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Doing Our Best

Trainer resourcesResources to help you deliver Doing Our Best standards training to unit volunteers and commissioners

Registered charity number 306016.

Doing Our Best

ContentsTrainer information 3 Information on how to use these resources for trainers 3

Volunteer activities 5Activity 1: Group sketching 7Activity 2: Celebrating and looking to the future 9

(the Five Essentials)Activity 3: Making guiding happen scenarios 12Activity 4: Safety and safeguarding: Girlguiding bingo 14Activity 5: How do we work together as a team: 18

checklists as a toolActivity 6: Doing Our Best standards: involving the girls 20Activity 7: Safety and safeguarding standards 24

Commissioner activities 26Activity 1: How to use the Doing Our Best standards with units 28Activity 2: How can the Doing Our Best standards support 31

me in my role?Activity 3: Activities for commissioners to use with leaders 33

at a district meetingActivity 4: Having conversations using the Doing Our Best 36

standardsActivity 5: What does quality look like? 38Activity 6: Safety and safeguarding standards: ideas to 39

help unit leaders.

Worksheets 42V1A: Volunteer activity 1, worksheet A 42V3A: Volunteer activity 3, worksheet A 45V4A: Volunteer activity 4, worksheet A 49V4B: Volunteer activity 4, worksheet B 50V7A: Volunteer activity 7, worksheet A 51C1A: Commissioner activity 1, worksheet A 52C4A: Commissioner activity 4, worksheet A 53C5A: Commissioner activity 5, worksheet A 57C6A: Commissioner activity 6, worksheet A 61Participant take-home sheet 62

Further trainer information 64 Doing Our Best standards FAQs 64

Doing Our Best

Trainer informationWhy did we create trainer resources for the Doing Our Best standards?The Quality Steering Group of Girlguiding volunteers and Girlguiding staff have written and designed these resources. They provide you with information and session content for you to deliver training on the Doing Our Best standards to unit volunteers and commissioners. We know you already have the skills to deliver great quality training on the Doing Our Best standards. These resources will simply make your job easier and quicker. They bring all the information you need to plan your training in one place, and suggest pick-up-and-go activities that you can deliver at your training.

By using these resources and delivering training on Doing Our Best you will help us to dothe following:

For unit leaders and volunteers: Increase awareness of the Doing Our Best standards and the skills and motivation to use them as a framework to review, celebrate and improve what they do in their own units – involving volunteers and girls in discussions.

For local commissioners: Increase awareness of the Doing Our Best standards and increase skills and confidence to use the standards in their role. We want commissioners to use the standards as a framework for conversation when visiting units, to celebrate what units do well and support them to identify and make improvements where needed. We also hope commissioners will discuss them with other volunteers at district, division and county meetings and events.

When should you use these trainer resources?Whenever you need to! You might be delivering one-off training on the Doing Our Best standards, or just want one short activity on the standards to include in programme training, first response training or other training you are delivering. Please include training on the Doing Our Best standards whenever it’s appropriate. Help us to get the message out!

What resources are available to trainers?The trainer resources include the following:

Trainer information

Seven activity training plans for use with unit volunteers and accompanying worksheets – all also available as an editable Word document on our website

Six activity training plans for use with commissioners and accompanying worksheets – all also available as an editable Word document on our website

Take-home sheet to support training participants to take their learning home and apply it

Doing Our Best standards FAQs

Doing Our Best standards PowerPoint to support the activity training plans - available on our website

Doing Our Best poster which lists all the standards and shows some ways units put good guiding into action - available on our website

3 Doing Our Best trainer resources

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/how-were-being-our-best/doing-our-best/five-essentials-checklists/



https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/how-were-being-our-best/doing-our-best/

Doing Our Best

How should you use these resources?We hope you will edit the PowerPoint and training plans and select the activities that are most relevant to your training participants and helpful to you. Please let us know if you write any of your own activities as we’d love to share them with the wider training community.

Slides 1-25 of the PowerPoint contain information on what the Doing Our Best standards are. Slides 8-25 list each of the Doing Our Best standards, so you don’t need to spend time writing these out. Before taking part in any of the activities in this resource, the training participants should understand the contents of these slides. However, you may wish to remove some of these slides if you feel they cover information your participants already know.

The new activities in these resources are included in slides 26-50. You will not have time to run all the activities in a single training session. Choose which activities best suit your participants and the time you have available. Slides 26-39 relate to unit volunteer activities, and slides 40 to 50 to commissioner activities.

We have drafted training plans for each of the activities for you to copy and paste into your own training plans. Select the training plans for the activities you wish to use.

There is also a take-home sheet which can be used at the end of any of the activities. Training participants can write down any actions they are going to take as a result of the training. The sheet also tells them where to go for more help and information. Please encourage participants to share and discuss these action plans with their leadership teams.

Where can you go for more help?You’ll find lots more information on the Doing Our Best standards on the Girlguiding website and in the FAQs in these resources. There is also a Guiding Conversation to help commissioners when speaking with volunteers about the Doing Our Best standards. Don’t forget, you can always talk to your local commissioner with any concerns, questions or comments.



https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/commissioners/guiding-conversations/

Doing Our Best

Activity Page number

PPT slide number

Aim Length (mins)

Resources required

Activity 1: Group sketching

7 27 To help unit volunteers to think about their unit and who, how and when the Doing Our Best checklists might be used in their context.

15 Worksheet V1A, Doing Our Best poster, Doing Our Best checklists, pens/pencils

Unit volunteer training plansGeneral information

Before doing these activities, participants should already know and understand the Doing Our Best standards. If they don’t, please use slides 1-25 of the Doing Our Best PowerPoint to explain them first.

If you wish, you can integrate one or more of these activities into a specific Doing Our Best training or select one or two activities to complement other training you are delivering, such as programme, first response or A Safe Space training. They are designed to be used flexibly.

As well as these activities, at the end of these trainer resources you will find a take-home sheet for you to use and give to all participants at the completion of any training that involves Doing Our Best. It contains information for participants on where they can go for further support and an action plan template to assist volunteers with implementing Doing Our Best standards in their unit teams.

Summary

Table continues overleaf


Doing Our Best


PPT slide number

Aim Length (mins)

Resources required

Activity 2: Celebrating and looking to the future (the Five Essentials)

9 28–30 To help unit volunteers identify which Five Essentials standard(s) their units are doing well, how girls can be involved in identifying and celebrating this and what they could do to improve on their current practice.

25 Flipchart paper and pens, sticky notes in three different colours and pens for writing on sticky notes

Activity 3: Making guiding happen scenarios

12 31 To help volunteers to become more familiar with the making guiding happen standards and checklists and how their unit might apply them.

25–45* Worksheet V3A, making guiding happen checklists, pens and paper for group notes

Activity 4: Safety and safeguarding: Girlguiding bingo

14 32-35 To help volunteers to become more familiar with the safety and safeguarding standards and checklists and how their unit might apply them.

28 Worksheets V4A and V4B, several copies of the safety and safeguarding standards, pens and paper

Activity 5: How do we work together as a team: checklists as a resource

18 36-37 To help leaders to use the Doing Our Best standards as a resource for building a good team and identifying their skills.

25 Paper and pen (one per person), Doing Our Best standards

Activity 6: Doing Our Best standards: involving the girls

20 38-39 To help leaders to communicate what Doing Our Best is to their girls, and to get to help evaluate and give ideas for how to meet the standards.

20 Ball, paper and pens, basket, sticky notes

Activity 7: Safety and safeguarding standards

24 49-50 To help volunteers become more familiar with the safety and safeguarding standards and to plan for how to meet them.

25 Worksheet V7A, Doing Our Best standards and checklists, pens in different colours

* Dependent on how many scenarios you choose to cover


Doing Our Best V1

Time (mins)

Slide no

Activity Training method

Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

10

27 • Explain to participants that drawing will helpthem to use the Doing Our Best checklistscreatively in their units.

• Split participants into groups of three.Provide each group with the three questionscontained in Worksheet V1A, and copies ofthe Doing Our Best checklists and poster forthem to refer to if helpful.

• Ask each person in each group to take adifferent question from the worksheet andto draw an answer to that question. Oncethey’ve done so, they should pass the pieceof paper to the person on their left. Thatperson should draw an answer to the newquestion they’ve received on the paperhanded to them. Their answer might betriggered by what has already been drawn ormay be totally unrelated. They should passthe second question to their left too, andthen draw an answer to the third question.

