Transformation Update – 2023-02-14

Posted on

Important: See the later Transformation Update dated 22nd Feb which revises dates referred to in the article below.

The below communication has been received for the Regional Chairman

Good afternoon,

This message is for your information and that of GSL’s, so please pass it on to them.

I attended the latest UKHQ Transformation meeting yesterday evening and I wanted you to be aware that an important change is coming in March and April regarding Group Executives.

These changes are coming just as Districts and Groups are planning their AGM’s and if it is not possible to get the changes implemented in your District or Group before the AGM, then it will be necessary to call an EGM to get approval for the new structure and constitution.

At this stage I can only give you a summary of the planned changes, but as soon as UKHQ circulate the details of the changes I will circulate them, and it will be necessary to call meetings of the District and Group Executives in order that the new structure is fully understood and implemented.

The main change is that Executive Committees at all three levels of Scouting i.e., Group, District and Region will change to Trustee Boards and the members of the Board will carry the full legal responsibilities of a Trustee. This responsibility will be relevant to District and Groups irrespective of whether they are a registered charity with OSCR in Scotland. There will also be a legal requirement to have a new constitution agreed and implemented. Draft constitutions under the new structure will be made available for use by UKHQ but Scouts-Scotland will also be issuing a new constitution format to link in with the requirements of OSCR.

I fully appreciate that you will be looking for more information to get an idea of what a Trustee Board will look like and what the responsibilities are, but until UKHQ provide more detailed information in late February or early March, I am not able to give you any more information which I appreciate is just as frustrating for you as it is for me.  However, we all know that major changes are coming to Scouting during 2023 and into 2024 and the first important one is the move to Trustee Boards. Following on from this, I will be circulating information on the remaining changes which cover:

A Warmer Welcome For New Volunteers in 3 stages

  • Initial awareness of the organisation’s purpose and method, and the wide range of tasks
  • Joining, registering for an opportunity, and matching to a set of tasks that suits the new volunteer’s needs
  • Continue into starting their induction, being safe and prepared.

A More Engaging Learning Experience – a New approach to learning

  • Replacing current adult training scheme with a move from training to learning from an emphasis on ‘have to do’ and ‘telling’ (training) to ‘what can I learn?’ and ‘this is useful and engaging’ (learning)
  • Digital first but not digital only
  • Hosted on digital learning experience platform
  • Reducing heavy admin burden through a member self-service system
  • New content
  • Mandatory core learning with additional earning based on the role in Scouting
  • Wood badge optional

Positive Volunteering Everyday

  • Volunteers working in teams with a clear purpose
  • Clearer roles with titles that everybody can understand this means that the current role titles of GSL, CSL, DC, ADC will disappear
  • Clear expectations from Scouting and volunteers, with commitment to building a positive volunteering culture
  • Individuals contributing in a way that matches their skills, interest and availability
  • Healthy culture of diversity and inclusion

New Structure of Scouting at Regional, District and Group level

  • Please refer to the below slides

I appreciate that this will be challenging for all of us across West Region, but it will also be an exciting time to be involved in moving forward Scouting.

As I have stated, once I have the information from UKHQ and Scouts-Scotland I will pass it one , but I will also be planning to meet with District and Group Teams and Executives from mid-March onwards to ensure that we can have a smooth and forward-thinking transformation during 2023 and 20254. In the meantime, please contact me with any issues that you have concerns about, and I will do my best to answer them.

Finally, can I remind, as I was strongly reminded yesterday evening, to ensure that all individual Compass records are current. I know that we have volunteers who do not have emails, access to computers etc., and this was a concern for those who wish to continue volunteering. UKHQ have advised that the new digital system will have a proxy facility whereby another volunteer can manage the data for someone who has no access to the new digital system. Again, more of this to follow.

Regional Structure
District Structure
Group Structure