The Scout Association is part of a worldwide educational youth movement. The values, which underpin and inspire its work are embodied in the Scout Promise and Law and in the Purpose of the Association.
Within this framework, the Association is committed to equality of opportunity for all young people.
Accordingly:
a. The Scout Association is committed to extending Scouting, its Purpose and Method to young people in all parts of society.
b. No young person should receive less favourable treatment on the basis of, nor suffer disadvantage harassment or discrimination by reason of:
All Members of the movement should seek to practise equality, especially in promoting equal access to Scouting for all young people. The Scout Association opposes all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. All Scout groups, as independent charities, have a duty to comply with relevant equalities legislation. All volunteers should make reasonable adjustments where possible to support all young people with disabilities to access Scouting.
Reasonable adjustments means actions to enable young people with disabilities to access Scouting and Scouting activities, as far as reasonably possible, to the same level as young people without disabilities. This should involve working in partnership with parents/carers, to identify needs and support strategies.
Reasonable steps should also be taken to identify any young people with disabilities in the section/group.
To carry out its work the Association seeks to appoint effective and appropriate Leaders, of all backgrounds and all areas of the community and to involve other volunteers in supporting roles, all of whom are required to accept fully the responsibilities of their commitment.
The overriding considerations in making all appointments in Scouting shall be the safety and security of young people, and their continued development in accordance with the Purpose and Values of the Association.
Accordingly, all those whom the movement accepts as volunteers must be appropriate persons to undertake the duties of the particular position to which they have been appointed (including, if relevant, meeting the requirements of the Sponsoring Authority) and, where appropriate, the responsibilities of membership.
In recruitment and appointments processes, volunteers should make clear that roles are open to people of all genders, ethnicities, faiths and backgrounds and encourage a diverse range of applicants to apply, particularly those currently under-represented on the team.
It may, in limited circumstances, be appropriate to consider the gender or protected characteristics of a potential appointee. This is only the case where there is a genuine occupational requirement, for example, in order to ensure that a support team on a trip includes adult volunteers of different genders.
The ability of all appointees and volunteers to understand and implement Scouts’ safeguarding policies and procedures, as set out in Rule 2.1, is an essential requirement.
Within these constraints, and those imposed by the need to ensure:
No person volunteering their services should receive less favourable treatment on the basis of, nor suffer disadvantage, harassment or discrimination by reason of: