{"alias":"contentPage","byline":null,"standfirst":null,"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"sidebar","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp style=\u0022text-align: justify;\u0022 class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFS120086 (Published November 2024 Replacing October 2023)\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThis guidance provides support for those using external providers to help deliver activities to members of the Scouts, providing support with choosing a suitable provider, managing the activity safely and some FAQs.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EChoosing an external provider\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou must choose a provider who meets the requirements for the activity as laid out by the Scouts; you can find this information in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/?orderBy=title%20asc\u0026amp;category=Adventure\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Activity Finder\u0022 data-anchor=\u0022?orderBy=title%20asc\u0026amp;category=Adventure\u0022\u003EActivity Finder\u003C/a\u003E, or for some activities in POR. The \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/general-activity-guidance/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022General Activity Guidance\u0022\u003EGeneral Activity Guidance\u003C/a\u003E pages also provide additional information about many activities. Requirements include the suitability of different centres and the instructor qualifications.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECheck with other Scout volunteers in your area or your District or County programme team to see if they have any recommendations. You will still need to check if a recommended provider meets the requirements.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"accordion","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","showExpand":false,"items":[{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) is an agency set up by the Government to inspect and license all those who provide certain commercial adventurous activities to under 18s (this is a UK scheme but not operational in Northern Ireland). Activities shown as requiring an AALA licence cannot legally be run by external providers except where this licence is held. Where a provider holds an AALA licence there is no need to check their qualifications as the licencing system has checked them to be a safe provider. AALA providers can be found or verified using the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://aala.hse.gov.uk/aala/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022HSE AALA list\u0022\u003EHSE search list.\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAALA does not cover all outdoor activities and exemptions may apply to other voluntary bodies and education authorities. AALA also does not cover activities for those over 18. Where AALA is not required or available, members must make sure the minimum level of qualifications required are in place.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Accreditations and qualifications"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFinding providers outside the UK can be more complex or challenging than finding providers in the UK, further guidance has been provided in FS120085 Adventurous activities abroad. The Adventurous Activity Licensing Authority (AALA) doesn\u2019t exist outside the UK, so checks need to be made that providers hold appropriate level qualifications instead. And National Governing Body qualifications are different in most countries, so need to be checked that they are of an equivalent standard to those required in the UK.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Activities Overseas"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMaking sure that the provider has sufficient insurance cover in place is a key step in selecting a provider. Providers should be willing or provide you with a copy of their insurance certificate, and many share these on their websites for you to easily have access to. If you have any questions about the insurance in place you can seek advice from Unity, the Scouts Insurance provider.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPOR outlines the minimum requirement for insurance cover, for most activities this is a minimum of \u00A35 million of public liability insurance whilst for some activities such as flying there are additional requirements. This amount is set using advice from Unity and industry norms, as an accessible level of cover for the types of activities members are undertaking.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EPersonal Insurance - Indemnity Clauses and Waivers\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore entering into any agreement that includes an indemnity clause, the agreement must be referred to Unity. An indemnity clause is an agreement to reduce or remove the provider\u2019s responsibility in the event of an accident to a participant, damage to personal property or other financial responsibility.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome providers, for instance, trampoline parks, may ask for a waiver to be signed for each participant. Waivers must be signed by parents/carers on behalf of their own young person, volunteers can only sign for their own participation. Any waiver should also be referred to Unity.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Insurance"}]},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EManaging the activity\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen an external provider is used for an activity, the Leader in charge always retains overall responsibility to make sure the activity is well managed and run in line with Scouts POR requirements.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, if using an external provider for a mountain biking session, as well as checking the provider meets the requirements outlined above for accreditations/qualifications and insurance the provider must also make sure that our rules relating to cycling are followed, this includes the wearing of a helmet, environment, etc.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s not expected that the external provider reads the whole of POR but the Leader in Charge is still responsible for making sure that the activity is run safely and in line with the Scouts rules, so they should identify relevant rules and pass this information onto the provider.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003ESupervision\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EExternal instructors must not have unsupervised access to young people. If a volunteer thinks at any time that an activity is unsafe, they have the authority to stop, modify or cancel it. It is advisable that such situations are notified to the District Lead Volunteer and to HQ as a near miss.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EExternal providers may determine the group sizes within their procedures, we would encourage a discussion prior to the activity to allow the Leader in Charge to understand this and be clear on where Scout volunteers need to be in order to meet our supervision requirements. The ratios for activities listed in POR relate to the delivery of the activity through the Scouts permit scheme and therefore this can be varied for external providers.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFAQs\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"accordion","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","showExpand":false,"items":[{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA Scout member can also be an external provider; indeed many activity instructors are Scout volunteers. However, there must be a clear divide between the two roles. To deliver an activity as an external provider, they must meet the requirements for the activity and the activity should be clearly run as an externally provided activity (including supervision, insurance, qualifications etc). As a Scout volunteer, they can only lead an activity within the Scout rules and Permit scheme.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Can a Scout member also be an external provider?"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EScout campsites may have systems in place which allow them to provide externally to non-members and the general public. However, to meet Unity Insurance requirements, they must operate within Scout POR. For example, if they run a Summer Camp for young people, the supervision ratios should be those set in Scout POR.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Can a Scout campsite be an external provider?"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-family: \u0027Nunito Sans\u0027;\u0022\u003EBe clear about who is responsible for what. Have a separate Site risk assessment and External Provider activity risk assessment. Make sure all elements are considered; for instance, if an External Provider is bringing the equipment this would be on their activity risk assessment, while if site equipment is to be used this will be on the site\u2019s risk assessment.\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","label":"What happens when an External Provider leads an activity at a Scout Premises?"},{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cp style=\u0022text-align: justify;\u0022 class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ESomeone coming to speak with your section about a topic is not an external activity provider and therefore does not require insurance. If they are providing an activity such as circus skills or bringing animals to the section, then this would be deemed an activity with risks and therefore insurance must be in place.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Does a visitor / guest speaker need public liability insurance?"}]}]},{"items":[{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/por/9a-activities/#9a.6\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Rule 9a.6 Use of External Centres and Instructors\u0022 data-anchor=\u0022#9a.6\u0022\u003ERule 9a.6\u003C/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;Use of External Centres and Instructors\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#ffe627","title":"Rules relating to externally led activities","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":"Support for those using external providers to deliver activities to members of the Scouts.","pageType":null,"location":null,"browserTitle":"","versionDate":"15 July 2023","reviewDate":"26/01/2021","redirectUrl":"","id":46961,"nodeName":"Externally Led Activities","title":"Externally Led Activities","type":"contentPage","image":{"url":"/media/2923/young-leader-explorer-with-beaver-scout-jpg.jpg?cc=0,0.1316880537446079,0,0.02456194625539225\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dafa1c845a0010","caption":"Explorer Young Leader with Beaver helping","type":"jpg","size":6087665,"width":5616,"height":3744,"altText":"An Explorer Young Leader helps a Beaver with an activity."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Externally Led Activities","headerSubTitle":"This guidance provides support for those using external providers to deliver activities to members of the Scouts, providing support with choosing a suitable provider, managing the activity safely and some FAQs.","headerCta":"","headerCtaText":"","headerCtaLink":"","headerBackgroundColour":"ffe627","showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":[]},"subHeader":"Support for those using external providers to deliver activities to members of the Scouts.","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80Njk2MSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/general-activity-guidance-a-z/externally-led-activities/"}