Scouts Climbing and Abseiling Permits

Activities are an integral part of Scouting, and what makes it so exciting for the young people involved. The adventurous activity permit scheme is an internal assessment scheme designed to ensure that all those leading adventurous activities for young people within Scouting have the skills, experience and personal suitability to do so. Full details of the permit scheme are available on The Scouts website.

Training and assessment courses

I am authorised train and assess single pitch climbing and abseiling permits (natural and artificial). Courses are organised on demand and tailored to each individual/group’s needs so please get in touch if you’d like to discuss one. If you’re looking for assessment there are a few things I’ll ask you for:

• Permit application form
• Log of your experience (personal and instructional)
• You must have an appropriate full adult role
• Broadly, your availability to meet

What are restrictive permits?

Any permit can be restricted to personalise it to the level an applicant is at, or wishes their permit to be limited to. This allows an applicant to lead their activity within certain parameters.

They can then gain further experience, which could lead to a less restrictive permit in future, should they wish to get one. This is rather than not allowing them any permit, and thus not giving them any opportunity to gain experience leading groups until they have the skills to gain an unrestricted permit.

Is the permit scheme compatible with Mountain Training awards?

The permit scheme is solely for those operating in Scouting, and permits can be issued to restrict the activity to certain areas. Mountain Training qualifications apply across the UK.

Conversely, the possession of a Mountain Training award does not mean that a person is suitable to work with young people, hence the checks that need to be made by the responsible commissioner – including the fact that we have certain activity-specific rules. We do, however, suggest that the training schemes offered by Mountain Training are good places to learn skills.

If you hold a relevant award from Mountain Training and have up to date logged experience, then no practical assessment is likely to be required as you have already shown competence in all of the skills required. You will still require a recommendation from an assessor for a Commissioner to grant you a permit.

Can a young person hold a permit?

Yes, there is no minimum age to hold a permit, whether personal, leadership or supervisory. Perhaps the most typical example is where expeditions are being conducted. However, in these circumstances, the responsible commissioner may place restrictions on time, requiring perhaps that a responsible adult conducts daily visual checks on progress.