Who will support my child on camp?

Going to camp alone for the first time, or for the 10th, can be a bit daunting.  

Here's who will support your child:

Everyone! 

On Hackney Woodcraft camps, all adults who stay will be attending as leaders, and as such, share responsibility for all children who attend. No adult is allowed to attend without being DBS checked and without being an adult member of National Woodcraft. That being said, the large numbers involved means that we have a number of systems to ensure that all our children have a safe and enjoyable camp. 

You!

• Please ensure that ALL the information we will need (medical, social and practical) is on the camp form when you apply for your child. If they have additional or complex needs please talk to their group leader or the camp safeguarding team in advance so we can make camp as inclusive as possible for them.

• Make sure they have all the things they will need on camp - have a look at the Kit List well in advance, and do ask if there's anything you need help with.

• Share information about camp with them in advance so they know what to expect

• Include them in planning decisions and, importantly, packing.

• Please ensure that we know about any medication your child may need to take and that it is handed over to the named adults along with written instructions.

Named adults from your group 

We try to ensure that there is at least one adult from each Hackney group attending camp. They may not be the group coordinator. Please speak to them before camp if there is anything you want to pass on, or want to know. Your child can go to them on camp if they want support. 

Every camp will have an inclusion and Safeguarding lead. They might contact you prior to camp if there is anything we need to know on a medical or social level that we can do to support your child. If there is anything you want to discuss confidentially before camp, please ensure it is on your camp form, and feel free to contact them before camp.

Their ‘tent parent’ 

This adult will not be the actual parent or guardian of any child in the tent. Dependent on the ages of the children in the tent, they will monitor bedtimes, support unpacking and packing up tents, help children get ready for days off site, generally ‘check on’ the children to greater and lesser degrees, as their age and needs require. Although, to an extent, they might support your child in the same way a ‘parent’ might, the children in each tent are encouraged to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible. On bigger camps Elfins will often also be allocated a Venturer (13-16 years old) who will help with this. 

Their Clan leader.  

All children and adults on camps are grouped into ‘clans’. The clan leader will be responsible for organising the times your child cooks and washes up for the whole camp, but in addition to this, they are also the adult who will do regular head counts, lead smaller morning circles, after breakfast where we check that all the members of the clan are ok (warm/slept ok/out of pyjamas!/wearing sun cream etc etc.) On a large camp, the numbers can be tricky to manage, so the clan is a smaller ‘family sized’ group that helps with this. Tents, tent parents and clans are shared with the children on camp.