Guide camp permit - Guidance for leaders, mentors and

Guide camp permit

Guidance for leaders, mentors and

commissioners

Registered charity number 306016

Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

Contents

What

Page

Introduction

What’s in the permit

The group

The camp

Recording their progress

Other roles

Going Away With licence and Lead Away

permit

Guidance for mentors

Who can be a permit mentor?

Training for mentors

The role of the mentor

The challenges

Before the camp

Visiting the residential

Completion

Guidance for leaders

At the start

During the permit

Arranging a supervisor

Completion

Guidance for

commissioners

At the start

During the permit

Completion

FAQS

Introduction

The Guide camp permit gives Guides a taste of planning and leading their own camp.

It’s a great way of giving them the skills to organise and lead, whilst getting to have

fun away from unit meetings!

This guidance is for mentors, leaders and commissioners supporting a Guide when

completing their permit.

Before they start

Before a Guide can do their Guide camp permit, they must meet the following conditions:

• Be at least 12 years old. If they are 12, they can plan and run their camp to be alongside a

unit camp. If they are 13 or older, they can camp independently of their unit.

• Have been camping at least twice since they’ve joined Guides. This can be through guiding

or outside of it, such as with their family.

• Completed the Camp skills builder stage four. They can complete this whilst they are

planning for their camp, but it must be done before they go camping. Lots of programme

activities can help prepare a Guide for their permit. Specific activities are highlighted

throughout the permit resource.

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

What’s in the permit

The permit is made up of seven challenges:

Challenge one – Get started

Challenge two – Get sorted

Challenge three – Get safe

Challenge four – Get healthy

Challenge five – Get cooking

Challenge six – Get activities

Challenge seven – Get away

To gain the Guide camp permit, Guides (together with their mentor) will plan and

run a two-night, three-day camp (this can be done over a weekend).

After they’ve run their camp, they’ll have an evaluation with the Guides and their mentor

before getting it signed off as completed.

The group

They can take a maximum of eight and a minimum of four Guides (including themselves).

- If only two Guides have camped before, there can be three to five Guides in total. If

three Guides have camped before, there can be eight Guides in total.

- The group can include Guide from other units; if so, they must have the approval

of both unit leaders.

- The majority of Guides attending the camp should have completed Camp Skills

Builder stage four by the time they go to camp.

This means on smaller permit camps (four as minimum) three Guides will need Camp stage four, and

on larger permit camps (eight as a maximum) five Guides will need Camp stage four.

The camp

This is for both the permit assessment camp and subsequent camps as a permit holder

If the Guide is 12, she will run her camp at the same time and venue as her unit camp.

If the Guide is 13+, she can camp independently of her unit but the site must be an

approved Girlguiding venue in private grounds within ten minutes walking distance of a

Girlguiding adult volunteer who can help if needed (see supervisor role).

A Home Contact system will be in place for all camps.

Recording their progress

Guides can use the Guide camp permit resource to record their progress as they go

along. They might want to record their work differently in a way that suits them

better, like in a scrapbook or journal. Have a chat with the Guide about how they

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

would like to record their progress at the start of the permit.

Other roles

Supervisor

All camps ran by a Guide working towards/holding the Guide camp permit need to

have a supervisor arranged before they go.

This will be an adult leader/volunteer who will be within 10 minutes walking

distance of the group during the camp. Their role is to provide support, if

needed, to the Guide running the residential and be on hand to help with any

emergencies. They may need to visit and help the Guide resolve an issue.

The supervisor might be the mentor, their unit leader or someone else. They’ll

need to have completed Girlguiding’s recruitment checks and hold valid A Safe

Space levels one-three. They don’t need to be involved with the planning of the

camp except to be informed of key details. If they don’t already know the

Guide, it’s a good idea to put them in touch with them before the camp so they

can make contact.

