Welcoming adults
Tools and resources to help new adults to feel valued and supported.
“A good induction makes a real difference in ensuring that volunteers are able to contribute quickly and feel like a real part of local Scouting”.
New volunteers are welcomed to Scouts through the joining journey. Digital tools help with checks and learning. By following Our Volunteer Culture, you’ll help new volunteers feel valued, supported and confident from the start.
Check out the things we can do to make our volunteers welcome.
As a Team Leader or Lead Volunteer, you’ll check in with new volunteers in their first weeks. You’ll explain how Scouts works, checks required, learning they’ll need to do and share the Safe scouting cards. You’ll introduce them to others, agree tasks, discuss making the Promise and getting a uniform (if relevant), share the welcome pack and explain where to get support.
As part of the induction, Team Leaders and Team Members help volunteers understand their tasks, find what they need and feel part of the team. Linking them with a buddy gives support in their first few months.
Young Leaders, (including those that complete the Young Leaders Scheme), Explorer Scouts, Network members need to complete each step of the joining journey, relevant for their new adult volunteer role, even if they already know the other adult volunteers.
A volunteer who’s going to be a Trustee, is appointed at the Annual General Meeting, after an open selection process or co-opted by Trustees at a Trustee Board meeting during the year. This is not needed for roles such as Lead Volunteers or Youth Leads, where being a Trustee is automatically part of their role.
Volunteers complete the joining journey within their first six months. More than one step can be completed at a time. Some steps need to be completed within the first 30 days of a volunteer’s start date on My Membership.
To find out more about the different parts of the Volunteer joining journey, click the image above. It includes information on:
- How to add a new volunteer to My Membership
- Declarations – what they are and how they’re completed
- Criminal record checks – how they works and when they’re completed
- Scouts internal checks – what happens
- References – Why they’re important and when they must be collected
- Welcome conversations – how they work, who’s involved and why they’re so valuable
- Growing Roots learning – what’s included, and who needs to do what
- Eligibility checks for Trustees – what’s involved and what guidance there is
These Scouts resources will help you welcome new volunteers: