Scout Fellowship is a generic term or title, a sort of umbrella, for what are in reality, Active Support Units. Members of Active Support Units must be over the age of 18 and have an interest in supporting the Movement. The principal activity of any branch, segment or type of Scout Fellowship must be in support of Scouting and in particular to those working within the youth programme. After all Scouting is about working with and for young people.
Scout Fellowships should not be regarded as Scout retirement clubs, Friends of Scouting UK exists for this purpose, although there is no reason why individual Scout Fellowships should not have a social programme for its members. Teams or branches are also encouraged to have an interest in the local community. There are many different kinds of Scout Fellowships around the County from Service Teams to Activity Teams and general function segments. So - Service to Scouting; Service to the Community and Social activities; and in that order.
Scout Fellowships may exist at Group, District and County level with the prior approval of the appropriate manager (i.e. Group Scout Leader, District Commissioner or County Commissioner) and the respective Executive Committees. Scout Fellowships are an integral part of the Charity unit (the Group, District or County Scout Council) and cannot exist in isolation. This means that the Charity rules apply, for instance with all finances and accounts being the responsibility of, and consolidated with the accounts of the Group, District or County.
Members of Scout Fellowships are either Members or Associate Members of the UK Scout Movement and from next year may chose to pay an additional fee to enable their membership of the International Scout and Guide Fellowship. All members pay the Scout Association membership Subscriptions. Leaders, Chairmen or Organising Secretaries of Scout Fellowship branches, segments or teams are approved by the respective line manager.
Scout Fellowships must have a 'raison d'être' and a specific written agreement with the line manger as to what "active support or service" is going to be provided for the benefit of Scouting for young people. This agreement should be reviewed from time to time, perhaps annually or bi-annually.