Make sure that the supervisor understands the that the camp is being run by the

Guide. They should not ‘step in’ unless asked to by them. If they want to contact

the Guide during the residential, ask them to do so only when it’s necessary. As a

rule, it should be left to the Guide to get in touch if they need or want to.

Where possible, it’s advised that the supervisor isn’t related to any members of

the group.

In the event of an accident or an incident happening at the residential, the

supervisor is responsible for following the process and completing the Notification

of an Accident or Incident form and sending it with the appropriate Health

Information form to Girlguiding HQ.

Home Contact

They’ll also need someone to act as a home contact. Again, this could be the

mentor or another leader in Girlguiding. The home contact and the supervisor

can’t be the same person. There’s more information on the role of the home

contact on our website:

Girlguiding.org.uk/homecontact

Advisers

Guides might also need to be put in touch with other advisers, such as water

specialists, walking advisers etc. to talk through their plans and arrange any

additional training/support for the group. You can find their details and get in

touch through GO.

Lead Away permit

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

The skills a Guide develops in this permit can be mapped across to their Lead Away

permit, which might be something they decide to complete in the future. When a

Guide starts working on their permit, check with them to see if this is something

they might pursue. If they do, then talk to them about the evidence they need to

collate that will fulfil the requirements of both permits (e.g. kit and equipment

list etc.).

See the table below for a full list of where there is crossover for the permit when they camp

alongside their unit camp:

Guide camp permit

Lead Away permit

Challenge 1

1a, 1c

Challenge 2

Challenge 3

Challenge 4

4a, 4c

Challenge 5

5a, 5b, 5c

Challenge 6

6a, 6c

Challenge 7

See the table below for a full list of where there is crossover for the permit when they camp

independently from their unit:

Guide camp permit

Lead Away permit

Challenge 1

1a, 1b, 1c

Challenge 2

Challenge 3

Challenge 4

4a, 4c

Challenge 5

5a, 5b, 5c

Challenge 6

6a, 6c

Challenge 7

These are the challenges of both resources that focus on similar skills and can be

signed off after a chat with the candidate about each part.

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

Guidance for mentors

Who can be a permit mentor?

To be a Guide camp permit mentor, you’ll need to be an experienced Going Away

With licence holder.

The mentor also can’t be related to the Guide they are supporting, to ensure a fair

assessment. This also goes for any other volunteers who might assess the Guide for

any part of the permit.

Training for mentors

If you haven’t mentored before, there’s more information about being a mentor on

our website:

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/learning-and-

development/helping-others-to-learn/becoming-a-mentor/

There’s also a mentoring e-learning that can help you understand your role better.

The role of the mentor

As a mentor, you’ll be helping the Guide learn new skills and guide them as

they plan their camp.

You’ll need to:

• Check in regularly with the Guide to see how they are getting on.

• Help them complete A Safe Space level one.

• Support them with any concerns.

• Make sure they are adhering to Girlguiding policy.

• Arrange to visit them on their camp (this could be yourself or someone else

– see below on assessment).

• Assess them on each challenge and sign off their permit as completed.

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

Assessment

Part of your role is making sure the Guide has completed everything they need to

before the start of, during and after their camp. You can do most of this before

the residential, but some things you’ll need to see during and after.

The table below is a rough guide for which parts you can sign off when:

Challenge

Part

When to sign off

Before

During

After

1 – Plan

1A – What’s your camp about?

✓

1B – When and where is your camp going

to be?

✓

2 - Sort

2A – What’s your budget?

✓

2B – Sorting the paperwork

✓

3 – Prepare

3A – Plan for emergencies

✓

3B – Set the ground rules

✓

4 – Health

4A – Keeping clean

✓

4B – Doctor, doctor!

✓

4C – First aid

✓

5 – Food

5A – Cooking and storage

✓

5B – Plan the menu

✓

5C – Food hygiene

✓

6 – Activities

6A – Plan the programme

✓

6B – Equipment and instructors

✓

6C – Looking after your

equipment

✓

7 – Camp

7A – Tents, tents, tents

✓

7B – Set up camp

✓

7C – Strike the camp

✓

Guides can complete the challenges in whatever order they like but there are

some things that need to be done before others.

