The Scout Association has a number of policies and procedures to make sure our members are kept safe and treated fairly.
More information on policies and procedures is available on Scoutbase

The Equal Opportunities Policy
Young People

The Scout Association is part of a world-wide educational youth movement. The values which underpin and inspire its work are embodied in the Scout Promise and Law and in the Purpose of the Association.

Within this framework, the Association is committed to equality of opportunity for all young people.

Accordingly:

a. The Scout Association is committed to extending Scouting, its Purpose and Method to young people in all parts of society.

b. No young person should receive less favourable treatment on the basis of, nor suffer disadvantage by reason of:

• class;
• ethnic origin, nationality (or statelessness) or race;
• gender;
• marital or sexual status;
• mental or physical ability;
• political or religious belief.

All Members of the Movement should seek to practise that equality, especially in promoting access to Scouting for young people in all parts of society. The Scout Association opposes all forms of racism.

Note: With reference to gender, Membership of the youth Sections of the Association is open to girls and young women of the appropriate ages.

Leaders and other volunteers

To carry out its work the Association seeks to appoint effective and appropriate Leaders, and to involve other volunteers in supporting roles, all of whom are required to accept fully the responsibilities of their commitment.

The overriding considerations in making all appointments in Scouting shall be the safety and security of young people, and their continued development in accordance with the Purpose of the Association.

Accordingly, all those whom the Movement accepts as volunteers must be 'fit and proper' persons to undertake the duties of the particular position to which they have been appointed (including, if relevant, meeting the requirements of the Sponsoring Authority) and, where appropriate, the responsibilities of Membership.

In making an appointment to a particular leadership or support position it may be appropriate to consider the gender and/or ethnicity of the potential appointee, in particular to ensure appropriate composition of leadership or supporting teams.

The physical and mental ability of a particular potential appointee to fulfil a particular role will always be a relevant factor to consider.

Within these constraints, and those imposed by the need to ensure:

the safety and security of young people;
the continued development of young people; and
equal opportunities for all;
no person volunteering their services should receive less favourable treatment on the basis of, nor suffer disadvantage by reason of:

• age;
• class;
• ethnic origin, nationality (or statelessness) or race;
• gender;
• marital or sexual status;
• mental or physical ability;
• political or religious belief.

Note: Paedophilia is a bar to any involvement in the Scout Movement.

Note: With reference to religious belief, the avowed absence of religious belief is a bar to appointment to a Leadership position.

The Religious Policy
The Scout Movement includes Members of many different forms of religion. The following policy has received the approval of the heads of the leading religious bodies in the United Kingdom.

All Members of the Movement are encouraged to:

make every effort to progress in the understanding and observance of the Promise to do their best to do their duty to God;
belong to some religious body;
carry into daily practice what they profess.
If a Scout Group is composed of members of several denominations or religions, the Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scouts should be encouraged to attend services of their own form of religion.

Development Policy
Subject to the Rules governing age ranges and mixed Membership the Scout Movement is open to all young people of whatever background.

The Scout Association recognises, however, that access to Scouting is not equally available to all groups and communities across society as a whole.

The Programme and Development Forum and the Programme and Development Staff Team at Scottish Headquarters support the Movement in Scotland in its work in making Scouting available to all.

In particular, through the use of innovation and experiment, it supports local Scouting in meeting the needs of young people in areas of urban disadvantage or priority, in highly rural areas, and among the minority ethnic communities.

It also works in collaboration with other agencies to support those disadvantaged young people who might benefit from its programme and ethos, and who may never become full Members of the Movement.

The Programme and Development Team supports local Scouting in a number of different ways:

• through the production and distribution of development material;
• through the sharing of experience and models of good practice;
• through support and advice from Scottish Headquarters staff, volunteer and professional;
• through recommendations to the Development Fund for financial support.