New kids on the block

Had the pleasure last week of meeting two new colleagues, Andrew and John from the newly revamped RDS. The Regional Development Services has replaced the Field Development Service, and some of the responsibility lines have changed. For example there is now a dedicated Safeguarding Team to look after Child Protection and other Safeguarding issues, contactabl 24 hours through Gilwell.

The focus for the new Regional Development Officers is going to be more developmental than in the past, including DC induction and support to District and GSL Level, mirroring the approach taken by the Association to focus on grass-roots Scouting, and support volunteers where they are! This should complement the Local Development Officers, where they exist, really well, and we had a great couple of days, sharing ideas, comparing notes, and reviewing projects to date in Humberside.

So welcome John and Andrew, and also Peter who has just joined the Team in the North-East. The only downfall is that I'm (with the obvious exception of the boss-man) by far the oldest. The Matriarch as someone put it.... Not sure if this is a compliment.