It’s important to meet with your Guide at least once before their camp to make

sure they’ve planned accordingly.

If you aren’t able to visit during the camp, or another leader is acting as their supervisor, you

can ask them to do so on your behalf. They can assess if what the Guide has done meets the

requirements of the permit and confirm this with you before sign off. Talk to your local

residential adviser or outdoors activity adviser to find someone to visit their camp. Anyone

assessing the Guide for any part of their permit can’t be related to them, to ensure fair

assessment.

How a Guide wants to be assessed is something they’ll need to agree with you.

Some challenges they might decide to talk through to explain their progress, and

others might need to be practically demonstrated. Each Guide will be different, so

will need to be looked at individually to guarantee fair assessment.

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

The challenges

We’ve outlined below some of the key points in each challenge that mentors need

to look out for. The full syllabus of the Guide camp permit is on the Girlguiding

website.

Each challenge has some suggestions as to how the Guides could complete them

with their groups. Whilst these can help them engage their group, it’s their

permit so it’s up to them how they want to complete them.

Challenge one – Plan

Whilst there is no set order of challenges, it’s recommended the candidate starts

here. They’ll plan some of the fundamentals of their residential – when, where

and who.

1A – What’s camp about?

Get the Guide to decide what the point of their camp is going to be. They need to do

this with the patrol group they’re taking with them. If it’s simply to go camping and

have fun, that’s fine! This stage is about getting initial ideas together so they can build

on it.

1B – Where and when is your camp going to be?

If they are camping alongside their unit, most of this section will be pre-decided

(i.e. campsite, dates, travel). They can still research other campsites if they’d

like to. If their unit leader is issuing a kit list for the unit camp, get the Guide to

create her own one as well and then compare to the unit one for anything they

might have missed.

If they’re camping independently, encourage them to research some different

campsites. They might need some help in finding local guiding-approved sites.

Explain to the Guide that you need to complete the Girlguiding paperwork at least

12 weeks before their event and agree with them when they will confirm their

campsite and dates so that you can meet this deadline.

Once they’ve chosen a suitable one and agreed their dates, you should complete

the Residential Event Notification (REN) form part 1 on their behalf and send to

the local commissioner.

• Make it clear on the form that you are completing it on behalf a Guide

working towards the Guide camp permit.

• The contact details should be yours, not the Guide’s.

• Put the name of the Guide and add that she is doing her Guide Camp Permit

in the “Details of your event” section and include that you are her mentor.

• Please add the supervisor in the Participants Details section.

• Encourage the Guide to complete her draft risk assessment (Challenge 3a)

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now, so that it can be submitted with the form.

Once you have received back the signed part 1 of the REN form with

commissioner approval, then you can let the Guide know that she can book her

campsite.

Make sure their kit list is sensible and encourage them to add to it as their

plans/activities take shape.

Challenge two – Sort

In this challenge the Guide will look at some of the administration of planning a

camp.

2A – What’s your budget?

Help them create their budget and figure out what to charge per head. They need

to be responsible for collecting fees and paying providers. Make sure they keep a

clear record of the money coming in and out.

If they’re camping alongside their unit, get them to use the main unit camp budget

to start with and adapt as needed.

The Guide shouldn’t be using their own personal account but a unit one (the

camp/holiday account). This will make it easier to track their budgets and ensure

any underspend goes back to the participants or the unit itself. They’ll need to

speak to their leader about how they access this and give notice to their leader

when they need to take money out or pay for something using the account or pay

themselves and claim it back. It might be good to agree a timeframe with the

leader beforehand, so both the Guide and leader know what to expect. Each unit

handles finances a bit differently, so make sure the leader and the Guide are

clear on how this is going to work.

