The first screen you will see when logging in will be the Dashboard, this will show an overview of your Childrens activities coming up in the next few weeks with meetings and events.
These videos are from the makers of Online Scout Manager and give some very useful information about how it can help you keep up to date and in touch with the group. These can all be found by clicking on the help icon at the top right of the screen in OSM.
Click the full screen icons at the bottom right of the video to get a better view!
When clicking on your Childs name it will show some more menu options, the first of which is the Noticeboard – we can use this to show messages about updates from Leaders etc so please check this screen from time to time when visiting.
Probably the most important section for the group and Leaders.
From here you can add and update you contact details and important information about your child.
This screen allow you to update contact details for yourself and your child. We would ask you to try and always keep this up to date so we can always get hold of the correct people if necessary. Please ensure you always have at least two separate contacts listed along with mobile numbers so we can get in touch with someone in the event of an emergency.
The email addresses are used by the system to send out notification about activities and payments, as well as messages from Leaders so it is very important we try and keep these as accurate as possible. When you first login you will probably find there are only your name, email and phone filled in – this is normally the information we get when your child is added to the waiting list, so please go through and add all contact details for parents, emergency contacts and medical details which you think would be useful for your Leaders to access.
We always have a very exciting range of activities planned for each section every term.
These are all listed in the programme section.
The programme screen is where you can find all the latest updates about what is going on each week. Leaders will always update this section with changes as well as inform you by email so keep checking back each week. Programme details are no longer listed the website to enable you to get the very latest information.
Each planned meeting during the term is shown with its title, date, time and a description of what will be happening. The details will normally be updated with any specific instructions relating to the activities which are planned – different locations, times, clothing requirements etc will all be shown here for each week as required.
Below the information there are badges shown which relate to the areas of badge work that are going to be covered by that particular meeting, this gives a good indication of what they will be learning and whether you might have more badges to sew on at the end of the night! More information about badge work is shown in the next section below.
The events section will contain details for all the camps and trips which are organised throughout the term.
This screen will be empty unless you have an event planned for the current term. These will then be shown in a date ordered list showing the name of the event and the cost. A tick or cross will show on any which you have already decided to go on or not.
Clicking theses will then show you more details about the event which have been published by your Leaders, times, dates, location and cost are all shown at the top of the screen along with a list of attached documents which you may need. These might be consent forms to download and return, or maps or kit lists for the event. Below that you will find all the details about the event which have been shared.
The details about the event may sometimes be purely for information purposes, but generally if these are shown on OSM then we will try to enable booking and payment online as well. The attendance field at the top of the page will allow you to sign up for the event if it has been enabled, you may also be also to sign up for a waiting list if it is only available for a limited number of members – you will then be notified when a space becomes free.
Once you have notified us that you wish to attend, we can send out emails quickly and easily to those members on the list to update you about the event. If paying online is available, this will normally be done through the Camps & Trips schedule and you will be notified when this is due to be taken. You will then normally be reminded about the event a few days before.
Here you can track the progress of your child's badge work through scouting.
This is great for helping out with completing badge work at home as it will show all the requirements needed for each badge being worked on.
The badge screen is a fantastic way of keeping track of what your child is achieving at Scouts.
Each badge which is being worked on my the section is shown here, the amount of the badge which is highlighted shows what has already been completed. By clicking on the badge image it shows all the requirements for each badge and what has been completed already.
By keeping up with this information you can find out about the work we do at Scouts, and also help your child by starting other badge work at home and away from the meetings. Many of these badges can be done outside of the usual meetings, then the information brought back to show your leaders to obtain the badges.
The group programme through the 3 terms is built around this badge work to enable members to achieve as much as possible working towards their Chief Scout award badges.
The second tab at the top of the page is the uniform screen, this will show where on the uniform each badge should be placed.
The emails menu will show you a list of all the messages you have received via OSM for the last 3 months, great for catching up on lost messages about upcoming events and meetings!
This option will allow you to update your declaration online, even if you have filled in these details on the paperwork when joining we would be grateful if you could do this via OSM.
Gift Aid has enabled us to claim back a significant amount of money which helps greatly with funding the Groups activities and equipment. By completing this online it simplifies the administration of claiming these funds for those volunteers involved.
Using OSM also has its benefits for shopping. Here you will find details of discounts off camping equipment, days out and how to raise money for the Group.
The final part of the main menu allows you to see who can access these screens for your child. This is normally restricted to the contact email addresses shown on your personal details pages, but if anything seems to be incorrect then please contact us for help.