I would personally like to see The Scout Association's activity authorisation scheme assessed by the correct NGB qualified people, this fact alone would give it a lot more credibility. It would be unrealistic to expect all "instructors" to hold NGB awards. "Site specific" authorisation (given by a suitability qualified person) for certain activities is a very useful system.
Guiding UK run an activity scheme which seems to hold its credentials to the "outside world" and allows Guides to access activities (although the numbers are not as large as Scouts)
TSA produce some very good assessment "checklists" which are designed to be used by the assessors to give points to be checked depending on the level of permit requested. Other than these checklists (which are only guidelines) it is left up to each Scout "County" to decide how they want to carry out the assessment.
For example; Our County has 3 cave assessors (Two level2 & one CIC), we have agreed a system which follows the BCA scheme. Log book, home paper, Personal skills day, and then group day. The 2 days require separate assessors and cannot be "your mate".
However, Scout permits can be given by any County and used anywhere, so if somebody didn't like our system they could potentially "shop" around until they found a system that they did like !!
First Aid: A permit holder (other than T2 hill walking) is not required to hold ANY first aid qualification, the rules state that somebody in the activity group must hold a First aid qualification suitable to the activity. Again this kind of issue does not help give the scheme credidibillity. (We put on very cheap 16 hour first aid courses for permit holders : Carrot rather than stick)
Funding: TSA provide funding for NGBs , but only for people who will use that qualification to be a County assessor (for minimum of 2 years) They will pay half of any training and assessment costs (including accommodation if this is included in the course fee, as per Plas Y Brenin), also a good mileage allowance incurred in getting to the courses.
BCA refund the LCLMA registration fee to voluntary leaders.
There is also funding available for attending a Scout "permit assessment".
The Scout system is far from perfect, and is very vulnerable to local "variations". At one end of the scale, it can be very close if not the same as the NGB system, at the other end it could just be a mate signing off another mate (no evidence of this happening, just a possibility of the the system).
With the money available, the correct NGB qualified people who would be willing to assess who are "Scout friendly" then the Scouts could do a lot better. Using Guiding UK as a starter ?
One of the main issues is the shear number of activities that the permit scheme covers, the obvious cave, climb, walking are common, but any scheme has to manage all the other activities: paracending, hovercraft, Scuba diving, Coaststeering, mountain biking, surfing, ballooning, hang gliding, Zorbing and many many more !
All I can do for now is make sure any activities / assessments I am involved with are as close to the NGB route as possible, whilst still working within Scout rules. :halo:
Ian