Changes in the Way Parents Support Their Children

Times are changing and we have to change the way that all parents engage and support their children in the Dunning Scout Group. The law in Scotland has changed regarding safeguarding, and we also need more volunteer Members:

• All parents will be required to be vetted through Scotland’s “PVG” scheme, starting with parents of Beavers and Cubs in this coming month.
• We need a few more adult volunteers to become team members of all Scout sections/units (Beavers, Clubs, Scouts and Explorers)
• We need 2 more volunteers to join the Trustee Board
• We need an army of volunteers to support 3 significant fund-raising BBQs at community events this year

We’ll have a couple of drop in sessions (dates TBC) to sort out PVG applications before Easter holidays. You can chat about other volunteering options too.

Beavers and Cubs will not be able to run meetings or events if we do not have sufficient PVG-cleared adults to support next term. Read on to understand the details.

PVG and Safeguarding

On 1 April 2026 all those aged 16 or older who have direct contact with under-18s in organised youth groups must have a valid Disclosure through joining the PVG Scheme in Scotland. 

All our existing volunteer members hold a PVG, but this will be extended to all parents who may be expected to help on a parent rota or support group events. Young Leaders aged 16 or over will also be required to hold a PVG. Application is fairly simple process (simplified in the past 12 months): 

1. Basic Details. We will require basic details of each adult: name, date of birth, home address, email; if you already hold a current PVG, we also require your number
2. ID check. A group of accredited volunteers (Nathan, Cat, Carol and Rob) will check this data and sight 3 forms of ID (including at least one photo ID)
3. Submission. Your details will be submitted to Disclosure Scotland via Scouts Scotland for vetting.
4. Queries. If there is any issue with your PVG application you (and only you) will receive an email from Scouts Scotland and/or Disclosure Scotland and you must respond within 14 days if you wish to query anything. Dunning Scouts see no such detail.
5. Approval. Hopefully you will receive notification via email within a few weeks if all approved, and then you can directly support your child.

Young Leaders aged 16 & 17 have a similar process. There is no cost for either adults or Young Leaders volunteering to join the PVG Scheme.

The full detail is at https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/criminal-record-checks/scotland/changes-to-criminal-record-checks-in-scotland/changes-to-criminal-record-checks-in-scotland/ 

Please contact the Group Lead Volunteer (Nathan - gsl@dunning.rocks ) or myself (chair@dunning.rocks) if you have concerns about applying for a PVG.

Volunteer Members

The Group was founded almost 9 years ago by a group of parents, and we’ve since been joined by loads of other people keen to make a difference.  We all volunteer our time to help our children and their friends have a great time. But children grow up, and jobs and priorities change, so we need more of you to help out for at least a few hours per month to fill our Group with fresh ideas and good energy.

We have 2 types of formal volunteer roles:

• Scouts section/unit “Team Member” - these are the lovely people you see most weeks planning and running meetings and events in Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers:
  • Beavers Team Member
  • Cubs Team Member
  • Scouts Team Member
  • Explorer Unit Team Member (managed by Perth & Kinross Scouts).
• Trustee Team - you seldom see the trustees in daylight, but they ensure Scouting is safe, supported and well-run: Trustee - Group Support & Admin Team

Member Training Commitment 

You don’t need to join with a knowledge of knots, tents and lighting fires. You’ll find a lot of support from other volunteers (mostly parents of Scouts) and there is a really helpful set of online training modules to give you the basics (each takes 20-30 minutes to complete):

For all Volunteer Members:

• Within 30 days: Safety; Safeguarding.
• Within six months: Inclusion; Data protection; Scouting - what it’s all about

Volunteer Members working directly with young people within a Scouts section team (Beavers/Cubs/Scouts/Explorers):

• Within 6 months a "welcome conversation" with nominated Group Leaders
• Within 12 months complete in-person First Responder (First Aid) training: 4-6 hours in Perth or Dunning

Once you’ve completed your “Growing roots” training it’s up to you - there are loads of opportunities for you developing other skills - archery, hill walking, watersports… possibilities are literally endless.

https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-things-locally/tools-to-support-leadership-teams/welcoming-volunteers/joining-journey/ 

BBQ - Fundraising

We have been invited to run burger stalls at Little Dunning (Sat 6 June), Scrufts Dog Show (Sat 15 Aug) and the Duck Race (Sat 22 Aug) - each of these community events will raise the Group a few hundred pounds, which will support Scouting throughout the year, as well as maintain the profile of the Scouts within Dunning.

This year we have to run a licensed stall, which means all those involved in the cooking must complete an appropriate Food Hygiene course. It’s online training, about an hour long and we have purchased 10 ‘seats’ through a grant from PKC’s ‘Fairer Communities For All’ fund. We also received funding to purchase gas BBQ grills to hopefully make our successful burger stalls a little easier on the volunteers.

Contact chair@dunning.rocks if you’d be able to help on any of the 3 dates.