Small group working

• WorksheetV1A, Doingour Bestposter,DoingOur Bestchecklists

1 Reassure participants that they don’t need to be artists and that they can add words to their drawings if helpful.

If you feel participants won’t respond well to a drawing activity, you could run this as a group brainstorm session instead, using the questions on the worksheets. Alternatively, you could run it as a mind-map with each participant adding three words in answer to each question.

Activity 1: Group sketchingAim: To help unit volunteers to think about their unit and who, how and when the Doing Our Best checklists might best be used.

Objectives: During this activity, unit volunteers will have had the opportunity to: 1. Identify who in their unit would find the Doing Our Best checklists helpful and how and when they might use the checklists.

Resources required: Worksheet V1A, Doing Our Best poster, Doing Our Best checklists, pens/pencils.

Time: 15 minutes


Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:10

5

27 • Ask each group to spend five minutesdiscussing what they have drawn in answerto the three questions. Then ask each groupto feed back some of the most interestingideas shared.

• Possible answers to the three questionsinclude:– Who in your unit might find using the Doing

Our Best checklists helpful?Unit leader, unit helper, unit treasurer, thegirls, your commissioner(to help reviewwhat the unit is doing well)…

– How might you use the Doing Our Bestchecklists in your unit?As a simple checklist to help you manageyour unit, as part of an activity with thegirls to ask for their feedback….

– When might you use the Doing Our Bestchecklists in your unit?When drafting your term plan, at the endof a year to review and celebrate, in aunit meeting with the girls, in a unit teammeeting, in a district meeting to sharegood practice and ideas...

Small group working

Facilitated conversation

• WorksheetV1A, Doingour Bestposter,DoingOur Bestchecklists

1 You may want to take a picture of the sketches to share with participants after the training has finished.


V1

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

10

28 • Put five flipchart pages in different places aroundthe room. Invite participants to identify each of theFive Essentials and label each of the five flipchartpages as they are identified. You could spend sometime reminding participants of the Five Essentials,depending on their knowledge levels.

• Ask participants to reflect privately on their lastterm or year of guiding and ask them to identifytwo of the Five Essentials that they feel their unitdoes particularly well. For each of the two examplesthey’ve thought of, ask them to write how they doit well on a green sticky note. They should now havetwo sticky notes.

• Invite participants to take their sticky notes and topost them on the flipchart pages with the relatedFive Essentials on them.

Individual reflection

• Flipchartpaper andpens, greensticky notesand pens forthe table

1 You can choose which colour sticky notes to use. The colours used here are just to clarify the instructions.

Many leaders will do all the Five Essentials well, but for this activity we are asking them to focus on the two they feel they do particularly well.

For smaller groups you could ask them to add the sticky notes to the Doing our Best poster, rather than the flipchart.

Activity 2: Celebrating and looking to the future (the Five Essentials)Aim: To help unit volunteers identify which Five Essentials standard(s) their units are doing well, how girls can be involved in identifying and celebrating this and what they could do to improve their current practice.

Objectives: During this activity, unit volunteers will have had the opportunity to: 1. Identify, celebrate and share which Five Essentials standard(s) their units are doing well2. Identify new ideas for the future on how to meet the Doing Our Best Five Essentials standards3. Have further ideas about how girls could be involved in identifying areas to celebrate in their unit

Resources required: Flipchart paper and pens, sticky notes in three different colours and pens for writing on them.

Time: 25 minutes


V2

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:10

5

29 • Ask participants to choose one of the FiveEssentials they have written about andexplain what they have written on theirsticky note to the other leaders gathered atthat flipchart.

• Next ask the small groups to discuss:– Would the girls in their unit also identify

this as one of their unit’s strengths? Howcould they ask the girls to say which of theFive Essentials they think they do well?(Using pink sticky notes, they should addtheir ideas to the flipchart).

– As a unit how could we celebrate thatwe are doing this well? (They should addtheir celebration ideas to the poster usingyellow sticky notes).

Small group working

• Pink andyellowsticky notes

1,3 If you are concerned about sticky notes falling off the flipchart paper, you could use different coloured pens instead.

00:15

5

29 • Next, ask participants which of the FiveEssentials they feel they could do better intheir unit. Ask them to move to that flipchartpaper and to consider the ideas that havebeen shared on stickies on that paper. Couldany idea be applied in their unit?

Small group working

1,2,3


V2

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:20

5

30 • Ask the leaders around each poster to talkto the wider group about what they havejust discussed and to share one new thingthey might try in their units as a result of theideas shared.

• Provide time for the leaders to movebetween all the other Five Essentialsflipchart papers. Ask them to write down:– Two new ideas to take away with them– Two things they’re going to celebrate

with their unit and how they are goingto involve the girls with identifyingand choosing how to celebrate theirsuccess (ideas might include: a ‘things tocelebrate about my unit’ box for the girlsto anonymously post celebration pointsduring unit time, an end of term party tocelebrate, taking time to tell a unit teammember something they’ve really donewell etc.)


Personal reflection

• Pens andpaper

1,2,3 You may want to take pictures of each of the flipchart pieces of paper to share with participants after the training.


V2

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

2

31 • Tell participants that they will be using the making guiding happen checklists to consider how to deal with a series of scenarios.

• Remind participants off the making guiding happen standards (these are on PowerPoint slides):– Encouraging equality, diversity and

inclusion– Building a strong unit team– Being part of the guiding family– Managing your unit’s money

Directive from the

front

• PPT, making guiding happen checklists

1 The slide notes contain more information about each of the standards for ease of reference.

Activity 3: Making guiding happen scenariosAim: To help volunteers to become more familiar with the making guiding happen standards and checklists and how their unit might apply them.

Objectives: During this activity, unit volunteers will have had the opportunity to: 1. Become more familiar with the Doing Our Best: making guiding happen standards 2. Identify some practical steps they might take to meet the Doing Our Best: making guiding happen standards

Resources required: Worksheet V3A, making guiding happen checklists, pens and paper for group notes.

Time: 25 to 45 minutes (depending on how many scenarios you choose to cover).


V3

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:02

18

31 • Put the participants into small groups ofaround four or five people.

• Explain that they’ll be given four scenarios,one related to each of the standards. Thescenarios have questions on them to helpparticipants to explore the making guidinghappen standards and checklists inmore detail.

• Ask them to choose which one or twoscenarios they feel they need most supportwith and to answer the questions on thescenario cards together as a group. Ensurethat each group also has a copy of themaking guiding happen checklist.

Small group working

• WorksheetV3A, makingguidinghappenchecklists,pens andpaper

1,2 You could ask the participants to do all or just one of the scenarios depending on how much time you have.

00:20

5

31 • Ask the groups to share their chosen scenariowith the whole training group and to saywhat they have discussed.

• Ask each person to write down one thing thatthey are going to try when they get back totheir unit.

Facilitated discussion

• Pens andpaper

1,2 As an extension to this activity you could ask units to use the checklists that they have been focusing on and tick off what they do well as a unit and consider where there are gaps.


V3

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

3

32 • Invite volunteers to consider privately howconfident they feel right now that they knowthe safety and safeguarding standards. Createan imaginary line across the room with veryconfident at one end, and not at all confident atthe other end. Ask them to think about wherethey feel they are on that line.

• Now change the question to – how confident doyou feel that your unit is meeting the standards?Ask them to again consider where they would beon the imaginary line.

• Tell volunteers that the safety and safeguardingchecklist is designed to help volunteers to followGirlguiding’s policies and procedures, to helpthem to celebrate with their team what is goingwell and to identify any gaps and help them findthe support and resources to fill them.

Personal reflection

1 If the group you are training is well-known to you, ask them to stand on the line if this wouldn’t make any of them feel uncomfortable.

Or, you could ask them all to draw an emoji that reflects their answer to this question and to hold it up.

Activity 4: Safety and safeguarding: Girlguiding bingoAim: To help volunteers to become more familiar with the safety and safeguarding standards and checklists and how their unit might apply them.

Objectives: During this activity, unit volunteers will have had the opportunity to: 1. Become more familiar with the safety and safeguarding standards2. Consider how the safety and safeguarding checklists can help them to meet these standards practically

Resources required: Several copies of the safety and safeguarding standards, Worksheets V4A and V4B, pens and paper.

