AMENDMENT: Amended Jan 2006 - Ratios of adults to young people; Amended Nov 2006 - clarification of ratios.
Size of Colony
The recommended maximum size for a Colony is 24 Beaver Scouts.
This number may be exceeded with the agreement of the Group Scout Leader.
When deciding on the Colony size, Leaders should take into account the leadership available and the capacity of the meeting venue and whether it might be more effective to run more than one Colony.
Leadership
The operation of the Colony must be overseen by a Warranted Leader.
The Warranted Leader must plan to ensure that at least two adults (aged 18 or over) are present at the Colony meeting, at least one of whom should hold a Warrant.
In the event of a Warranted Leader not being able to attend the Colony meeting, it is possible on occasions for another adult, with youth leadership experience, to take their place at the meeting or similar event, as long as the Group Scout Leader is consulted and supports the arrangement. Such adults must have satisfactorily completed the Personal Enquiry process and would normally have completed Getting Started or the equivalent.
Other than two adults being present there is no minimum ratio of adults to Beaver Scouts set for regular indoor Colony meetings, but Leaders should arrange for sufficient adults (aged 18 or over) to ensure a safe meeting environment for the operation of the Colony, which may vary depending on the programme.
It is good practice to have a mixed leadership team.
The recommended minimum ratio for both outdoor activities held away from the usual meeting place and sleepovers is 1 adult to 6 Beaver Scouts plus the Leader in charge.
Age Range, Uniform and Programme
The core age range of the Beaver Scout Colony is from 6 years to 8 years. A young person may join at 5¾ years and remain until 8½ years (see also Rule 3.11b).
Beaver Scouts wear the approved uniform with distinguishing badges and scarves as described in Chapter 10.
All Beaver Scouts should be offered a Balanced Programme, run in accordance with the Association's official publications for the Section.
Minimum Standards
The minimum standard for a Beaver Scout Colony is:
Operation overseen by a Warranted Leader (Rule 3.7c)
Two adults present (Rule 3.7d)
The delivery of an appropriate Balanced Programme (Rule 3.7j)
The District Commissioner, with the District Team, is required where necessary to assist Colonies to reach the minimum standards detailed above.
If a Colony fails to reach the minimum standard for 2 consecutive years, the District Commissioner, with the approval of the District Executive Committee, may close it. If it fails to reach the minimum standard for 3 consecutive years, it must be closed.
