AMENDMENT: Amended Jan 2006 - Ratios of adults to young people; Amended Nov 2006 - clarification of ratios.
Size of Troop
There is no recommended maximum size for a Troop. When deciding on the Troop 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 Troop.
Leadership
The operation of the Troop must be overseen by a Warranted Leader.
The Warranted Leader must plan to ensure at least two adults (aged 18 or over) are present at the Troop meeting, at least one of whom should hold a Warrant.
In the event of the Warranted Leader not being able to attend a Troop 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 Scouts set for regular indoor Troop meetings, but Leaders should assess the risk and arrange for sufficient adults (aged 18 or over) to ensure a safe meeting environment for the operation of the Troop, which may vary depending on the programme being delivered.
It is good practice to have a mixed leadership team.
For a nights away event led by a Nights Away Permit holder, the recommended minimum ratio is 1 adult to 12 Scouts. However, a Troop.s Warranted Leader must plan to ensure that as a minimum, at least two adults are present overnight. Only in the event of an emergency should an adult be alone overnight with young people on a residential experience.
For all Scouting activities, Leaders should carry out a risk assessment as stated in Rule 9.4. This risk assessment cannot override the minimum requirements stated in 3.9c and 3.9f or those required by the activity rules in chapter 9.
Age Range, Uniform and Programme
The core age range of the Scout Troop is from 10½ years to 14 years. A young person may join at 10 years and remain until 15 years (see also Rule 3.11b).
Scouts wear the approved Scout, Sea Scout or Air Scout uniform as appropriate with distinguishing badges and scarves as described in Chapter 10.
All Scouts should be offered a Balanced Programme run in accordance with the Association's official publications for the Section.
Every member of the Troop must have the opportunity of attending at least one nights away experience every year.
Minimum Standards
The minimum standard for a Scout Troop is:
operation overseen by a Warranted Leader (Rule 3.9b).
two adults present (Rule 3.9c).
the delivery of an appropriate Balanced Programme (Rule 3.9i).
The opportunity for every Scout to attend at least one nights away experience each year (Rule 3.9j).
The District Commissioner, with the District Team, is required where necessary to assist Troops to reach the minimum standards detailed above. If a Troop 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 years, it must be closed.
