Parent / Guardian query

Getting in touch with the leader team

There are a number of scenarios where parents and guardians need to contact us.

Please be mindful of using the most suitable route and not just going to an individual you might have contact details for.

Whilst on an event or camp

Within Scouting, we have something called the “in-touch” system.

It’s designed to be simple and allows our leaders to focus on the young people rather than engaging with parents and guardians.

For any event, camp or trip away, your child’s leaders should inform you of whom to contact either in an emergency or for any queries.

That person may not always be the same across events and therefore you should ensure you reach out to the correct person; other individuals will not be monitoring phones, emails or social channels.

For large scale or longer trips, the system usually incorporates an individual who is not away with the group. This person will be in contact with those who are away on the event and act as the reachable link given that whilst out and about, we can’t guarantee mobile coverage.

Details of estimated arrival times etc, e.g. arrival at the scout hut following a trip away, will not be posted to social media. Communication will be cascaded via the in-touch system.

In summary: If your child is away at an event or on a camp and you need to speak to a leader, please contact the named individual (or their alternative) for that event. Please do not reach out to others because your message will be missed or ignored.

Booking for events

Our group calendar has comprehensive details of events, the event organiser(s) and other associated event information.

Please refer to the dedicated event pages for details of whom to contact.

Non-specific queries

For day-to-day queries, your first contact point should always be your section leader.

When your child either joined the group or moved sections (e.g. Beavers to Cubs) details of your child’s leaders will have been shared with you.

In addition, each section and leader have a dedicated Penistone Scouts email addresses.

Essential notes around all queries

It is important to note:

  • We have a large scout group and our numbers are continuing to grow year on year.
  • There are no paid roles, everyone one involved is a volunteer.
  • As you might imagine, the administration of such a large group isn’t without its intricacies and challenges. To keep things simple, we try to streamline communications and contact as much as possible.
  • Please ensure you keep an eye on your spam/junk folders; occasionally messages can end up there.
  • We do not use social media (Facebook / Twitter etc) to discuss specific individuals. Communication of this type must be: in person, by telephone or via our dedicated email provision.
  • We always try to respond in a timely fashion – our priority and focus has to be the young people.