The Group uses Online Scout Manager to help keep things running smoothly. This system holds information about the adult leaders, members, progress and events. It can be used to pay subscriptions and book and pay for activities.
Parents/guardians can access the information held about their Beaver(s), Cub(s) or Scout(s) and see their progress using their own interface to this, known as My.SCOUT. Note this is available to you at no cost – the Group are paying for it.
Accessing the System for the First Time
You’ll know that you have access to the system when you receive an email like this one:
Each email contains a unique link. Clicking the link takes you directly to your My.SCOUT page:
Here you can see up-coming events for your child’s Section.  There are other tabs along the top of the screen that take you to other pages. At the foot of the screen is a prompt to Create an Account – this makes it easier to get back later – but you don’t need to do this (you can always get back from links sent out in emails). There is more information explaining why you may want to create an account at the foot of the page.
Notices
This tab is used for general messages. In this example it is showing a standard welcome message:
Payments
My.SCOUT supports online payments, meaning you don’t need to take cash or cheques to meetings. It uses the GoCardless system which makes regular payments (e.g. for subs) and small payments (e.g. an activity) very easy and secure. You can also setup a Direct Debit to cover recurring events.
We are just exploring the online payment system and you will hear more about it shortly. Eventually we will be asking you to cancel any existing Direct Debits and move over so that all payments are recorded here. That’s not to say you have to pay this way – we can still accept other forms if you don’t have access to a bank account.
More details of the Payment process…
Events
This page lists events – things that occur outside the regular weekly meeting. Examples include camps and trips away.
If you see an event, click the View button for more details and to sign  up for it.
Programme
The programme tab is the one that opens by default and was where we started- it shows the regular weekly events.
Badges
This screen shows the badges that your child has, and is currently working on.  We need to add data showing the badges that your child already has, so don’t be surprised if there are badges missing when you first look. Once a badge has been awarded, you’ll see it added to the shirt/sweatshirt image, showing you where to put it.
There is also a link at the bottom right of this page that you can email to relatives. The link opens a page that shows your child’s current progress, but doesn’t give the viewer access to any of the other screens:
Personal Details
When you first view this tab (if you haven’t created an account) you will be challenged to provide some extra information about your child:
Having provided this, you see the records we hold. You are free to update anything that is out of date. We use the data to provide emergency records for camps and to keep you informed. As such it is really helpful to keep it up to date.
Creating An Account
On several screens, you will see that you are prompted to Create an Account. You don’t need to do this, but there are some advantages. The My.SCOUT system is designed around one child, if you have more than one child in the Group, you might want to create an account to link them together.
Once you’ve provided a username and password, you should see a message like this, explaining how to link accounts.
You can then access the system any time at:
https://www.onlinescoutmanager.co.uk/parents/index.php
Note that this page has a link if you have forgotten your password!
Once you have registered each child using the same username and password, you can switch between children using the menu at the top right:
Should you later want to change your password or the email address associated with the account, you can do this after logging in using the Account button at the top right:
In Summary: What You’ll See
This video provided by the developer of Online Scout Manager might give you more of an idea of how it works:
If you have any questions about this system, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Group Scout Leader.