Thank you for offering to volunteer with 1st Douglas Scout Group.
Whether you’re helping regularly with Beavers, Cubs or Scouts, joining our Trustee Board, or supporting the Group in another way, there are a few straightforward steps we need to work through before your volunteer role is fully set up.
We’ll help you through the process, so don’t worry if you haven’t volunteered with Scouts before.
1. Send us your basic details
The first step is to complete our short New Volunteer Details form.
This gives us the basic information we need to find or create your record on the Scouts membership system.
Complete the form here:
https://1stdouglas.org.im/newvolunteer
It should only take a couple of minutes.
Please don’t send us copies of passports, driving licences or other identity documents through the form. Any identity checks needed later will be dealt with separately.
2. Look out for an email from Scouts
Once we’ve added you to the Scouts membership system, you should receive an email from Scouts inviting you to sign in at scouts.org.uk.
When you first sign in, you’ll be asked to check and complete some personal information and complete your volunteer declaration.
Your role will initially show as provisional while the joining steps are being completed.
Scouts has a useful Quick Start guide explaining how to sign in and complete these first steps:
Scouts Quick Start guide
https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/volunteer-experience/digital-tool-guides/quick-start/
3. Criminal record check / DBS
For most roles involving our young people, a criminal record check will be required.
Once you have completed the necessary details and declaration on My Membership, we can start this process with you.
You’ll normally receive separate instructions for completing the application. We’ll also need to check suitable identity documents with you as part of the process.
You do not need to email copies of your identity documents to us.
4. References
As part of the Scouts joining process, you’ll normally be asked to provide details for at least two referees.
You enter these directly into My Membership and Scouts will contact them.
Referees should be aged 18 or over and must not be relatives. At least one should normally have known you for at least five years, and one should be from outside Scouts.
There’s more information here:
Scouts guidance on references
https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/volunteer-experience/digital-tool-guides/references/
5. Welcome Conversation
Most new volunteers will also have a Welcome Conversation.
This isn’t an interview. It’s an opportunity for us to welcome you properly, talk through the role, explain how the Group works, answer any questions and make sure you know where to go for support.
For volunteers joining one of our Section Teams, this will normally involve the Group Lead Volunteer and another Scouts volunteer from outside the Group who is accredited to take part in Welcome Conversations.
Trustees who only hold a Trustee role don’t normally need a Welcome Conversation.
You can read more about them here:
Understanding Welcome Conversations
https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-things-locally/tools-to-support-leadership-teams/welcoming-volunteers/welcome-conversations/
6. Introductory learning
You’ll also see any learning you need to complete through My Membership.
The exact learning depends on your role. You don’t need to work everything out yourself — My Membership will show you what applies to you, and we can help if anything is unclear.
How long does everything take?
You can usually start getting involved with the Group while the joining process is underway, subject to the appropriate safeguarding arrangements for your role.
Some parts of the process depend on external checks or other people responding, so they won’t all necessarily complete at the same time.
The important thing is to get your My Membership account set up and start the required actions. We’ll keep an eye on your progress and help with anything that gets stuck.
Need any help?
If you don’t receive your Scouts login email, can’t access My Membership, aren’t sure what you need to complete, or have any other questions, please get in touch with us.
You won’t be expected to navigate the process on your own.
Thanks again for offering your time to 1st Douglas. Our volunteers make it possible for us to provide Scouting to more than 100 young people across the Group, and we really appreciate you getting involved.
Useful links
New Volunteer Details form
https://1stdouglas.org.im/newvolunteer
Scouts Quick Start guide
https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/volunteer-experience/digital-tool-guides/quick-start/
Scouts Volunteer Joining Journey
https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-things-locally/tools-to-support-leadership-teams/welcoming-volunteers/joining-journey/
References guidance
https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/volunteer-experience/digital-tool-guides/references/
Welcome Conversations
https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-things-locally/tools-to-support-leadership-teams/welcoming-volunteers/welcome-conversations/