; how can I get involved?  Parents can volunteer and help in many ways; you don’t have to be a regular Bear Grylls. You might have first aid knowledge that you could teach the group, or you might be able to teach our Scouts a thing or two about DIY.

If you’re good with accounts you could be Group treasurer, or if you’re a culinary whizz you could run cooking sessions with the young people. Everyone has a skill (whether you know it or not) and we can make use of it.

There's no pressure to continue as a helper or leader afterwards, but hopefully we'll be able to inspire you by showing how easy and rewarding it can be to volunteer with Scouts.  For more information give our Group Leader a call about becoming a Police Checked Adult helper.

 

My child is moving up a section; what do I need to do to help them prepare?  When the time comes to move up to the next age range, a young person can have mixed feelings: excitement at moving on, sadness at leaving friends behind. Making the transition as smooth as possible goes a long way to helping your child settle into their new section. Have a chat to your section leader when you feel the time is right so between the Leader, Parent and Youth member you can put a plan in place for transition. You would then fill out the transition form to order a new Woggle and Scarf and a larger shirt if needed.

 

How should badges be placed on the Scout uniform? The correct placement of badges on youth and adult uniforms is shown on our Group website