If the Guide decides to take/make all their payments using cash, they’ll still

need to create/keep all receipts so they can show a paper trail for their budget.

If there’s an underspend, they’ll need to either return this to the Guides they took or

donate it back to the unit. Make sure they chat about this with their group

beforehand, as it might depend on the size of the underspend. For example, if it’s

only £2 each – it can probably go back to the unit, compared to £20 each which the

Guides would most likely want back.

2B – Sorting the paperwork

Make sure they understand the two different forms they need to collect, and

where to send them/put them. Help them complete the Information and Consent

form with information about any activities. They’ll also need to pass on the Health

Information forms before the start of the camp.

You’ll also need to identify a home contact and a supervisor for their camp and let

them know who this is.

You will also need to complete the REN form part two and send it to the commissioner four

weeks before their camp.

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After the residential, make sure they give all the forms back to you or their leader to securely

destroy any forms they didn’t use.

Challenge three – Prepare

This is where the Guide thinks about the safety on camp.

3A – Plan for emergencies

Make sure the Guide completes A Safe Space level one.

You, or the Guide leader, will need to make sure the Guide and her group know

what to do in case there is an emergency. You can chat through the scenarios

listed in the Guide camp permit resource and any extras you think might be

useful.

After that, chat to them about the point of having a risk assessment. Whilst the

Guide will help you complete some of the risks and mitigations, you’ll need to

make sure this is updated and completed to be submitted with the REN form parts

1 and 2.

3B – Set the ground rules

Check they’ve set realistic ground rules and have done so working with their

group and are aware of any campsite rules as well.

Challenge four – Health

It’s important to make sure the Guide understands the importance of keeping

clean on camp, and how to deal with some of less glamourous aspects!

4A – Keeping clean

If your candidate chooses a venue that provides toilet and washing facilities, this

should be very straight forward. However, if they are providing their own toilets,

they will need to make sure they are hygienic. Make sure they know what they

need to bring - where they are going to get equipment from, how to look after

them and dispose of chemicals safely on the campsite.

4B – Doctor, doctor!

Help the Guide find their nearest doctor and hospital. This is a good time to remind them about

any outstanding Health Information forms as well.

4C – First aid kit

Check they have a fully-stocked, first aid kit that is in date (they could need help sourcing this)

and agree where to keep it when they are on camp.

The supervisor will be responsible for administering first aid, but the Guides should have some

basic knowledge as well and be able to deal with minor accidents whilst waiting for the

supervisor to arrive. They may need additional training and support to gain this knowledge

before they go.

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

Challenge five – Food

Whilst most of the work in this challenge goes into the planning, it’s a great idea to get the

supervisor to visit the camp for a meal with the Guides. It gives them a chance to check in and

make sure they’re being safe/hygienic.

5A) – Cooking and storage

Chat through the different cooking methods. Guides only need to cook one hot

meal (they can do more if they want to) so pick one they are confident doing

and make sure they practice before they go.

Once they’re confident with using the cooking method, get them to start

thinking about the equipment they’ll need to take (and where to get it from).

Getting them to plan their menu alongside this helps too, so they don’t end up

taking too much equipment.

5B) – Plan the menu

Once your Guide has come up with their menu, check to make sure it’s not overly-complicated

or expensive. If they’ve done it with their group, they should have accounted for dietary

requirements but double-check this with them before they go shopping.

5C) Food hygiene

Whilst you can give advice to the Guide before they go, it’s best to check when you

or their supervisor visits their residential to see what they’ve put in place to keep

things clean and hygienic.

Challenge six – Get activities

This is the chance for the Guide to be creative with their programme and plan

something their group will love.

6A) Plan the programme

Check that the candidate has planned a programme that’s feasible and accessible

for everyone.

If they want to do something adventurous, find them a provider and book with

based on the requirements listed on the Activity Finder.

