Welcome to all new parents
Welcome to 1st Caringbah Scout Group, a ‘family oriented’ Group with a long and continuous history.
The following is in progressive sections, so you can start reading at the stage or information level appropriate for you.
Completely new to scouting
At your first visit to the hall, with your child, you will meet with one of the leaders of that section, joeys, cubs, scouts or venturers. As the leaders have to manage the programme and the youth, this may be a little rushed, unless there is a leader with some spare time. You are welcome to observe the activities with your child and maybe some participation is possible. The leaders will advise if there is a wait list.
If your child is ‘waitlisted’ be assured that our list is monitored regularly both by section leaders and the GL.
The leaders will advise the next steps to be taken and you can return for up to three weeks at which point you make a decision about whether your child wishes to join. This is also a decision to complete registration forms and to commit to paying the Group fees for that section.
The Group Leader (GL) or Assistant Group Leader (AGL) can also be contacted for more information.
Joining process
Your child wants to join.
Download the Y1 form from the Scouts NSW website and complete, sign it (both Parents) and pass it to a leader, who will enter your details on our database—called SGM. This will trigger our membership secretary to advise you of the fees due for this year, or part of year. You will also be sent an email to set up care profile for the applicant on CareMonkey.
You can buy the shirt for that section and ensure that your scout conforms to dress codes (which includes always having closed in shoes in the hall and grounds).
Registration process
When your fees are received (by EFT only please, with your name as ID) the GL or AGL will sign the Y1 and pass it to Region HQ who issue a registration number which covers your scout with the State Scout pubic liability insurance policy (but NO medical cover). Your child is now a registered scout but badges and scarf cannot be worn until the scout is ‘invested’ into the section by the leaders.
Home visit by the GL
Scouting is not like a sport and is not a ‘club’. It is much more. Activities in scouting are much more varied than following a set of sports rules once a week and building skills within that sport or club (such as chess or martial arts etc). We aim to add to the seven types of ‘intelligence’ that humans have. It is a big task and requires parents to understand our goals.
You should have in mind that we expect your scout to be in our group for about six years. This makes it worthwhile for the scout and makes all the leader training worth while.
The traditional nuclear family is now the minority style of parenting in the English speaking world and we need to understand how your family will fit into the scouting way of life and the skills that you may bring to the Group. Parents cannot expect everything to be done for them, as leaders also have families and jobs.
Communication
The primary communication method is email.
The term programme is emailed out in advance
Most sections send an email each week with more detailed information and other news.
CareMonkey and parental approval
This programme is used in schools in Victoria and now starting in NSW. It is a secure system which asks you to complete many details about your child and covers allergies, medical information, special needs etc. It is transferable across schools and scouts so only has to be set up once (but it must be kept up to date when circumstances change such as medicines or diagnoses etc).
We use it to save time and paper when scouts are on an outside activity and parental permission is required. It also allows us to quickly identify special needs and emergency contact information. Your approval can be given on line instead of having to manually fill up a form every activity.
We have 100% compliance from our families so we ask you be prompt in registering with CareMonkey once you receive the request.
Going up
There are age limits in each section and your scout will ‘go up’ when of age but also when considered suitable for a higher section. The leaders know the scouts and know that some need more time in a section while others can be sent up early. Your opinion is also important but not the deciding factor and the scout may have friends that they wish to go up with.
Badge work and skills development
There are recognised skill levels in scouting, the later ones recognised by the community and the highest ones recognised by university entrance panels and business and management schools. This is also true for leader training. Our activity level training is of a nationally recognised accredited standard and Scouts Australia is a registered training organisation and subject to national audit.
Encouraging your scout to reach ‘Joey promise’ badge level, Cub Grey Wolf, Scout medallion level, Queen scout award and BP award in Rovers, will be a clear career advancement step, as well as forming a good citizen in the community, not to mention the sense of self-worth and confidence for the scout at a critical stage of their self-awareness and help them overcome the normal phase of self-doubt that these days remains unresolved for them in these confusing times.
Parent encouragement is vital.
Group support committee (GSC)
We are fortunate to have a full and a very active and very competent parent committee who administer our Group and free up the leaders to concentrate on running the Scout section programmes. All parents are encouraged to attend at least one meeting and to volunteer for various positions. All parents will be required to support our fundraising efforts to the best of their ability and to assist with maintenance of our assets and transport. There can be no-one totally exempted, except for major health or family crisis reasons, no matter what family structure you have chosen as a life-style (ie all our spare time goes towards some other activity than scouting).
Child protection
Scouting is a leading change maker in the development of child protection legislation and practice.
All our leaders receive detailed training in child protection and this culture is deep in our scout group. Any questions or concerns that you have should addressed to the leaders, or GL or AGL as soon as they arise. Serious matters will be referred to the relevant outside authorities (community services or police) at the same time as within scouting. There is no waiting for ‘higher permission’ where a serious breach occurs.
Conflict resolution
There will always be times when personality conflicts or misunderstandings arise between youth members, youth and leaders, leaders and leaders and the whole group and outside bodies
The GL is ultimately accountable for the group and can be spoken to or emailed at any reasonable time and the AGL (a female leader) is available for this as well. Both GL and AGL have many years’ experience and have reared children to adulthood.
Higher levels include a District Commissioner, State Commissioner as well as section commissioners. Very few youth organisations have such depth.