Time: 28 minutes


V4

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:03

10

33 • Provide each participant with worksheetV4A. This is a bingo card. Explain thatthey’re going to play safety and safeguardingbingo!

• Explain that all the bingo cards have thesame safety and safeguarding standards onthem. You are going to read out some ofthem – ask them to put a tick in the box butonly if they feel their unit can answer a clear‘yes, we do that’ to that checklist item. Oncethey have four boxes ticked (they don’t haveto be in a straight line), they shout ‘bingo!’

• Using a copy of the bingo card read out thetext from the different boxes at random(make sure you keep a note of which boxesyou have read!). Give the participants timeto find that box and to put a tick in it if theyfeel they can answer yes.

• Explain the aim of this is exercise is to makethem familiar with some of the checklistand to identify where there might be gapsin what they’re doing. Explain that safetyand safeguarding shouldn’t be like bingo – itshouldn’t be left up to luck – and that thechecklists are designed to help leaders toensure the standards are met in their unit.

Group activity

• WorksheetV4A (onefor eachparticipantand one forthe trainer),pens

1 All participants have the same bingo card – but as each unit is different, they are unlikely to all shout Bingo at the same time.


V4

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:13

5

34 • Ask participants to move into small groups offour or five and to discuss the following:– Which checklist items on your bingo card

can’t your unit answer yes to?– Does anyone in their unit feel their unit

does that well? Can they share an ideaor process to help them? If not, can youbrainstorm together?

Small group working

• Pens andpaper

1,2

00:18

5

35 • Tell participants that they’re now going toconsider when, how and who might use thesafety and safeguarding checklists.

• Staying in their small groups, providevolunteers with worksheet V4B which is splitinto four. Ask them to find answers togetherto each of the questions and to fill in theboxes. Ask them to try and be specific and tobe creative.

Small group working

• WorksheetV4B, pens,safety andsafeguardingchecklists

1,2


V4

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:23

5

35 • Ask the groups to share their answers and facilitate a discussion.

• Possible answers to the questions on worksheet B are below and in the PowerPoint notes:– When might you pick up and use the safety

and safeguarding checklist?• Possible answers: During planning, once

a year as a check in, when evaluating the unit’s successes and achievements etc.

– How might you use the checklist?• Possible answers: As a simple list as it

is – ticking things off, asking for others’ feedback, where they see gaps and what they see as going really well.

– Who might use the checklist? How are you going to share responsibility among your unit for meeting the checklist? • Possible answers: Unit leaders/unit

helpers etc. – Which of the safety and safeguarding five

checklists do you feel will be most helpful to your unit and why?• The answers will be different for each

unit – encourage leaders to look at the checklists in depth.


• Worksheet V4B, pens, safety and safeguarding checklists

1,2


V4

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

5

36 • Provide all participants with paper and pens. Ask them towrite a list of who is in their unit team on the left-handside of the paper. As they do this, ask them to jot down thefollowing:– What is each person good at, skilled at and/or enjoys doing?– How much time do they have available to volunteer and

when/where (eg at home, in the evening, during the day,during the unit meeting etc).

• Next, ask them to write on the right side of the paper a list ofthe main tasks that need to happen in their unit, so the girlscan enjoy good guiding experiences – using the Doing Our Beststandards to help. Participants might want to select three orfour of the Doing our Best standards and consider the tasksthat need to happen in their unit to meet those standards.

• Ask them to match each task with the person or people doingit at the moment by drawing a line from the job to the personor people.

Personal reflection

• DoingOur Beststandardswithchecklists,paper, pen

1,2 Ensure that participants consider the role parent helpers can have in their teams too.

Activity 5: How do we work together as a team: checklists as a resourceAim: To help leaders to use the Doing Our Best standards as a resource for building a good team and identifying their skills.

Objectives: During this activity, unit volunteers will have had the opportunity to: 1. Consider how they work together as a unit team and what skills they have in their team2. Have ideas for how they can use the checklists as a framework for team discussions

Resources required: Paper and pen (one per person), Doing Our Best standards checklists.

Time: 25 minutes


V5

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:05

15

37 • Ask participants to work in pairs or smallgroups – ideally in their units if there are oneor more representatives from a unit.

• Explain that they are all going to considerhow their team works together. Ask them toconsider the questions listed on slide 37.

Small group working

• DoingOur Beststandards,paper andpen

1,2 If you want to make this activity shorter, consider selecting just some of the questions from the slides.

00:20

5

37 • Ask participants to think of at least oneaction they are going to take away tostrengthen their unit team as a result ofthe discussions.

• If time allows you may wish to encourageparticipants to share actions or very briefreflections in plenary at the end of the slot.Alternatively, you could encourage them tospeak about the results over a break – andperhaps even see if they can find someonewhose unit could share a skill that they need.


1,2


V5

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

5

38 • Ask participants to stand in a circle, explainthat they are going to throw a ball betweenthem. Tell them that whoever catches theball has to provide an ending to the followingquestion ‘The Doing Our Best standards are…’

• Explain that the activity is about trying toexplain what the Doing Our Best standardsare succinctly. Eg ‘The Doing Our Beststandards are… updated checklists for goodunit guiding... reflective of Girlguiding’slatest policies and procedures… creatingclarity and consistency… a helpful resourcefor members etc.’

• Ask participants to keep throwing the balluntil you think they’ve shared a helpfulnumber of descriptions of the Doing Our Beststandards.

Large group working

• Ball 1 This could be run as a simple brainstorming activity instead if participants are not comfortable with being this spontaneous.

Activity 6: Doing Our Best standards: involving the girlsAim: To help leaders to communicate what Doing Our Best is to their girls, and to get them to help evaluate and give ideas for how to meet the standards.

Objectives: During this activity, unit volunteers will have had the opportunity to: 1. Learn how to explain what Doing Our Best is to the girls in their unit2. Learn how to make a plan for using the Doing Our Best poster with the girls, or for picking a standard and getting

feedback from the girls on it

Resources required: Ball, paper and pens, basket, sticky notes, small pieces of paper that participants can write on.

Time: 20 minutes


V6

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:05

5

38 • Ask them to move into small groups and towrite on sticky notes different creative waysthey might be able to explain what the DoingOur Best standards are in an age appropriateway to the girls in their units. For example:Showing the girls the Doing Our Best posteror asking them to share what they thinkmight be in the Doing Our Best standards.Younger girls could be asked to draw whatthey love about Rainbows, or to share whatthey think makes Rainbows special.

Small group working

• Stickynotes, pens

1


V6

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:10

5

38 • Ask the small groups to discuss how they can use theposter or a specific standard. The whole unit shouldbe gathering feedback on what they can celebrate andwhat they could do better as a unit.

• Examples might include:– Play ‘broken telephone’ – select one standard from

the poster and ask one girl to whisper an example ofhow they do that standard really well in their unit.See whether the last person has heard correctly andask the girl who started the whisper to explain whatshe said and why. See if the rest of the group agree.Then repeat the activity with a new girl sharing.

– Select one of the Five Essentials to discuss with yourunit. Consider how you could ask a question abouthow you do this well with your unit eg ‘we care foreach other by….’ And then throw a ball around –anyone who catches it has to finish the sentence.Then change the question to ‘we could care betterfor each other by…’ to get ideas on how you couldimprove. On another of the Five Essentials you couldsay ‘in this unit I get to choose…’ or ‘in this unit I getto help lead….’

– Ask older girls to use the poster as a tool to questionthe adult leaders on how their unit meets the standards. Ask them for their suggestions of what else they could do and what they feel they do really well.

Small group working


2


V6

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:15

5

39 • Ask unit leaders to write their best ideason small pieces of paper and to bring themforward and put them in the ‘basket of goodideas’. Then at random select a few andask whoever wrote them to stand up andexplain the idea more fully. Share the basketideas with everyone. Explain that they toocould have a basket of ideas or a celebrationbasket for their unit – encouraging girls toshare their ideas for how they could meetor celebrate the Doing Our Best standards intheir unit.


• Basket,pieces ofpaper, pens

2


V6

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

15*

49 • Explain that this activity is going to focus on gettingfamiliar with the safety and safeguarding checklistsbut could easily be adapted for theother checklists.

• Set up five different large pieces of flipchart paperaround the room – label each one with a differentsafety and safeguarding standard and brieflyexplain each one.

• Split participants into groups of three or four andmake sure they have sticky notes and pens. Eachgroup is given one of the standards to start at andthey have to come up with four different waysthat a unit could meet that standard. They need towrite their ideas on the relevant flipchart paper. Todifferentiate between group’s answers, you couldask them each to use a different coloured pen.

