To gain your permit doesn’t require you to put on your Super Hero Beaver costume and organise everything. Some leaders may claim that when they qualified for their Nights Away (NA) Permit they had to do everything (at the one camp), but that’s not a requirement of the NA Scheme. You are allowed to delegate / outsource activities to other leaders / parents, as long as you can talk to the specific activities and risks that the teams covered e.g. Catering: Menu, allergies, Risks, timings, equipment. As Leader-In-Charge are you bringing everything together which needs to be covered?
Quoting Scout Association regarding a Nights Away permit, “It shows that all those leading nights away events for young people within Scouting have the skills, experience and personal suitability to take young people away safely.” To gain a permit you will be assessed in four areas:
1. Technical Competence
2. Knowledge of Scout Association Rules for Nights Away
3. Child Protection
4. Personal Suitability
Use the Assessment Checklist for a Nights Away Permit (AC120990) and think about where your ‘prior experience’ can be used to support your application. Think about pulling together an evidence file with example documentation, photographs etc. For your assessment camp think about:
– Event Program (Youth and Leader Timetables) inc. wet weather options
– Roles & Responsibilities (Individuals / teams)
– Communication with Adults / Youth
– Youth Involvement
– Beaver Welfare
– Equipment & Food Lists
– Meal Plan(s) and catering arrangements
– Risk Assessments & First Aid arrangements
– Lessons Learnt and Youth Feedback
Do not expect everything at the camp to go perfectly, especially if it’s the first time you have been the Leader-in-charge. Being a Super Human is not a permit requirements. Most of the hard work is done on the lead up to the event. Everyone adapts the program as things change e.g. an event over-runs because everyone is having so much fun. For us the key assessment requirement is how you bring everything together e.g. the Glue.
For more details about the NA Permit scheme visit: http://members.scouts.org.uk/nightsawaypermits
The Damboree Team
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