Keeping Everyone Safe – Guidance Effective from Tuesday 19 April 2022
Thank you for everything you continue to do to support the safe provision of Scouting activities for everyone. We continue to be indebted to our volunteers for your resilience and creativity, in enabling Scouting to continue during such unprecedented circumstances.
In line with the easing of Scottish Government restrictions, most COVID-19 mitigations will become guidance next week, from Tuesday 19th April, rather than legal requirements.
In line with schools’ guidance, youth work will act on the principles that:
Mitigations for youth work should be retained for no longer than is necessary, based on the state of the epidemic and evidence about risk.
There should be a presumption against placing a greater restriction on children and young people than on the rest of society.
This takes careful account of the evolving risk environment in youth work settings and wider communities. It also seeks to ensure that only those mitigations that are necessary and proportionate to ensure the safety of volunteers and young people are retained.
Continued safe working practices
The virus has not gone away, so Sections should continue to communicate and work with their members and those attending their activities, to implement measures which will help suppress it.
This includes:
keeping premises as well ventilated as possible.
ensuring good hand hygiene and surface cleaning.
supporting those who wish to continue to wear face coverings.
advising that any member displaying COVID related symptoms, should not attend a meeting or event.
We cannot impose other local guidelines, which are no longer required in law.
Risk Assessments
You are reminded about the importance of having a risk assessment for all Scouting activity, including any specific COVID mitigations, and the need to review this regularly.
If using venues owned by third parties, their expectations should be followed, in addition.
Ventilation
In communal spaces, the provision of fresh air into indoor environments is very effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. By taking measures to increase the volume of outside air entering a building, such as opening windows, doors or vents, you can help minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Good hygiene and surface cleaning
Equipment should be cleaned daily or, if groups of children change during the day, on a sessional basis with a standard detergent and disinfectant that are active against viruses and bacteria. Surfaces should be cleaned regularly.
Thank you for everything you continue to do to support the safe provision of Scouting activities for everyone. As we emerge from the Omicron wave of Covid-19, it is now possible to relax some of the additional mitigations that were introduced at the start of the year.
Continued mitigations to supress the virus
Sections should continue to communicate and work with their members and those attending their activities, to implement measures which will help supress the virus.
This includes:
Wearing face coverings.
Supporting people to self-isolate if they are asked to do so by the NHS or through Government advice on testing.
Regularly testing to help break the chains of transmission.
Keeping premises as well ventilated as possible.
Ensuring good hand hygiene and surface cleaning.
Risk Assessments
You are reminded about the importance of having a risk assessment for all Scouting activity, including COVID mitigations, and the need to review this regularly.
Face coverings
Everyone over 12 must continue to wear a face covering when participating in activities indoors, including when seated.
Children under 12 are currently exempt from wearing face coverings but can wear them if they choose.
Face coverings are required by law in most indoor settings. They should be worn by volunteers, young people, and other visitors (unless medically exempt).
Self-isolation and testing
Volunteers and young people over 12 and anyone else participating should be encouraged to adhere to the revised guidance on testing before meeting up with other households, especially indoors, and take lateral flow tests before attending. This can be combined with tests carried out for school. Squirrels, Beavers and Cubs do not need to do rapid tests.
Remind people not to attend if they have symptoms of coronavirus, if they have had a positive LFD or PCR test or if they have been advised to self-isolate because they are a close contact of a positive case.
Self-isolation guidelines vary for adults and young people and, in the case of adults, also depend on their vaccination status. Up-to-date guidelines are available from NHS Inform.
Sections and Groups must keep clear records showing which adults and children spend sustained periods of time together and retain these for up to 21 days. This supports effective practice in following Test and Protect protocols.
Ventilation
If using a communal space, the provision of fresh air into indoor environments is essential to preventing the spread of COVID-19. By taking measures to increase the volume of outside air entering a building, such as opening windows, doors or vents, you can help minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Good hygiene and surface cleaning
Equipment should be cleaned daily or, if groups of children change during the day, on a sessional basis with a standard detergent and disinfectant that are active against viruses and bacteria. Surfaces should be cleaned regularly.
Food and drink preparation and sharing, including cutlery, mugs etc
All crockery and equipment used in the provision of meals and snacks should be cleaned with general-purpose detergent and dried thoroughly before being stored for re-use.
Volunteers should consider whether to permit food and drink to be consumed in the setting used, unless essential for medical reasons.
If you use a kitchen area to make hot drinks or snacks, or access to water, young people and volunteers should bring their own cups/cutlery.
Sharing of food or drink should not take place.
Evening, Excursions and Day Trips
Evening, Excursions, and Day Trips can take place subject to the following conditions:
Appropriate risk assessments being carried out.
Any travel arrangements follow latest guidance.
Adherence to Covid protocols at the destination.
Residential Activities
Residential activities can take place and are subject to all Nights Away protocols.
There are no limits on overnight tent/room occupancy.
There are no limits on expedition group size indoors or outdoors however:
As an appropriate mitigation, it is recommended that everyone over 12 taking part in an overnight visit is asked to undertake a Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test before the trip begins.
You can find the updated Scouts Scotland COVID-19 Framework for the Delivery of Scouting here.
As lockdown measures start to ease we are working with UK headquarters, youth sector partners and governing bodies to understand what a safe return to face to face Scouts may look like when the time comes.
From Thursday 6 January some updates have been made to the youth work guidance. Read our update.
We will continue to follow official guidance. The safety of everyone involved in Scouts, both young people and adults, is our number one priority. That is always at the heart of our decision making.
We will keep this page up to date with guidance, support and funding opportunities for Groups, Districts and Regions in Scotland.
As we continue our route through the Scottish Government’s revised Strategic Framework and broader reopening within society, some additional Government restrictions have now been relaxed for school and youth work visits and trips.
This will allow Scotland to move to Green readiness level, with immediate effect.
Find out everything you need to know here: https://www.scouts.scot/media/2505/november-2021-guidance-and-levels.pdf
We have been advised that the Scottish Government have further eased restrictions in regard to camping and residential experiences. These changes will take effect immediately and remove the limit of numbers in tents and rooms completely. In updating this guidance we are also reminded that in an indoor residential setting face coverings must be worn by all aged 12+ except whist eating and sleeping. The full detail can be found here and the updated summary is as follows:-
Scout Yellow Readiness Level Beyond Level 0 Applies to all Sections and Volunteers
All camps and residential experiences permitted indoors and outdoors.
Scout ratios for both indoors and outdoors must be applied.
No limit on numbers in tents or rooms.
No physical distancing is required indoors or outdoors.
Face Coverings are required indoors for age 12+ except whist eating and sleeping.
As Scotland has moved into ‘beyond level zero’ the Scottish Government has decided to archive youth work specific guidance with immediate effect. What this means is that we no longer have any legal restrictions for the delivery of youth work related activities. However, the revised Scottish Strategic Framework makes it clear that some of the measures, provided for either by regulations or in guidance, will be expected to continue and everyone should continue to act carefully and remain cautious. For further details: https://www.scouts.scot/news-events/news/youth-work-guidance-update-10-august/
Guidance and resources – including a sample Risk Assessment
