Background Checks
Every adult attending camp will need a background check to ensure the camp is safe for children and young people. But the background check is only a part of vetting volunteers. Two references, a valid membership and the overall behaviour in district activities can help to build a fuller picture of a volunteer’s character. This is especially useful if there is a delay in obtaining a background check before Common Ground.
Please note we will also have some open days (4th and 6th Aug), with visitors / supporters on site who have not gone through the same vetting processes. Consider this carefully when managing your group.
Coming from the UK
All over 16s coming from the UK will need to be a Woodcraft Folk member. All over 18s, and all over 16s with a role on camp in the village or the central area (e.g group leader, village coordinator, centre volunteer, steward) will need a DBS or a PVG. Group & District Officeholders, as well as Membership Secretaries and Groop Admins, can now view the membership status of members via Groop. This will help you to check on DBS and membership expiry dates. A step-by-step guide to accessing the information was emailed out on 25th May 22.
More info on this here, or see useful links below:
- woodcraft.org.uk/reference for the reference form
- woodcraft.org.uk/signup for the Groop signup page
- woodcraft.org.uk/dbs-online for the DBS info page
- woodcraft.org.uk/join for the membership info page
- woodcraft.org.uk/payments to make one-off payments or set up direct debits for membership fees
For additional advice, please contact membership@woodcraft.org.uk .
International participants/leaders
International participants come to Common Ground via an established member organisation of IFM-SEI, or through European Solidarity Corps selection process. Many international participants have been engaged in their local, regional or national youth activities prior to Common Ground, and are well known to their leader. IFM-SEI members adhere to a binding code of conduct and there is a more stringent code of conduct for IFM-SEI staff members and volunteers.
Over 16s coming from outside of the UK will need to sign a declaration to state that they do not have any convictions which might make it unsuitable for them to work with young people, and that they will follow Woodcraft Folk’s safeguarding policy on camp. Please email info@commonground.camp if you would like more info on this.