Policy for County Approved Individuals, Groups and Units attending International Events at home or abroad.

1. County approved international events are events not organised by County but by an external scouting organisation so county members are participants at the event. Events can include, but not exclusively, Jamborees, Eurojams and Moots. These are typically organised by the Scout Association of the host country or WOSM (the World Organisation of the Scout Movement) but may include other International Camps.
2. This policy covers all groups/units organised as an approved West Sussex County contingent attending the above and West Sussex County contingents forming part of a larger UK contingent managed under the umbrella of the Scout Association (TSA). District and Group international trips do not form part of this policy.
3. A Trip Manager for the international experience will be appointed, or selected, with the approval of the County Commissioner (or his appointed line manager) and ratified by the County Executive, who then becomes responsible for all aspects of the trip including responsibility for managing the trip team.
4. The line manager must ensure that the Trip Manager has read and agreed this County policy before they are appointed. The Trip Manager is responsible in ensuring that this County Policy is complied with. Other adults may be appointed or selected to become members of the trip team. The Trip Manager will advise all trip team members of their duty to abide by the County Policy.

5. The Trip Manager is responsible to ensure:
   • That the agreed aims and objectives of the trip are achieved.
   • That a project plan, including a timeline, is provided at the outset to the County Commissioner and County Executive showing  country and venue of visit, key dates, any pre-event activities together with the departure and return dates.
   • That the project is financially viable and finance is controlled. This to include:
     • That the full cost of the trip, including any ancillary expenditure, should be entirely self-financing.
     • That any funding which may be provided by the West Sussex Scout County must be applied for and approved by the County Executive before it is committed or expended.
     • That a treasurer is appointed who is responsible for the project finances. In certain circumstances the treasurer may be the Trip Manager with the approval of the County Executive.
     • That a project budget is produced, reviewed regularly and maintained. The initial budget and any revisions must be presented to the County Treasurer at the outset and at the intervals set out in 5.3.5 below. At any point, the County Treasurer must be immediately advised if the project is experiencing financial difficulties.

That a receipts and payments statement is sent to the County Treasurer within 28 days of 30th September and 31st March as well as a closing statement within 90 days of the end of the trip.

• That all expenditure is appropriate to the agreed aims of the international experience and to the benefit of the youth participants. All expenditure of surplus funds after the group have returned must be agreed by the County Commissioner before it is expended.
• That the use of personal bank accounts to process any income is strictly prohibited. Banking should be processed through the county bank account or, if considered necessary by the county treasurer, via a separate bank account opened in the name of ‘West Sussex County Scouts (event name…)’.
• That surplus funds are returned to the County Treasurer and will be ring fenced for the next event. Refunds to participants will not be made.
• That the event is adequately insured for appropriate travel and also cover for event cancellation.
  • That both Event Cancellation Insurance and Travel Insurance are in place from an early stage of the project and certainly before major expenditure is incurred. In many cases insurance may be arranged by the event organiser eg TSA as part of event participation and this, once established, is acceptable.
  • That if Event Cancellation Insurance and/or Travel Insurance cannot be obtained then the County Commissioner and County Chair must both be informed immediately.
• All Activities must keep to Scout Association rules and guidelines including, but not exclusively, those on activities and risk assessment. Informative Advice maybe sought from the ACCs or the Activity department at TSA.

6. Trip cancellation
   • Trip cancellation is unusual and exceptional. Every effort must be made to run an agreed Trip although sometimes the reason is outside of county control. Before a trip is cancelled the Trip Manager must discuss the reason for the cancellation with the line manager, the County Commissioner and County Chair and seek their agreement. In particular, County must be made aware of any financial cost it may need to underwrite.
   • In the event of cancellation:
     • An insurance claim will be made if appropriate and/or taken out
     • Personal monies will be refunded to participants.
     • Fundraising money will not be returned to the participant(s). Instead it will be ring fenced by the County Treasurer for a period of five years for use by named individuals (supplied by the Trip Manager) for use against costs incurred on any (County approved or otherwise) international event. Funds not used after five years will become county assets. If fundraising money was raised by a group of participants then the Trip Manager will advise County how the assets should be distributed.
     • Grants will be returned to benefactors.

7. If an individual withdraws from the trip then:
   • Grants received will be returned to benefactor.
   • Monies paid, and fundraising monies, will be forfeited and retained by the trip for the use of other youth members or to assist a late substitute member and/or returned to county.
   • In exceptional circumstances, a refund or partial refund may be made. A request for refund should be made to the Trip Manager. An appeal may be made to the County Commissioner whose decision is final.

8. If a trip is a joint venture with another scout county or organisation, such as the guides, then the county policy should be clarified by the joint organisers at the outset and a Specific Partnership Agreement must be in place that is approved by the County Executive.