Group working

• Pens in different colours, safety and safeguarding standards on flipchart paper

• safety and safeguarding checklists

1 The safety and safeguarding standards can be found in full in the trainer notes of the PowerPoint. The summary areas are:• Volunteer roles and

responsibilities• Recognising and acting on

safeguarding concerns• Managing risk• Preparing for emergencies• Keeping member

information safe

Activity 7: Safety and safeguarding standardsNB: This activity also forms part of activity 6 of the commissioner activities in this resource pack and the relevant slides can be found in the commissioner slides 49-50

Aim: To help volunteers to become more familiar with the safety and safeguarding standards and to plan how to meet them.

Objectives: During this activity, unit volunteers will have had the opportunity to: 1. Consider how the Doing Our Best safety and safeguarding standards can be met by a unit2. Plan how their unit can work towards meeting the safety and safeguarding standards

Resources required: Worksheet V7A, Doing Our Best standards and checklists, pens in different colours.

Time: 25 minutes

* This time segment continues overleaf


V7

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

15

49 • Once they have done that, they can move onto another standard. Repeat this five timesuntil all the standards have been covered byall groups. Then read out some of the ideasand discuss them as a group as a whole,referring to the safety and safeguardingchecklists.

Group working

• Pens in different colours, safety and safeguarding standards on flipchart paper

• Safety and safeguarding checklists

1 When discussing the participants’ ideas ensure you cover whether they meet the standard, or if a combination of things needs to happen eg attending training and following procedure.

00:15

10

50 • Ask participants to sit back down in theirgroups and to focus on one of the safetyand safeguarding standards that they feeltheir unit struggles with. Provide them withworksheet V7A.

• Using the checklist questions related tothat safety and safeguarding standard, askthem to try answering the questions. Asthey do so they should fill in Worksheet V7A– my unit action plan. The plan is split into‘this month/term/year’. They can use thechecklist to identify anything urgent theymust do this month to ensure they meetsafety and safeguarding standards, thingsthey can work on this term, and anythingthey can implement this year.

Group working

• WorksheetV7A, pens,safety andsafeguardingchecklists

1,2


V7

Doing Our Best


PPT slide number

Aim Length (mins)

Resources required

Activity 1: How to use the Doing Our Best standards with units

28 41-42 To familiarise commissioners with the Doing Our Best standards and how to use them as a resource to support unit volunteers.

30 Worksheet C1A, Doing Our Best standards and checklists, sticky notes, pens

Commissioner activity training plansGeneral information

Before doing these activities, participants should already know and understand the Doing Our Best standards. If they don’t, please use slides 1-25 of the Doing Our Best PowerPoint to explain them first.

If you wish, you can integrate one or more of these activities into a specific Doing Our Best training or select one or two activities to complement other training you are delivering, such as programme, first response or A Safe Space training. They are designed to be used flexibly.

As well as these activities, at the end of these trainer resources you will find a take-home sheet for you to use and give to all participants at the completion of any training that involves Doing Our Best. It contains information for participants on where they can go for further support and an action plan template to assist volunteers with implementing the Doing Our Best standards in their unit teams.

Summary

Table continues overleaf


Doing Our Best


PPT slide number

Aim Length (mins)

Resources required

Activity 2: How can the Doing Our Best standards support me in my role?

31 43-44 To help commissioners see how the Doing Our Best standards and checklists can help them with different parts of their role.

15 Flipchart, paper and pens

Activity 3: Activities for commissioners to use with leaders at a district meeting

33 45 To give commissioners ideas about how to use the Doing Our Best standards at a district meeting.

25 Doing Our Best checklists, paper and pens

Activity 4: Having conversations using the Doing Our Best standards

36 46-47 To help commissioners become more comfortable about having conversations about the Doing Our Best standards with unit volunteers.

20 Worksheet C4A, Doing Our Best standards

Activity 5: What does quality look like?

38 48 To help commissioners feel more confident identifying where units are meeting the Doing Our Best standards and how to support those who aren’t.

10–20* Worksheet C5A, Doing Our Best standards and checklists, sticky notes, pens

Activity 6: Safety and safeguarding standards: ideas to help unit leaders

39 49-50 To help commissioners become more familiar with the safety and safeguarding standards and to explain them to their unit volunteers.

26 Worksheet C6A, Doing Our Best standards and checklists, sticky notes in different colours, pens

* Dependent on how many scenarios you ask groups to look at


Doing Our Best C1

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

10

41 • Explain that you are going to be playing agame of ‘true’ or ‘false’ together – ‘how welldo you know the Doing Our Best standards?’

• Explain that one wall of the room representsthe word ‘true’ and the other ‘false’. Youmay want to put a flipchart up on eachside with ‘true’ or ‘false’ written to remindparticipants. Explain you will ask a questionand they should move to either the true orthe false side of the room depending on whatthey feel the answer is.

• The quiz questions can be found onworksheet A (C1A) (these are also in thePowerPoint notes).

Large group game

• Flipchartpaper,WorksheetC1A

1 If participants are unable to move across the room freely, you could instead give them cards to hold up with ‘true’ or ‘false’ on them.

Please add to or amend the quiz questions to suit your participants.

Let commissioners know that this game could be used in a district meeting to introduce unit volunteers to the Doing Our Best standards.

Activity 1: How to use the Doing Our Best standards with unitsAim: To familiarise commissioners with the Doing Our Best standards and how to use them as a resource to support unit volunteers.

Objectives: During this activity, commissioners will have had the opportunity to: 1. Increase their familiarity with the Doing Our Best standards

2. Consider the questions they can ask unit volunteers when talking about the Doing Our Best standards with them

3. Discover ways they can use the Doing Our Best standards as a tool to celebrate good guiding in a unit, and to support unitswho may need it

Resources required: Worksheet C1A, Doing Our Best standards and checklists, sticky notes, pens

Time: 30 minutes


Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:10

10

42 • Explain that you are going to consider together how as acommissioner you might use the poster or the checklist asa resource to check whether a unit needs more supportmeeting the Doing Our Best standards and where units canbe celebrated for their good practice.

• Split participants into three small groups. Each group willbe given one of the three Doing Our Best checklists egThe Five Essentials, safety and safeguarding or makingguiding happen.

• Explain that going into a unit and asking volunteers eachquestion on the checklist may feel overwhelming and as ifthey are being marked. That is not what the checklists areabout – they are a resource on a unit’s journey to DoingOur Best!

• Ask commissioners in their groups to write down whatquestions they might like to ask unit volunteers to thinkabout before a unit visit that could help a unit to identifyif they are working towards or doing the Doing Our Beststandards well. Asking questions in advance can give theunit team time to think together and to ask the girls forfeedback. Possible ideas are in the trainer notes in thePowerPoint slides.

• Ask the groups to share some of the questions they havecome up with and some of the discussions they’ve had.Explain that this exercise should have demonstrated thatthe checklist can be a helpful reminder as a commissionerof the kind of things they can support units with.

Small group working

• Pen, paper,DoingOur Bestchecklists

1,2 Depending on how familiar the participants are with the checklists, you may need to give them time to read them in their small groups. The task will help commissioners to become more familiar with the detail of the standards.


C1

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:20

10

42 • Ask commissioners to go back into their small groupsand take some sticky notes. On one coloured sticky noteask them to write ideas for celebrating where units aremeeting some of the standards really well, and on theother colour ideas of how they could support units whoare struggling with an area, eg passing on new resources,suggesting training, having a one-on-one conversation etc.

• Share the ideas and take a photo of them to circulate afterthe training.

Small group working


2,3 You may want to discuss with participants what they would do if they find that the unit leaders don’t want to address certain areas of Doing Our Best and are therefore not following Girlguiding’s policies and procedures.


C1

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

5

43–44 • Show slide 43. Ask the participants in pairs to telleach other a role/task they do as a commissioner.Ask them to share their ideas with the other pairsnear them and then to share with the whole group.Note the roles and tasks down on a flipchart, so theparticipants can refer back to them.

• Show slide 44 and explain it shows some of the rolesa commissioner has. There are other roles too, egfinances, recruitment process, supporting a team,welcoming new volunteers, dealing with complaints,safeguarding and general concerns, the delivery ofgood guiding, updating GO, recognising achievements,running division meetings, and arranging training.