Adventurous activities, e.g. abseiling, boating and swimming are not permitted unless a

suitably qualified adult, approved by the relevant commissioner via the REN form, is in

charge of the activity.

6B) Equipment and instructors

If they are only doing activities that they’re running themselves, check they’ve got all the

equipment they need. If they’re planning adventurous ones, make sure this is included on

the Information and Consent form.

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6C) Looking after your equipment

If they have borrowed equipment, check when they are going to return it, as this is something

they might need to plan before they leave. If they are borrowing things from their unit, it might

just need to go back at the next meeting. Make sure they know where they’re getting

equipment and how it’s going to be returned.

Challenge seven – Camp

Depending on how experienced your campers are, they’ll need a varying level of support with

this challenge.

If you’re supporting a candidate with additional needs, or who is taking Guides with additional

needs that means they can’t sleep in a tent/camp, you can plan with the unit leader for them

to stay in other accommodation.

7A) Tents, tents, tents

Help your Guide to source the tents needed and that the group have had

chance to practice putting them up and taking them down before they go.

7B) Set up camp

Before the camp, check the Guide has a sensible plan for the layout of their camp. You or the

supervisor visiting the camp can then check they’ve stuck to the plan, and if not, that it’s still

hygienic and makes sense.

7c) Strike the camp

Make sure the Guide has packed away all equipment and taken all rubbish away with them. If

the tents are packed down when wet, ensure the Guides know to dry them out properly and

return them.

Visiting the camp

This is a chance for you to see the camp in action, catch up with the Guide so

they can talk over any concerns they may have, and share their successes with

you! This should be a friendly visit – not an inspection to be dreaded. Arrange a

suitable day/time beforehand to meet up with the group on site so they are

expecting you … and to make sure it’s not when they’ve gone off site!

If you can’t visit as a mentor, make sure the supervisor makes plans to do this.

Check with the Guide how often they’d like you to visit – it might be once

throughout the whole trip, or more at the beginning.

You will be able to see if the plans they have put in place are running as expected,

or if unforeseen circumstances have arisen, what changes they’ve made to be able

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to continue with the camp.

Things to look out for:

• You should see her programme in action.

• Her leadership style with the group.

• Whether the group is healthy, happy, occupied and well-fed!

• If the camp and the group are safe/following safe practices.

• If the layout is appropriate, tents pitched securely, food being stored

appropriately, cooking equipment used safely etc.?

In the rare event that you find anything that could jeopardise the safety or well-

being of the group, decide how this can be quickly resolved. If a solution can’t

be found, and it would be dangerous for the camp to continue, the camp will

need to be abandoned. Ensure everyone gets home safely. Safety of the

participants is the top priority.

If two or more Guides are doing their permit at the same venue/time, check that

each Guide is running their own camp with a separate group and that things such

as sleeping areas/programme/menus are different. The only thing they can share

are activity sessions (to reduce costs) you should clearly see differences in the rest

of their camp.

Completion

Once they’re back, meet with them to go over their permit. They’ll need to think

about how the trip went with their group before this, so you can review their

feedback together. Once you’re happy they’ve done everything, you can sign off

their permit as completed! You can then let their leader know. They’ll arrange for

the badge and certificate to presented.

If you aren’t sure they have completed, highlight to them the areas you need a bit

more information on. It might be something small they’ve forgotten to include

when recording what they’ve done, so give them time to rectify it. It might be

something that wasn’t needed i.e. they did at an adventurous activity at a

Girlguiding activity centre, so didn’t need to check the instructor qualifications.

However, if you still feel they haven’t completed, speak to your county outdoor

activity adviser in the first instance. They can help you decide. The candidate

might need supporting to re-do a certain challenge on another trip.

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

Guidance for leaders

At the start

If you’re a unit leader and you’ve got Guide in your unit who wants to start their

Guide camp permit, the first thing to do is to talk to your commissioner to arrange

a permit mentor for them, if you don’t want to mentor them yourself. They’ll

need to be an experienced Going Away With licence holder. If you haven’t got

anyone in mind, chat to your local residential adviser or county outdoor activities

adviser. They sometimes have a pool of mentors they use for the Going Away With

licence and can help assign someone suitable.

