In the Parent Portal you can keep your child’s details up to date, see what’s coming up, give permission for events, and follow their badge journey — all in one place.

You can log in here: www.onlinescoutmanager.co.uk

New to OSM? Your section leader will send you a personal invitation link to set up your account — it’s unique to your family, so it isn’t something we can publish here. If you haven’t had your invite yet, or the link has expired, just contact your section leader we’ll get one sent over.

Here are the parts of OSM you’ll use most:

Personal Information. This is where you store and update your child’s details. Please keep it current — it’s especially important for medical conditions, allergies and any additional needs, as our leaders rely on this information to keep your child safe. It only takes a minute, and a quick check at the start of each term is a great habit.

Programme. See what we’ve got planned for each week’s session, so you and your child know what to expect (and what to bring).

Events. Sign up and give permission for specific events like camps, day trips and outings. If an event needs a yes/no or a permission form, this is where you’ll do it.

Badge Progress. Keep track of how your child is getting on with their badges and awards, and see what they’ve already earned.

Badges at Home. Your child can work towards badges at home and submit their progress to us through OSM — a brilliant way to keep the adventure going between sessions.

Gift Aid Declaration. If you’re a UK taxpayer, completing the Gift Aid declaration lets us claim Gift Aid on your subs at no extra cost to you. It’s a simple tick-box that makes a real difference to what we can offer the young people.

Make sure our emails reach you. A lot of what we send comes through OSM, and sometimes those messages land in junk or spam. To stop that happening, please add these addresses to your contacts / safe-senders list:

• [OSM system / no-reply email address]
• [your group / section leader email address]

If you ever feel like you’ve gone quiet and aren’t hearing from us, it’s worth checking your spam folder first — then let us know so we can double-check we’ve got the right email for you.

Add OSM to your phone like an app. There’s no separate app to download — you can save the Parent Portal straight to your home screen so it opens like one:

• iPhone / iPad (Safari): open onlinescoutmanager.co.uk and log in, tap the Share icon (the square with an arrow), then tap Add to Home Screen.
• Android (Chrome): open and log in, tap the three dots menu in the top corner, then tap Add to Home screen (or Install app).

You’ll get a tidy OSM icon on your home screen that takes you straight to the portal.

Subscribe to the calendar. You can link our Programme and Events straight into your own calendar (Google, Apple or Outlook), so every meeting, time and event appears automatically and stays in sync if anything changes:

• Log in to the Parent Portal and go to the Programme (or Events) section.
• Click Get programme calendar feed (or Get events calendar feed) to reveal the calendar link.
• Copy that link, then add it to your calendar as a subscribed / “from URL” calendar. Tip: for Google Calendar and Apple Calendar this needs to be done in a web browser on a computer, not in the phone app — once it’s set up it’ll show on your phone too.

If your child can’t come to a session, please let us know in advance — it really helps us plan activities, group sizes and helpers, and it means we’re not waiting at the door wondering where they are.

The easiest way is through OSM: open the Programme, find the date, and mark your child as not attending. You can also drop a quick message to your section leader or post in your section’s WhatsApp group. Whatever’s easiest for you — we just appreciate the heads-up.

Each section — Beavers, Cubs and Scouts — has its own parent WhatsApp group. It’s a friendly, low-key way to share information and reminders, post photos from sessions, and ask any questions about the section.

To be added, just [contact your section leader — link to Contact page] and we’ll pop you in the right group.

Our aim is to keep Scouting as affordable as possible. Like all groups, though, we have overheads to cover. A proportion of our fees goes to UK Scout Headquarters, who provide a huge range of services and support for volunteers and young people. The rest keeps our Scout Hut maintained and pays for the resources that make our section programmes possible.

Subscriptions are £144 a year. Our preferred method is a standing order of £12.00 a month, set up with your bank. We offer a sibling discount, with each additional sibling reduced to £10.50 a month. Your section leader will send you our bank details to get set up.

We work hard to keep subs low through fundraising, and several local businesses offer us fantastic preferential rates — in fact, we haven’t increased our subscription costs in over six years.

There can be additional costs for camps and day trips through the year, depending on whether your young person would like to take part. We know costs can add up, especially if your Beaver, Cub or Scout enjoys other clubs and activities too. Please speak to your leader in confidence — we have a firm commitment that no young person misses out on an opportunity because of financial constraints.

Wearing a uniform is comfy and practical, and it means everyone feels part of the group — no one stands out or feels left out. Our young people wear theirs with pride. The coloured necker shows which group you belong to: the 229th necker is black with a red edge, and we provide it along with the core membership badges when your child is invested into the group.

Need to kit your child out? The Sheffield Scout and Guide Shop at 60/68 Trippet Lane (scout-and-guide-shop.co.uk) has everything you need and plenty more besides — books, pocket-money toys and lovely gifts for your Beaver, Cub or Scout. You can buy uniform from other shops too, but every penny of profit from the Scout Shop goes straight back into supporting Scouting at a local level, so it’s well worth a visit.

Where the badges go. One of the best bits of Scouting is watching the badges add up! Once your child has earned a badge we’ll send it home to be sewn on. Knowing exactly where each one goes can be a puzzle, so here are the official Scouts placement diagrams — each one opens as a printable PDF:

• Beavers badge placement diagram (PDF)
• Cubs badge placement diagram (PDF)
• Scouts badge placement diagram (PDF)

A couple of things worth knowing: staged badges (the ones with purple edges) and your child’s World Membership Badge travel with them from section to section, so they can move straight onto the next uniform. Other awards generally stay with the section they were earned in. If in doubt, ask a leader — we’re always happy to point you to the right spot.