• Emphasise that delivery of good guiding is a centralpart of a commissioner’s role.

Pair working • Flipchartand pens

1 Slide 44 is a summary based on information for commissioners in the handbook and elearning. See slide 44 ppt notes for the wording used in the elearning.

Activity 2: How can the Doing Our Best standards support me in my role?Aim: To help commissioners see how the Doing Our Best standards and checklists can help them with different parts of their role.

Objectives: During this activity, commissioners will have had the opportunity to: 1. Consider the different aspects of their role the checklists could be useful for

2. And how they could use the checklists as part of their role

Resources required: Flipchart, paper and pens, Doing Our Best checklists

Time: 15 minutes


C2

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:05

10

44 • Ask commissioners to consider in their pairs how theDoing Our Best standards and checklists could be auseful resource in each aspect of their role and to notethat down. For example: I could go through the financechecklist with the treasurer to make sure we are followinggood practice, or we could celebrate those units who aremeeting the standards really well and share their goodpractice where we notice it happening, or we could use thechecklist at a division meeting.

• Finally, ask pairs to feed back to the whole group andto note down for themselves two areas that have beenidentified where they will use the checklists in the future.

Pair working

• Pens andpaper, DoingOur Bestchecklists

1,2


C2

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

15*

45 • Explain that you are going to run someactivities with the participants that theycould also use at a district meeting tohelp units engage with the Doing Our Beststandards and checklists.

• Pick one or more of the activities below torun with your participants, depending onhow much time you have.– Run the ‘true’ or ‘false’ game from

activity 1 in this resource pack with thevolunteers.

Group working

• DoingOur Bestchecklists,paper andpens

1 You may want to run your own activity ideas, use the ‘further ideas’ in the Doing Our Best Guiding Conversation, or some of the activities from this resource pack for unit volunteers.

You can make this activity longer or shorter by selecting more or fewer activities to run with the commissioners.

Activity 3: Activities for commissioners to use with leaders at a district meeting Aim: To give commissioners ideas about how to use the Doing Our Best standards at a district meeting.

Objectives: During this activity, commissioners will have had the opportunity to: 1. Consider and create activities they could use at a district meeting to help volunteers engage with the standards

Resources required: Doing Our Best checklists, paper and pens

Time: 25 minutes



C3

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

15

45 – Play checklist bingo as an ice breaker in the district meeting(this is very similar to unit volunteer activity 4, that can befound earlier in these trainer resources). Give participantsa copy of one of the Doing Our Best checklists (could be anyof them – safety and safeguarding, making guiding happen orthe Five Essentials). Read out a selection from the checklistand ask them to tick them off if they feel their unit meetsthis standard well. Once they have ticked off five, they shoutbingo! Use this as a way to start a discussion about what theyfeel they do well – and share good practice – and what theyneed more support with.

– As a district, decide to concentrate on one set of standardsa term. For example: making guiding happen checklist. Askcommissioners to consider their own unit, or a specific unitthey support, and to look at one element of one checklist,such as ‘encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion’ fromthe making guiding happen checklist. Ask the commissionersto look at the checklist and identify where their unit isdoing this really well and any gaps. Tell commissioners theycould ask leaders to do this before a meeting and comeready to share and brainstorm together. Challenge them toimplement actions for that term. The following term choosea different part of the checklist. Explain that for some unitscommissioners might want to break down the checklistseven further, eg ask volunteers coming to a unit meeting toconsider how they currently or previously supported a girlwith additional need to join in with activities in a unit.

Group working


1 You may want to run your own activity ideas, use the ‘further ideas’ in the Doing Our Best Guiding Conversation, or some of the activities from this resource pack for unit volunteers.

You can make this activity longer or shorter by selecting more or fewer activities to run with the commissioners.


C3

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:15

10

45 • Explain that they are now going to brainstorm furtherdifferent ways to encourage units to engage with the DoingOur Best standards.

• Ask commissioners to move into small groups, and to sharethose standards they feel volunteers need most help inengaging with in their districts. Next, ask them to come upwith some creative ways they could use the standards in theirnext district meeting or conversations with volunteers toaddress this. Ask the group to share their ideas.

Small group working


1 Ensure you direct the commissioners to the Doing Our Best Guiding Conversation which has further ideas for district meetings.


C3

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

10

46 • Split the participants into groups of 3.Explain that one of the participants is goingto play the part of a commissioner, thesecond is going to be a unit leader and thethird will be an observer. The observer’s roleis to note things that are done really welland what could be improved and to providefurther ideas at the end.

• There are four different scenarios for youto use in worksheet C4A. You may choose touse all or just one with your groups. You willneed to adjust your timings accordingly.

• Provide the commissioner and the leaderwith their information (don’t let them seeeach other’s) and ask them to improvisethe conversation they might have for fiveminutes. The observer is allowed to know allthe information.

Role play • WorksheetC4A (cut outthe differentsets ofinformationbefore givingit to theparticipants)

1 You can read the scenarios on worksheet C4A.

If running more than one scenario, suggest that the participants all change roles in their groups of three.

Activity 4: Having conversations using the Doing Our Best standardsAim: To familiarise commissioners with the Doing Our Best standards and how to use them as a resource to support unit volunteers.

Objectives: During this activity, commissioners will have had the opportunity to: 1. Discuss different unit scenarios and consider how the Doing Our Best standards can be helpful in those situations.

Resources required: Doing Our Best standards, worksheet C4A

Time: 10 minutes (for one scenario per group, add 10 minutes for each additional scenario you would like to include)


C4

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:10

10

47 • Ask the groups to stop the conversation, and to consider the following questions together with the observer (also on the PowerPoint slides), ensure they have the Doing Our Best standards to hand:– How did both participants feel during

the conversation? Did you feel heard and cared for?

– Did the leader come away with some useful support?

– Did the commissioner identify areas to celebrate and relate these to the Doing Our Best standards?

– Did the commissioner identify where support might be needed and relate these to the Doing Our Best standards?

– Where else could the commissioner point the volunteer to for more support?

– What did the observer feel went really well, what did the observer feel could have gone better?

• Ask all the groups to feed back the key learning they received from the conversations. What might they do the same or differently next time?

Small group work

• PPT slide, paper and pens, Doing Our Best standards

1


C4

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

10–20

41 • Split the participants into groups of fouror five.

• Explain that each group is going to be givena different scenario to discuss, with somequestions to answer. They can use the DoingOur Best standards to help them with thescenarios.

• Once the groups have discussed the scenariosyou can either give them time to consider asecond scenario or collect the feedback andconsider together as a team.

Small group working

• WorksheetC5A, DoingOur Beststandardsandchecklists,pens, stickynotes

1,2 The scenarios can be found on worksheet C5A.

As an extension to this activity, you could ask groups to role-play the scenario once they have discussed it (see activity 4).

Activity 5: What does quality look like?Aim: To help commissioners feel more confident identifying where units are meeting the Doing Our Best standards and how to support those who aren’t.

Objectives: During this activity, commissioners will have had the opportunity to: 1. Consider the different ways that the Doing Our Best standards can be met

2. Identify where a unit isn’t meeting the Doing Our Best standards and consider how to offer help and support

Resources required: Doing Our Best standards and checklists, sticky notes, pens, worksheet C5A

Time: 10 to 20 minutes (depending on how many scenarios you ask groups to look at)


C5

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

15*

49 • Explain to commissioners thatthey are going to be trying anactivity they could use withunit leaders individually or aspart of a wider unit meeting.The activity will focus onfamiliarisation with the safetyand safeguarding checklistsbut could easily be adaptedfor the other checklists.

Group working

• Sticky notes in different colours and pens, safety and safeguarding standards on flipchart paper

• Safety and safeguarding checklists

1,2 The safety and safeguarding standards can be found in full in the PowerPoint trainer notes. The summary areas are:• volunteer roles and responsibilities• recognising and acting on safeguarding concerns• managing risk• preparing for emergencies• keeping member information safe

When discussing the participants’ ideas, ensure you discuss whether the ideas meet the standard, or if a combination of things needs to happen, eg attending training and following procedure.

Activity 6: Safety and safeguarding standards: ideas to help unit leaders Aim: To help commissioners become more familiar with the safety and safeguarding standards and to explain them to their unit volunteers.

