{"alias":"contentPage","byline":null,"standfirst":null,"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"sidebar","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EIf your Groups have waiting lists that are excessively long or difficult to manage, or you just want a smoother way of managing them, then holding a District waiting list might be the best option for you.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EHow can you set up a waiting list for your District?\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"accordion","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","showExpand":false,"items":[{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA District waiting list is best managed by someone in the District Support Team. Make sure they\u0027re happy with IT and are a friendly face to people wanting to join Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Find someone to manage it"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThere needs to be a strong process in place so everyone knows what\u0027s going on.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHow will young people be added to the list?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYou\u0027ll need Groups to direct their enquiries to you when they\u0027re full, so have a dedicated email address for parents and carers to get in touch with you, that the Groups can distribute. You may want to have a form so that adults can get the right details to you first time.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHow will you know when Groups have space?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EContact Groups at least once a term to ask if they\u0027ll have any space and keep a log of their availability so you don\u0027t have to ask every time an enquiry comes in.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHow will you pass a young person\u0027s details on?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMake sure you have a contact in each Group so that when you pass the details on they\u0027re received by someone and not an empty email address.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","label":"Create a great process"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWhatever you\u0027re using, whether it\u0027s an online tool, spreadsheet or form, make sure you can easily store, view and manage the details.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUse our \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://cms.scouts.org.uk/media/axwduppv/district-waiting-list-template.xlsm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Etemplate waiting list\u003C/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;to help you kick-start your own.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Build your list"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMany Groups are very proud of their waiting list and will be worried that if it\u0027s taken away from them they will run out of young people. But for a District waiting list to work, you need every Group to be on board with it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EExplain the benefits for all:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ENo more back and forth with parents to see if they still want a space - any enquiries they get from District will be good to go.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThose with lower numbers will get a boost from sharing the young people.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThose with long waiting lists will no longer feel the pressure to find spaces.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ETime saved by not having to manage their own list.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EWaiting times will be reduced as distribution across the District is easier.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ECommunication can improve by having a volunteer at District solely dedicated to managing the waiting list.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMore chance of young people getting a place in Scouts.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETalk them through your process and accept feedback on how to improve it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou\u0027ll want to create some wording to send to your Groups so they can update their advertising. For example \u0022Our Group is full and we are currently operating a waiting list, which is managed by our District. If you would like your child to join Scouts, please contact district@district.com and you will be added to the list\u0022\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Get the District on board"}]},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EHow can you manage your waiting list?\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Respond to an enquiry using our example email","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAsk for more details and confirm that you\u0027ll add them to the waiting list.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou\u0027ll want to know their child\u0027s name and date of birth, their name and contact details, and their postcode, so you can give contact details for other Groups local to them.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELet them know a rough idea of when there might be a space with their preferred Group and let them know there are other Groups with a shorter list or immediate access.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBe clear that when a space is available they will need to respond to you promptly, otherwise it will be passed to someone else.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"District Waiting List Initial Email","id":null,"url":"https://prod-cms.scouts.org.uk//media/4gpfbx5r/district-waiting-list-initial-email.docx","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Step 1 - Gather details","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Create your District waiting list from our template","body":"\u003Cp\u003EYou can use online tools, forms or spreadsheets, whatever works for you to manage your waiting list, so long as you can easily store and view their details, keep on top of the admin and contact their adult.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESort and add filters to your list to work out which section everyone is waiting for so you can offer the right person the next space. For example, you might want to sort the list so that those who have been on the list the longest appear at the top and add a filter to show only those for each section.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"District Waiting List Template","id":null,"url":"https://prod-cms.scouts.org.uk//media/axwduppv/district-waiting-list-template.xlsm","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Step 2 - Add them to your list","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Contact them regularly with our termly example email ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWhile someone is on the list contact them regularly to check in. If they\u0027ve found a different club to go to, they might not tell you, so send them a message every term to see if they still need their space and to give an update on timescales.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShare details of other Groups that have space and see if they\u0027d be interested in going elsewhere.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"District Waiting List Termly Email","id":null,"url":"https://prod-cms.scouts.org.uk//media/45ppm30y/district-waiting-list-termly-email.docx","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Step 3 - Keep in touch","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Offer them a place by using our template email","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen a place comes up in a Group, head to the top of your list to see who is next and offer them the place.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBe clear that they need to get back to you or you\u0027ll offer the space to someone else.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAsk for more details like emergency contacts, and medical and additional needs.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPass their details on the Group and advise the Group to get in touch asap to give further information, like when the first meeting is and what they need to bring. Then the Group can take it from there.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"District Waiting List Offering A Place Email","id":null,"url":"https://prod-cms.scouts.org.uk//media/tkdnjceq/district-waiting-list-offering-a-place-email.docx","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":null,"title":"Step 4 - Find them a place","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]},{"items":[{"type":"Plain","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom our 2025 survey of District Lead Volunteers who have a District-managed waiting list:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E84% said that they were able to \u003Cstrong\u003Edistribute young people\u003C/strong\u003E more effectively\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E74% said that they were able to \u003Cstrong\u003Ereduce waiting list duplication\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E84% said youth enquiries are \u003Cstrong\u003Eeasier to manage\u003C/strong\u003E this way\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003E1 - Choose a reliable and efficient coordinator, or even better, build a team.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E2 - Don\u0027t rely on a postcode to find the right Group, ask them if there is an area they would be willing to travel within.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E3 - Let Group Lead Volunteers see the list, then they can contact you to ask for someone if they have space. (Keep your GDPR learning in mind!)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E4 - Set up an automatic reply if using an OSM waiting list, and copy yourself in, so that when someone joins the list you get notified too.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E5 - Create a map on Google Maps. It will help you see better where the Groups are and where the enquirers are so you can find the right place for them.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#ffb4e5","title":"Our surveyed District Lead Volunteers have offered some advice:","image":"/media/20328/mw-22.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1daf3d9907d3b30","imageFocus":"Left","imageId":36575,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"Left","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Plain","cta":"Contact the Support Centre","body":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EPrioritising young people based on certain criteria is possible, provided it\u2019s a fair way to support those people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EYou can take positive action to provide support to potential members who are under-represented because they share that criteria, and it puts them at a disadvantage. But bear in mind that the support needs to be balanced against the potential disadvantage to those who don\u2019t share the criteria.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EInstead of letting people jump waiting lists, use other initiatives, for example:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul style=\u0022margin-top: 0cm;\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cli class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022 style=\u0022mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\u0022\u003ETo become more representative, try changing your advertising to bring more young people of all backgrounds onto your waiting list\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022 style=\u0022mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\u0022\u003EConsider what additional support and outreach you can provide to help young people who are underrepresented and share a disadvantage, for example how you manage and promote your waiting lists\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022 style=\u0022mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;\u0022\u003EIf you\u0027re asking their adults to volunteer try to make sure that if they do, you accept others from the list who don\u0027t have an adult who can volunteer, as a result\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EIf you\u0027re going to set criteria for prioritising young people, you need to be able to justify it and make sure there isn\u0027t something you can do that is less discriminatory to others.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENot sure what to do? 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