Joining and Moving on policy

This updated policy is hereby adopted due to the oversubscription of all sections, on all nights that sections run, namely Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Moving on and joining currently takes place bi-annually, currently March/April and October/November. This is under review and may change for operational purposes.

Parents of Young people joining the Group are advised that accepting a place on a particular night means they will graduate and move on to the section above them on that night for their time in Scouting until they join the Explorer Scout Unit (ESU). The ESU meets every Thursday during Term time.

Due to repeated requests for transfer between nights the policy has been updated to return young people requesting transfers between nights to the joining list. This will be implemented across all sections following the model previously adopted by some sections.

Members shall be transferred back to the joining list automatically via Online Scout Manager (OSM) if there is no space at their requested section. Moving On spaces in sections below and above the members desired section must also be considered before accepting any transfer request. Returning members to the joining list automatically uses their “joined movement date” as they have received a scouting opportunity. This means that the member returning to the joining list will still be listed ahead of anyone that joined after that members “joined movement date”. Any badge record data lost during the transfer process is not the responsibility of 1st Strathaven Scouts or its Volunteers and remains at the transferred members risk. The Scout Association aims to offer Scouting to as many people as possible, regardless of the length of that experience.

Spaces are offered in the following priority;

1. Members Moving On within the same night
2. Members who are cared for/reside with Group Volunteers
3. Transfers moving into the area from outwith the District to ease moving house transition (National policy)
4. Siblings of members in the group
5. Children who have been on the joining list the longest (Transfers returned to the list at their joined movement date)

Accepted, ratified and adopted by the 1^st Strathaven Scout Group Board of Trustees on 1^st August 2025

You can download this policy here.