During the permit

The Guide should be mainly supported by their mentor who’ll help them plan

each part of their journey.

Equipment

They’ll need help sourcing equipment from either the district or your unit, so

reaching out to other local units on their behalf to help source relevant

equipment can really help them with their planning. This will be especially useful

if their mentor isn’t involved with guiding at a local level.

Budgeting and managing money

As part of the permit, the candidate needs to plan a budget and financially

administrate the camp (see Challenge 2a – What’s your budget?). They’ll need to

use the unit camp/holiday account for this. They’ll need to agree with you how

they access this and agree a notice period if they need money putting in (from

their fees) taking out (to pay for something) and how they claim back any costs

they incur personally. They should account for all costs on their camp, so the

general/camp/holiday unit funds shouldn’t be affected. It can also help with

returning any underspend – either to their group or back to the unit (they’ll need

to agree this beforehand). If this is something that’s handled entirely by a unit

treasurer, then put them in touch with the Guide so they can work with them.

Arranging a supervisor

Each permit will need an adult leader to act as their supervisor during the

residential. This can be the mentor, or another leader in Girlguiding. This leader

will need to be within 10 minutes travelling time of the residential throughout

and hold a valid A Safe Space levels one - three and a valid First Response

qualification. Depending on where the campsite is, you, or a member of your unit

leadership team may be asked to be the supervisor. Especially if the Guide is

planning her camp alongside the main unit camp.

This is a great way for you to support the candidate on the residential itself. If

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Guide camp permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners November 2019

you aren’t going to be within 10 minutes travelling distance of the campsite

perhaps you can ask other leaders in your area or speak to your commissioner

and/or county outdoors activity adviser to find a suitable volunteer.

Completion

When they’ve completed their permit, they can be awarded the Guide camp permit badge

and certificate. You can order these via your county badge secretary.

They can now use their Guide camp permit to run other camps for groups of

Guides. If they got their permit by camping alongside their unit camp, but then

want to run a camp independently of this then they may need support to cover

the areas that are new to them such as booking the venue, arranging transport

etc.

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Guidance for commissioners

At the start

The leader should get in touch with you to inform you that they have a Guide

interested in doing the permit. Talk to your local residential/outdoors activity

adviser to find potential mentors and agree the mentor with the leader/Guide.

During the permit

You’ll sign off the REN forms as per Girlguiding policy. If you have any concerns

over the REN forms, please speak to the leader who completed the form to

resolve.

Keep in touch with and support the mentor with any queries as needed.

You might be asked to help find a suitable home contact or supervisor if required.

Lead Away permit – guidance for mentors, leaders and commissioners

July 2019

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FAQs

Q. A candidate has the permit minimum of four people (including themselves)

booked to go on the residential, but one person drops out a few days before. Can

they still do their permit?

A. Ideally, encourage the Guide to have a minimum of five when planning her

camp to cover anyone dropping out, but we recognise that this can be difficult

with this age group. A local callout to find someone else to go along would be

the preferred solution. If this is not possible, and they can’t rearrange without

incurring significant costs, then it’s at the discretion of the county residential

(or outdoors activity) adviser and local commissioner in consultation with the

mentor. This is a last resort though, and only available if a maximum of one

person drops out.

Q. A Guide holds the Camper Advanced badge from the old programme, can she

start her Guide Camp Permit?

Yes, any Guides who gained their Camper Advanced badge before September 2019

will continue to meet the pre-requisites to start this permit until the end of the

2019/20 academic year.

Q. I need more guidance, who can I contact?

Your local residential or outdoor activities adviser should always be your first port

of call. However, if you need more support on the permit you can contact the

programme team on [email protected].