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No individual is authorised to lead "nights away" activities in British Groups Abroad unless the individual holds a Nights Away Permit (or, in exceptional circumstances, is specifically authorised by the BGA County Commissioner).

BGA County issues Nights Away Permits to adults within BGA only but does accept valid Nights Away Permits issued by other Counties/Areas within The Scout Association.

The details below are intended to provide guidance for BGA leaders on how they should operate the Nights Away Permit Scheme.

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Assessment of the applicants core skills by the BGA Nights Away Advisor is more difficult than for a local Nights Away Advisor.  Therefore to support the assessment a certain amount of supporting evidence will need to be provided by the applicant or an existing permit holder who has worked with them.  This evidence might include the following:

• Items of correspondence (emails or letters).
• Notes from planning meetings.
• Camp programme.
• Diagrams, photographs or videos of the camp-site to show the layout and use of equipment.
• Personal and camp equipment lists.
• Details of activities (including authorisation).
• Home contact arrangements.
• Example health forms (not the actual ones completed for those attending the event)
• Menus and shopping lists.
• Budgets or financial statements.
• Risk Assessments
• Statements from other people or the permit holder as to what they observed about the applicant at a nights away event.

To help collating this evidence the applicant should number each piece of evidence and then record that number against the corresponding checklist item within the Assessment Checklist for a Nights Away Permit. The Assessment Checklist and the evidence should then be sent to the BGA Nights Away Advisor. The Advisor will review and discuss the application with the applicant before making any permit recommendations to the County Commissioner for final approval.

Prior to any event BGA Permit holders are required to complete and submit a Nights Away Notification (NAN) form. This must be received by the BGA Nights Away Advisor at least 14 days before the planned event, or 21 days if the event includes Special Activities (i.e. those requiring authorisation). The section relating to Host DC and Scout Campsite obviously does not apply for BGA nights away events and should be ignored.

If you are planning an overseas event (i.e. a trip outside the country where your Group is located) you will need to hold a Nights Away Permit and apply for international authorisation. In this case please contact International Office (international@scout.org.uk)