Tips for Scout parents
This guide was developed to give a broad overview on how to support your child through their Scouting career.
How to support my child in Scouting
Make a commitment
Be supportive of your child's commitment to Scouting and encourage them to attend every meeting and activity. Make sure you get your child to every activity on time, properly dressed and in the mood to participate fully.
Communication
Keep good communication with the adult leaders. Get a group calendar so you will know when and where activities or meetings are. Make sure to submit the required paperwork (application forms or parent consent forms) and pay membership fees on time.
Invest some of your time into the Scout Group
If you truly want your child to get the maximum benefit from the Scout program, you might seriously consider stepping up to assist. This could be as an adult leader, parent committee member, fundraising assistant, maintenance assistant, assisting with transport to camp, etc. You will learn more about the Scout programme, which will directly benefit your child.
Help your child – but not TOO much!
There is a big difference between helping a child do something and doing it for them. Encourage attendance and your child how their advancement and badges are progressing. Set some time each week to talk about their progress in their Scouting career.
Trust your adult leaders
The adult leaders in the Scout movement are especially trained to keep your children safe. When they plan adventure activities such as hikes and camps, they will have given a lot of thought to safety and how to deal with emergency situations.
Enjoy the ride!
Have fun, get to know the other Scouts and the leaders. You too can get enjoyment and fun out of Scouting.
Time commitment
Most Scout programmes run for 2 to 2,5 hours weekly (usually on a Friday), except during school holidays. Your child will need to make a commitment to attend these meetings. There will also be several weekend activities that they should attend.
What will I need to spend
- Each Group will have annual membership fees to cover the costs of running the Scout programme. These are usually payable quarterly.
- Weekend activities such as camps are usually charged separately.
- Your child will need a uniform and the Scout advancement book ("My Scout Journey").