Learning
Growing Roots is the learning you need to do within your first six months as a new volunteer, with Safety & Safeguarding completed within the first 30 days. It covers the basics of Scouts, safety, data protection and creating an inclusive environment.
Growing Roots for Everyone
This is the learning that all new volunteers need to complete within their first six months.
The only people who don’t need to complete this learning are Presidents, Vice Presidents, Non Member – Needs Disclosure, Retired Members and Designated Carers.
Safety
For new volunteers, this learning needs to be completed within the first 30 days of joining.
For existing volunteers, this learning is automatically signed off if you’ve already completed our Safety modules within the last three years.
What you’ll learn
This learning is about how we keep our young people and each other safe. It includes:
How to respond to and report incidents
What our safety policy is and why it’s important
What your responsibilities are in terms of Safety
How to assess and manage risks
Safeguarding
For new volunteers, this learning needs to be completed within the first 30 days of joining.
For existing volunteers, this learning is automatically signed off if you’ve already completed our Safeguarding modules within the last three years.
What you’ll learn
This learning is about how we safeguard our young people and each other. It includes:
How to Safeguard Adults at Risk
What safeguarding is and why it’s important
How to recognise Safeguarding concerns
How to respond to and report Safeguarding concerns
Creating Inclusion
For existing volunteers, this learning is automatically signed off if you’ve completed Module 7 – Scouting for All.
We still recommend everybody completes this learning so that we can help ensure everyone feels welcome at Scouts.
What you’ll learn
This learning is about how we make Scouts a welcoming space for everybody. It includes:
How to challenge discrimination
How to challenge assumptions
Practical ways to be more inclusive in everything we do
How to respond when people need reasonable adjustments
Data Protection in Scouts
For existing volunteers, this learning is automatically signed off if you’ve already completed the GDPR module.
What you’ll learn
This learning is about how we take care of people’s personal data. It includes:
How to respond in case of a data breach or subject access request.
What data protection and personal data is.
How to gather personal data in Scouts.
How to use, share and store personal data in Scouts.
How to delete or archive personal data securely.
Who We Are and What We Do
For existing volunteers, this learning is automatically signed off if you’ve already completed Essential Information (Module 1).
What you’ll learn
This is an introduction to what Scouts is and how we help young people develop skills for life. It includes:
How Scouts create impact.
Our purpose, Promise and values as Scouts.
The support that’s available to you.
How our different teams work together.
Growing Roots for some people
This is the learning some people need to do.
Delivering a Great Programme
This learning needs to be completed by all new Section Team members. For existing volunteers, this learning is automatically signed off if you’ve already completed and validated the following current Modules:
- Module 3 – Tools for the Role (Section Leaders)
- Module 12A – Delivering a Quality Programme
- Module 12B – Programme Planning
- Module 17 – Running Safe Activities
What you’ll learn
This helps our Section Teams to understand how to plan and deliver a safe, balanced and high quality programme for young people in Scouts. It includes:
How to work with parents and carers of our young people.
The Scout Method and how we create impact.
How to involve young people and be youth led.
How to promote positive behaviour when working with young people.
How to plan and run safe and exciting programmes, so young people can achieve their top awards.
Leading Scout Volunteers
This learning will need to be completed by all new Team Leaders and Lead Volunteers, except for Team Leaders of Section Teams and Sub-teams.
For existing volunteers, this learning will be automatically signed off if you’ve already achieved your Manager & Supporter Wood Badge.
What you’ll learn
How to lead on inclusive growth
How to adapt your leadership style
How the Scouts approach to Teams works
How to welcome new volunteers
How to run good reviews with volunteers, and how to recognise them for their work
How to have constructive conversations
How to carry out your responsibilities for permit approvals, activity approvals, and suspensions
Being a Trustee
This learning will need to be completed by all new Trustees.
For existing volunteers, this learning will be automatically signed off if you’ve already completed our current Trustee Introduction module.
What you’ll learn
How to manage risks as a Trustee
What a Trustee is and what responsibilities you have
Where to find resources and support for approaching your responsibilities
How to manage premises
First Response
Although not technically a part of Growing Roots learning, First Response must be completed by some people within 12 months of starting a role. Some volunteers will have different timescales if they’re in other roles before they move over to the new digital system in their County.
First Response
This learning needs to be completed by all Section Team volunteers, Group Lead Volunteers, and 14-24 Team Leaders.
It must be renewed every three years.
What you’ll learn
This is First Aid training at Scouts. It includes:
- Managing a first aid incident
- Offering emergency life support such as CPR
- Helping in situations where a person is unconscious
- Dealing with common Scouting injuries including bleeding, sprains and head injuries
- A basic understanding of some of the major illnesses: asthma, stoke, diabetes, and so on
The First Response content and delivery methods will not change with the introduction of Growing Roots
Re-joining Scouts after a break
If you’re joining or re-joining Scouts after a break of 180 days or more, you’ll need to re-do your Growing Roots learning, even if you’ve completed this learning in a previous role.
http://www.scouts.org.uk shows you what learning you’ll need to complete, but if this doesn’t look right, contact The Scouts Support Centre
Further learning opportunities: Branching Out
Find out about learning opportunities for when you’d like to build your skills here:
Branching Out learning is for when you want to stretch yourself and develop your skills and knowledge.
Some of the Branching Out learning is required if you want to do certain things – like learning for our accreditations. Other learning is there for if, and when, it’s helpful for you.
It covers a wide range of topics, from practical Scouts skills and how to deliver adventurous activities, to how to manage projects and events. Delivery methods vary with some content designed to be delivered face-to-face, in practical skills workshops for example, or as online content on the My Learning digital tool.
You can see what Branching Out will look like by exploring our Learning Tree.
Creating content with volunteers
The Branching Out learning is being developed with volunteers. We’re doing this by designing, developing and testing content with volunteers involved at every stage. This is so we end up with learning content that’s relevant and engaging for you, whether it’s videos, in-person or virtual training sessions or workbooks.
Moving to Branching Out learning
When the My Learning digital tool is available to use, we’ll still be developing our Branching Out learning. Until the new content is ready, some of our existing training modules within the Adult Training Scheme will be continuing. They are:
- Skills of leadership (Module 8)
- Working with adults (Module 9)
- Growing the section (Module 13)
- Residential (Module 16)
- Practical Skills (Module 18)
- International (Module 19)
- Assessing Learning (Module 25)
- Instructing Practical Skills (Module 27)
- Presenting (Module 29)
- Skills for Residential Experience (Module 38)
- Mentoring and Coaching (Module 39)
- Manager and Supporter Skills Courses
Eventually, all content from the Adult Training Scheme will be replaced. We’ll let you know when the new content is available, and when you can take part in testing it.
The Wood Badge
Find out about more about how the Wood Badge will be changing and what this will mean for current volunteers by clicking here