Objectives: During this activity, commissioners will have had the opportunity to: 1. Consider how the Doing Our Best safety and safeguarding standards can be met by a unit

2. Experience taking part in an activity for use in a district meeting to show unit leaders how to use the standards

Resources required: Doing Our Best standards and checklists, sticky notes in different colours, pens, worksheet C6A, additional Girlguiding guidance notes relating to these standards (eg. recruitment and disclosure checks, Safe Space and Safeguarding booklets, risk assessment guidance and templates, Be Prepared booklet, emergency file, GDPR booklet)

Time: 25 minutes



C6

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:00

15

49 • Set up five different largepieces of flipchart paperaround the room – label eachone with a different one ofthe safety and safeguardingstandards and brieflyexplain each.

• Split them into groups ofthree or four and make surethey have sticky notes andpens. Each group is given oneof the standards to start atand they have to describefour different ways that a unitcould meet that standard.They need to write their ideason four different sticky notesand post them on the relevantflipchart paper.

• Once they have done thatthey can move on to anotherstandard. Repeat this fivetimes until all the standardshave been covered. Then readout some of the ideas anddiscuss them as a group as awhole, referring to the safetyand safeguarding checklists.

Group working

• Sticky notes in different colours and pens, safety and safeguarding standards on flipchart paper

• safety and safeguarding checklists

1,2


C6

Doing Our Best

Time (mins)

Slide no


Resources needed

Objective number

Comments

00:15

10

50 • Ask to sit back down in their groups and to focus on one of the standards where unit(s) in their district could do with extra support. Provide them with worksheet C6A.

• Ask them to think about a unit in their district and look at one of the safety and safeguarding standards and the checklist questions related to it.

• Ask them to try answering the questions as if they were that unit. As they do so, they should fill in Worksheet C6A – my unit action plan. The plan is split into ‘this month/term/year’. They can use the checklist to identify anything urgent they must do this month to ensure they meet safety and safeguarding standards, anything that they can work on this term, and anything they can implement this year.

• Get commissioners to give ideas on how they could support units to meet these actions.

• Explain that the commissioners could use this idea to help unit leaders to evaluate and plan how they will meet the safety and safeguarding standards.

Group working

• Worksheet C6A, pens

1,2


C6

Doing Our Best

Who in your unit might find using the Doing Our Best checklists helpful?


V1A

Doing Our Best

How might you use the Doing Our Best checklists in your unit?


V1A

Doing Our Best

When might you use the Doing Our Best checklists in your unit?


V1A

Doing Our Best

Scenario AEncouraging equality, diversity and inclusion

The 2nd Bingham Rainbows is a fun and busy unit. The unit leader doesn’t see much diversity in her unit. She feels this probably reflects her local area, which she thinks isn’t very diverse. She has had a quick look at the Doing Our Best standards but believes the encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion part just isn’t relevant to her unit. None of the girls have any obvious additional needs, and everything seems to be ticking along fine.

Using the equality, diversity and inclusion checklist, discuss the following questions together:

What might diversity mean to this leader? Could it be wider than she first thinks?

Do you think the encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion checklists could be helpful to this unit? If so how?

Think about your unit – looking at the checklist questions do you feel that you have considered equality, diversity and inclusion well enough?

How could you use the checklist to help this unit to meet the Doing Our Best standards?


V3A

Doing Our Best

Scenario BBuilding a strong unit team

The popular 1st Teddington Brownies unit is full. They recently recruited two new volunteers to reduce the waiting lists. But as it’s such a big unit the busy volunteers are finding it hard to find the time to train the two new joiners. They’re just hoping they pick up what they need to do on the job but it’s all hands-on-deck at the moment! Even with the two new volunteers, the unit leader is feeling stretched and stressed. She finds it hard to keep up with all the admin as well as the planning for each session. She can’t remember the last time the volunteers all got together outside a unit meeting or managed to go to training.

Using the building a strong unit team checklist, discuss the following questions together:

Can the unit answer yes to any of these questions? What is the unit particularly struggling with? Do you identify with any of these struggles?

What can you suggest the unit do to try and build a stronger unit team together?

What do you do well in your unit to build a strong unit team? Do you celebrate this or share these ideas with others?

What could you do in the future to build a stronger unit team together in your unit?


V3A

Doing Our Best

Scenario CBeing part of the guiding family

The 2nd Nutfield Guides’ unit team enjoy reading guiding magazine and checking the latest Girlguiding news on facebook and the Girlguiding website. The leaders share what’s going on in guiding with the guides and discuss any additional adventures they might like to take part in. They enjoy this, but the leaders sometimes feel it’s hard to keep on top of the changes that Girlguiding is always sharing. The way they run the unit is working for everyone. They don’t feel they should change or worry too much about the uniform they’re wearing or updating their materials.

Using the being part of the guiding family checklist, discuss the following questions together:

What do you think the unit should celebrate that they’re doing really well together?

Are there any questions on the being part of the guiding family checklist that you think this unit would struggle to say yes to? Why?

What simple suggestions could you make to the unit to help them to say yes to these questions?

Thinking about your own unit, see how many of the checklist questions you can answer yes to. Have any of the other questions started you thinking about new and different ways of doing things?


V3A

Doing Our Best

Scenario DManaging your unit’s money

The 1st Walsall Rangers are very busy. They are very proactive and are always planning their next adventure together. They often raise the money needed to support their unit’s activities, as well as raising funds for local causes they want to help. While the Rangers are really good at this, the unit leaders find the money management side of the role draining. There is always something extra to think about – termly subs, annual accounts and so on. It’s hard to stay on top of things. The unit leader has sole responsibility for the finances as none of the other volunteers are interested and she finds it quite a burden.

Using the managing your unit’s money checklist, discuss the following questions together:

How could the managing your unit’s money checklist help the unit leader in this scenario?

Do you think there might be some elements of the checklist that she isn’t aware of or is struggling to meet?

Thinking of how your unit manages money, is there anything on this checklist that has prompted you to think you could do something differently? Is there anything you should celebrate?


V3A

Doing Our Best

I involve everyone in my unit – volunteers and girls – in spotting and managing risks.

I gather information and consent for events

and activities for all members using Girlguiding forms.

Our first aid kit has a list that clearly shows

its contents. These are checked regularly to ensure they are in

date.

Each member’s personal data is just kept on GO – and I

only download or print details from GO when necessary for an event

or activity.

All volunteers are aware of and follow the

Girlguiding volunteer code of conduct.

I make sure that any adult who hasn’t had a disclosure check is

always supervised with the girls.

My unit identifies and manages risks for all

activities and events to keep everyone safe.

The unit’s emergency file is complete and

available at all guiding activities and all team members know what to do in an emergency and how to report accidents

or incidents.

I tell all new members and visitors what to

do if there’s a fire and hold a fire drill at least

once a term.

There is always an appropriately qualified

first aider at unit meetings, activities and

events.

A home contact system is used for all activities

outside our normal meeting place and/or

time.

I always get permissions before taking or sharing

photos of members.

All volunteers and girls know how to report

any safeguarding concerns, allegations

and disclosures.

I securely destroy any personal data

(including photos and videos) that’s no longer

needed.

At least one leader in the unit has completed level 3 of A Safe Space training and they are responsible for any

safeguarding concerns.

Everyone who regularly attends my unit is registered on GO.


V4A

GDPR

Doing Our Best

Why might you pick up and use the

Doing Our Best safety and safeguarding

checklist?

How could you use the safety andsafeguarding checklist?

Who in your unit team might use the safety and safeguarding checklist? How are you going to share responsibility among your

unit for meeting the standards?

Which of the safety and safeguarding

five checklists do you feel will be most

helpful to your unit and why?


V4B

GDPR

Doing Our Best

This month’s actions This term’s actions

This year’s actions


V7A

GDPR

Doing Our Best

True or false quiz questions

The Doing Our Best standards only concentrate on helping units to implement the Five Essentials in their unit.

False The Doing Our Best standards also cover safety and safeguarding and making guiding happen standards (eg encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion, building a strong unit team etc).

The Doing Our Best standards are supported by a series of handy checklists.

True There are checklists for the Five Essentials, making guiding happen and safety and safeguarding. You can download them from the Girlguiding website.

The Doing Our Best standards create new requirements for units.

False The Doing Our Best standards don’t create any new requirements for units. They’re simply an up-to-date checklist (replacing Good guiding is), with everything in one document to make things clearer and easier for volunteers. They are a useful way of identifying what your unit is already doing well.

