Scout Rules for Water Activities

I hope this will help people to understand what the Scout Association rules are for various activities, there are many fact sheets and many pages on www.scouts.co.uk devoted to the subject but even as a 25 year Scout, 15+ years as a leader and 10 years as an assessor for Dinghy and Powerboating, new things keep surfacing.

One of my aims is to make getting an activity permit as simple as possible, so i have pulled as much information together as i can. I also try to keep it up to date but the master set of rules is always POR/the scout association website.

By taking the quiz, we can then sign off the activity rules section of a water activities permit for you.



This site is a guide, it may be that rules change and it takes some time to update the site, the "rules" are always up to date on the scout website!

A Clear Process June 2018.pdf

There is a lot of information on here, to simplify there are two links to the right, click the one appropriate to the kind of permit you are applying for and it will give you a list of the pages you NEED to read and then the relevant quiz.

5 Point Plan for a Perfect Activity

  1. Make sure you know the rules for the activity
  2. Make sure you have the paperwork in-place
  3. Make sure you have suitable people
  4. Make sure the activity is suitable for the conditions and people
  5. Know what to do if something goes wrong

POR - Rule 9.2 Preparations

a. Prior to every activity the Leader must ensure that:

  • it has been approved by the relevant District/County Commissioner;
  • if necessary, they - or another member of the party - holds a permit in accordance with the Adventurous Activity Permit Scheme (see Rule 9.7);
  • it is the leader holding the permit who takes all decisions for the duration of the activity;
  • there is additional, responsible supervision as required (including for those in the locality of the activity but not actively involved, see Rules 3.7-3.9), all supervising adults and participants are made aware of who is in charge;
  • suitable InTouch arrangements (see Rule 9.3) and Emergency Procedures (Chapter 7) are in place;
  • it is appropriate to the age and abilities of all participants;
  • each participant has received appropriate training;
  • an appropriate weather forecast is obtained and acted upon in terms of selecting the area in which the activity will operate and that each participant is suitably equipped to tackle predicted/possible extremes;
  • all equipment is appropriate for the activity;
  • any other requirements of The Scout Association, including Child Protection and Safety, have been complied with;
  • any legal requirements for the activity have been complied with;
  • a risk assessment is carried out in accordance with Rule 9.4 Risk Assessment and safety instructions are communicated to all supervising adults and participants;
  • suitable first aid materials are available.