I am pleased to be able to give you the details of the new County Support Structure. As you will see from the Structure Chart, the main change is to now have 4 DCCs and no ACCs! This is the area I am going to concentrate on in this month’s Gazette. (Click on the chart to enlarge it as a .pdf file)

Each Deputy County Commissioner will have an area of responsibility and will be supported by ‘specialists’.

Dave is responsible for the development and management of Cranham. He will also lead on Safety in Scouting, relationship with Gloucestershire Youth Partnership (GYP), Scout Fellowship and fundraising/grants. The DCC is supported by Advisers in all of these areas.

I am delighted that Liz has accepted my invitation to become DCC (Development). We are all aware of the excellent job she has done supporting the Beaver Section. Liz will continue to be the contact point for the Beaver Section until the Beaver Scout Advisory Group is ‘up and running’ and even then, she is still going to be around!

In her new Development role, Liz will be a member of the County Development Project Committee and will liaise and work closely with Michael and Joan in their respective development roles.

The DCC will be supported by Advisers (initially a small team) who will, in effect, be ‘champions’ of good practice.

Gary will function with 5 Advisory Groups – Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Explorer Scouts and Scout Network. Each team will have a co-ordinator / technical adviser.

The support teams will consist of Leaders from each District. All ADCs will be included in the Advisory Groups. In the absence of an ADC, a Sectional Leader (nominated / approved by the DC) will be invited to be a member of the appropriate Advisory Group. Additional members may be appointed to ensure that –

• The mix of skills is covered

• Responsibilities are well defined and not onerous for every member

• The allocated responsibilities will reflect individual skills, aspirations and availability

• Each District has a communication mechanism

Regular meetings between the five Advisory Groups and Garry will be held. There will be a general programme update followed by individual Section Support meetings.

Each Advisory Team will –

• Offer programme ideas

• Attend Programme and Support events

• Maintain regular contact with Leaders

• Support Young Persons Forums

• Visit District / Group sectional events / meetings where required.

I am delighted that Farid has accepted my invitation to become DCC (Activities). Farid brings much experience to this new appointment which will benefit the County.

Farid is responsible for the Activity Advisers / Assessors, the D of E Adviser, the Queen’s Scout Co-ordinator, the County Scouter (Badge Courses) and the International Adviser.

Where appropriate, Farid will establish Advisory Groups consisting of Leaders from each District. All ADCs will be included in the Advisory Groups.

The new County Support Structure will be implemented over the next few months.

There will be an opportunity to discuss the Structure at District Meetings and should you be interested in any particular area, do let the appropriate DCC or myself know.

We are also producing a new County Directory which will be available later this month, and updated Adult Leader Training dates are now available on the county web site.

I would like to say a ‘Thank You’ to Cheltenham and Gloucester Districts for inviting Liz and I to their St. George’s Day Celebrations – both different but most enjoyable – well done!

Tom Harding,