Only commissioners and unit leaders need to know about the Doing Our Best standards.

False The standards and checklists can be a useful tool for everyone in guiding. Units should consider where their team members’ different strengths lie and how the checklists could be used in each role as a helpful tool.

There is a handy checklist on guiding policies and procedures like managing your unit’s money, managing risk and preparing for an emergency.

True These checklists bring into one place all the policies and procedures that make guiding safe and inclusive for all our members. They act as a handy reminder.

The Five Essentials checklist breaks down each of the Five Essentials into manageable questions that help you think about whether a unit is really balanced and varied, girl-led etc.

True The questions asked help volunteers to really engage with what the Five Essentials look like in practice in a unit.


C1A

Doing Our Best

Scenario 1Information for all:A local unit leader has asked for a meeting with her district commissioner.

Scenario 1Commissioner’s information: A local unit leader has asked for a meeting with you, but you are unsure what she wants to discuss and she was evasive on the phone. After looking up the unit on GO, you can see it has a very small leadership team who do not have current first aid or A Safe Space training. You have recently been looking at the Doing Our Best standards and worry that the unit may not be complying with some of Girlguiding’s policies.

Scenario 1Leader’s information: You are very proud of your Girlguiding unit. The girls are really happy and you’ve managed to keep it going even without enough volunteers supporting you. However, you are worried about the future for your unit without more volunteers helping. You’re just not sure you can continue without further support and don’t feel you are getting it from your wider district team. You have asked to meet with your district commissioner to discuss this because you really need some help.

A

C

L


C4A

Doing Our Best

Scenario 2Information for all:Before your local district meeting, the commissioner has asked all unit volunteers attending to look at the making guiding happen checklist and for each unit leadership team to come along ready to share one standard they are doing really well and one they would like more support with, so you can problem-solve together. Before this meeting one of the local leaders rings you with concerns.

Scenario 2Commissioner’s information: You are aware from your district treasurer that some of the units in your district struggle with managing their money because checked accounts are not always submitted on time. You also wonder if units are covering all the encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion standards.

You think that getting leaders to look at the making guiding happen standards before the district meeting is a good way to share good practice together and to become familiar with the standards. The checklists are a useful tool to start these conversations and to celebrate what is going well. While there is lots to focus on in the district meeting, you feel that this should be a priority.

Scenario 2Leader’s information: You hadn’t looked at the Doing Our Best standards before your commissioner sent out some instructions for the next district meeting. It seems like an awful lot of new information and it’s rather overwhelming. There are things you know your team does really well, like being part of the guiding family and building a strong unit team, but the rest seems really hard. You’re not sure these checklists are that helpful and would rather spend the district meeting focusing on other more important issues like understanding the new programme.

A

C

L


C4A

Doing Our Best

Scenario 3Information for all:The 3rd Breedon Brownies has just had a very fun and enjoyable sleepover at an activity centre. For some of the girls this was the first time they had been away from home for the night. The commissioner found out about the sleepover from social media and has called the unit leader to find out more about it. She can’t visit as the unit is too far away.

Scenario 3Commissioner’s information: You have concerns that permissions weren’t sought for sharing images on social media. The local unit also didn’t get your permission for the sleepover. You can also see that they ran several activities that leaders usually need special qualifications to run or to speak with the commissioner about first. You think you saw a campfire in one of the pictures and the girls taking part in archery. You want to ensure that the leader fully understands the safety and safeguarding standards and meets them in the future. But you also want to help the unit celebrate their success.

Scenario 3Leader’s information: You are pleased that the commissioner is calling you. You want to celebrate with her what a success the sleepover was. It was the first your unit has run and it was a lot of work getting the girls to commit to it. Your unit went to a lot of trouble to make it enjoyable for the girls and they loved the campfire and the archery. There was, of course, a qualified instructor for the archery at the activity centre.

A

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Doing Our Best

Scenario 4Information for all:The district commissioner regularly visits units at their meeting place. The district commissioner has just arrived for one of these visits at a local unit with a new leadership team.

Scenario 4Commissioner’s information: You are about to visit a local unit with a new leadership team. You have heard good reports from the parents about the activities the girls have been doing but want to check that they are following all of the Five Essentials.

Scenario 4Leader’s information: You are aware that the local commissioner is going to visit your unit tonight. Your leadership team is very enthusiastic and has planned an exciting evening for the girls involving activities from the programme unit meeting activities and skills builders. You are all worried that this will be like a school’s Ofsted inspection.

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Doing Our Best

Scenario 1You are a commissioner and you have asked unit leaders to come prepared to share how they provide a ‘balanced and varied programme which is girl led’ at the next district meeting. At the meeting there are representatives from four units and they share the following:

Unit A: My girls really like to bake and craft, so I ensure that we plan these girl-led activities for each week.

Unit B: I’ve brought in my year plan for my unit. It ensures that everyone gets a chance to do an appropriate skills builder and covers all six programme themes, which makes it balanced and varied. There’s not much time for anything else.

Unit C: We love doing all the extra activities that Girlguiding has to offer, and also a few trips out of our own. The girls are always asking to do more. This makes our programme really varied and girl-led.

Unit D: We ask the girls each term for their ideas but they generally ask to repeat something we’ve done before – never anything new. The leaders generally end up creating a varied programme based on time of year and guiding initiatives and we try to follow the programme. We are struggling a bit with getting the balance right between using skills builders, UMAs and what the girls want to repeat.

Using the Doing Our Best The Five Essentials standards, consider together the following questions:

What can you see as a good example of quality guiding in each of the four units? How can this be celebrated?

What could you ask each of these units more about?

Where could these units not be meeting the standards?

How might you use the checklist to help you have a conversation with these units?


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Doing Our Best

Scenario 2One of your unit leaders has come to you overwhelmed – there are too many Girlguiding policies to follow, she can’t possibly keep up with all the safeguarding, risk assessments etc., and provide a balanced and varied programme. It’s all too much!

Please consider together the following questions:

Using the Doing Our Best standards as a guide, what questions could you ask the leader to find out more about her unit and what is overwhelming her?

How might the Doing Our Best standards be used by the unit leader after your discussion?

What can you suggest to her to make everything more manageable?

What additional support can you provide her?


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Doing Our Best

Scenario 3You have a unit in your district which has a really good reputation. The girls are enjoying getting stuck into the new programme, there are always new members wanting to join and the volunteers seem to be enjoying running the unit. However, you have noticed that their GO records aren’t up to date, and you have concerns about whether all the required policies and procedures are being followed.


How would you go about speaking with this unit?

How might Doing Our Best standards be helpful in a conversation with the unit?

What advice would you give the unit?

What could you do to celebrate and share the great practice they are clearly doing in so many areas?


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Doing Our Best

Scenario 4You have just returned from visiting a local unit. The girls were clearly having a great time and taking part in lots of different activities. The leaders all reported that they felt very well supported and were enjoying their roles. However, when you asked a couple of the more recent volunteers and the parent helpers if there had been any safeguarding concerns they didn’t seem to understand the question properly. And, when you asked who at the meeting was the qualified first aider there was some confusion among the team as to who held the relevant qualifications. You are now concerned that the unit may not be meeting the safety and safeguarding standards. There wasn’t an appropriate time to talk with the unit volunteers about these issues in the visit and you’re now worrying about how to approach it.


What could the commissioner celebrate with the unit?

Looking at the safety and safeguarding standards and checklist, where do you think the unit might not be meeting those standards?

How would you suggest the commissioner begins discussing this with the unit? How could the checklist help?

Where could the commissioner refer the unit volunteers for further support?


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Doing Our Best

This month’s actions This term’s actions

This year’s actions


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Doing Our Best

Doing Our Best standards training – take-home sheet!We hope you have found the Doing Our Best standards training enjoyable and useful. Overleaf you will find an action plan template where you can jot down the actions you want to take as a direct result of this training. Your action plan should include talking to your leadership team and wider unit about what you’ve learned and deciding together how to action it. We encourage you to use it and refer back to it in future to ensure that the training you have received is really embedded in your good practice.

Here is a list of useful resources that you can find online to support you with implementing the Doing Our Best standards:

Doing Our Best web-hub (with all checklists): girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/how-were-being-our-best/doing-our-best

Doing Our Best poster: girlguiding.org.uk/globalassets/docs-and-resources/quality-and-compliance/dob_magazineposter_web.pdf

Guiding Conversation on Doing Our Best: girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/commissioners/guiding-conversations

A Safe Space information: girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/learning-and-development/a-safe-space-training

If you have any further thoughts or questions about the Doing Our Best standards please get in touch at: [email protected], and remember that you can always contact your local commissioner for further local support.



https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/globalassets/docs-and-resources/quality-and-compliance/dob_magazineposter_web.pdf

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/commissioners/guiding-conversations/

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/making-guiding-happen/learning-and-development/a-safe-space-training/

Doing Our Best

Action plan template

What we’ll do When we’ll do it

Who is involved What support we need How we’ll know if we’ve succeeded

This plan is for: It was made on: It was made by:


Doing Our Best

Frequently asked questionsThe Quality Steering Group has developed these FAQs to explain the background to Doing Our Best standards and help staff and senior volunteers across Girlguiding to answer questions from members.

If you have any feedback about the standards, or a question that is not covered here or on our website, please email [email protected].

We’ll continue to update the FAQs over time, to respond to more of your questions and comments.

Why has Girlguiding launched the Doing Our Best standards?We want everyone, everywhere to have a great experience in guiding. The lives of girls have changed since we created our previous checklist, Good guiding is, and Girlguiding has changed with them. Doing Our Best is an updated set of checklists reflecting our new programme and latest policies and procedures. This helps give all of us clarity and confidence about what makes a good quality unit, and how we can work together to make guiding the best it can be.

How were the Doing Our Best standards developed?In November 2017 the quality steering group worked with a small group of other experienced volunteers and staff to draft the updated standards. They used feedback from all of the volunteers and girls who had taken part in the quality pilot between 2015 and 2017, and learning from our previous checklist, Good guiding is. The first draft of the updated standards was tested with nearly 100 volunteers to make sure they were clear and easy to use. Testers had lots of different roles and guiding experience, including Queen’s Guide award participants, unit leaders, commissioners at all levels and Girlguiding qualified trainers. The quality steering group used the results of the testing to improve the draft standards. The final version of Doing Our Best was approved by chief commissioners on Girlguiding’s operational board.

What was the quality pilot and how do the standards relate to this?Doing Our Best started out as a pilot project to improve how we evidence and celebrate quality. Fifty-seven ‘pioneer’ units took part in the first phase in 2015-16, testing a first version of the quality standards, and working towards a quality mark for their unit. The standards and quality mark process were improved based on feedback from the first pilot. In 2016-17 we ran a much larger pilot with 397 units from every country and region taking part.

Members said they enjoyed celebrating successes and sharing ideas during the pilot, and that the standards were useful as a checklist for gathering feedback and planning. However, everyone agreed that the quality mark took far too much time to complete and wasn’t realistic or sustainable for Girlguiding. We decided we needed a much simpler approach, which would be a positive experience for all.

The Doing Our Best standards build on the things that members told us were positive about the pilot, as well as what they liked about our previous checklist, Good Guiding Is. None of the standards are new requirements. But we hope having updated checklists, developed by and


Doing Our Best

for volunteers, will help everyone get to know the new programme and stay up to date with policies and procedures. After Doing Our Best is launched we’ll continue to learn from your feedback and suggestions to improve the standards and our support for volunteers.

Are the standards replacing Good Guiding Is?Yes. Good Guiding Is was last updated in 2014, and since then Girlguiding has launched its new programme and some of our key policies and procedures have also changed. Doing Our Best is a replacement for Good Guiding Is and supports volunteers by bringing the requirements for good unit guiding together in a single document.

Why have you launched these new standards at the same time as the programme and changes to policies and procedures such as data protection?We know that a lot is changing across the organisation and this can be unsettling. So it’s important to know that the Doing Our Best standards don’t create any new requirements for units. They’re simply an up-to-date checklist (replacing Good Guiding Is), to help us all navigate the changes that are happening across guiding this year. We hope that having everything in one document will make things clearer and easier for unit teams, as well as for the commissioners, trainers and other volunteers and staff who support them.

I’m a unit leader, how can Doing Our Best help me in my role?Think of Doing Our Best as a checklist for good quality guiding that supports you to run an amazing unit. Each standard describes an aspect of good guiding and has a checklist for bringing this to life.

By running through the questions on the checklist, you and your team can reflect and celebrate your achievements, gather feedback from the girls, and plan for the future together. Leaders involved in the quality pilot said that using the checklists help their unit work better as a team and share out responsibility for different standards. It also helped them to share ideas with leaders in other units and get advice and support to develop their skills.

I’m a local commissioner, how can Doing Our Best help me in my role?Doing Our Best can be a great set of topics for chats and discussions with unit teams. You can use them to help you induct new volunteers, as part of local meetings and unit visits, or even to plan a thanks and recognition event for volunteers in your area. You can also use the checklists to help units to identify any improvements they would like to make, and what they need from your district, division or county team, and Girlguiding in general, to help with this.

Whatever way you use it, Doing Our Best is a great tool for celebrating successes, sharing ideas, building confidence and providing reassurance and support. There is also a Doing Our Best Guiding Conversation to help you in your role.

I’m a Girlguiding qualified trainer, how can I use Doing Our Best in my role?Doing Our Best is a great resource when training and supporting other volunteers. It covers every aspect of good guiding so can be used in all


Doing Our Best

types of workshops and sessions. If you’re a Module 3 Programme trainer, it provides a practical framework for supporting leaders and other unit volunteers with the programme. Module 2 Leading and Managing People trainers can use it to empower the commissioners you work with to have conversations about quality with the units they support. Trainers with a Module 4 Subject Matter Expert (such as 1st Response, A Safe Space and financial management) can refer to the relevant Doing Our Best standards.

Doing Our Best trainer resources are available on the Girlguiding website to support you whenever you deliver training. Whatever your training area, we encourage you to select the activities in these trainer resources that are relevant to your training.

Will using the standards create more work for units? No.The Doing Our Best standards don’t create any new requirements for units. They are a handy checklist for all of the things that units already do to deliver good quality guiding. We hope this will make things clearer and simpler for everyone and help all members to feel confident in their roles and celebrate the best of Girlguiding.

What happens if my unit isn’t doing everything that’s in the standards?The Doing Our Best standards reflect Girlguiding’s policies and procedures in the form of handy checklists and so they are mandatory standards. As units start working through the checklists, they may identify standards that they are not meeting. The leadership team and girls can work together to complete an action plan and prioritise areas for improvement.

Having checklists helps all of us to stay up to date and make sure every member has the best possible guiding experience. It reminds all of us what we do well and what we could improve. Units in the quality pilot shared so many fantastic skills, ideas and achievements, but even very experienced leaders also identified something they wanted to change or try in future.

Girlguiding is made up of hundreds of thousands of volunteers and girls, with different strengths and ways of contributing. So, when planning any changes, think about what support you might need and who can help – whether it’s another member of the unit, or asking other unit leaders or your local commissioner for advice or support.

What support is there for units to meet these standards?Girlguiding has a wide range of guidance, learning and support to help unit teams offer a great programme for girls, and follow our policies and procedures for keeping members safe and making guiding happen.

Each of the Doing Our Best checklists links to related resources and guidance on Girlguiding’s website. There is also an overview of all the learning and development that’s available nationally in the learning and development pages on the Girlguiding website.

Your local commissioner is the first point of contact for units to get support in their area. They will be able to tell you about meetings in your district or division where you can share ideas with other leaders, as well as helping you access other training and development opportunities within the county and country or region.


Doing Our Best

As units start working through the checklists, we are asking them to tell us where they need more support, so we can improve the help that’s available at every level of guiding.

Local commissioners already have so much to do – is it realistic to ask them to support units using Doing Our Best as well?Local commissioners and their teams are already working hard to support units in their area to provide good quality guiding. Doing Our Best is another resource they can use in the conversations, visits and meetings they are already having.

Commissioners we worked with as part of the quality pilot said the checklists made it easier to have conversations about quality and share ideas between units in their area. They also used them when planning training and events in their district, division or county.

Are the standards included in the Girlguiding leadership qualification (LQ)?Doing Our Best is a great resource to support new leaders and leaders-in-training. We are already signposting to the checklists within the current leadership qualification, and when the LQ is next updated, Doing Our Best will be integrated into the content. In the meantime, we’re also developing resources and guidance to help trainers use Doing Our Best in all of their sessions with new and existing leaders and other groups of volunteers.


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