Green Shoots?
Some have commented that they see recent signs of “Green Shoots” arising at national level and others have said that Scouting Ireland seems to have weathered the storm and is now in a much better position.
Scope for optimism
The current vibe seems to be upbeat.
Three recent co-options to the Board brings their number to nine from a low of six.
It is reported that the current Board seems open to the idea of change, correction, and improvement.
There are a number of project teams currently reviewing a range of matters key to our operations as a Scouting organisation, including:
- Youth Programme
- Volunteer Training
- Organisation Structures
- Conflict, Disputes, Disciplinary
All of this is to be welcomed and may well line up with the observation of Green Shoots. However it seems premature to declare that the organisation has “weathered the storm”, indeed some would say that we are right in the middle of it still.
Fees and Finances
A recent communication from the Board (E56-2025) announced fee increases for the year 2025-26. Fees are to rise to €91 (£75), with a reduction of 50% for Rover Scouts. This follows the significant rise in fees at the start of the current year. It seems likely that this will put some Scout Groups under additional pressure for funds, although this may be offset somewhat by the announcement of a provision of €20,000 to support Scout Groups who may be in need.
This communication also reiterated that as of 2023 there were over fifty legal cases re. legacy child abuse ongoing. It also implied that there may be a shortfall in funding for such cases over and above an outcome from mediation/arbitration with the organisation’s insurance underwriters.
On June 20th 2025, the Irish Times published two articles re. how Scouting Ireland was handling the historic cases and the time it is taking to bring this matter to closure. The text of those articles can be read HERE and HERE. A subsequent communication (E62-2025) in response to those articles declared that steady progress had been made in recent months in settling of multiple cases.
The communication about fee increases provided a high-level analysis of income and expenditure to show where fees are being spent. This showed a figure of €800,000 under the heading of Historical Abuse and €200,000 under the heading of Legal Costs.
It is unclear what period the figures provided refer to. They may relate to the 2023-24 financial period, and if so, it is unclear if they account for the Board’s previous declaration that the financial year was to be changed to end in December of each year (previously used to end in September).
If the figures do relate to a 12-month period, and if the 800k was actually spent in resolving historic cases then perhaps that represents some good news in that the organisation was able to generate that money in a single year. And one must assume the future financial impact of historic abuse cases has been reduced / paid down somewhat, although it is not possible from the information provided to ascertain the likely impact during 2025 and future years.
Investigations
In April 2024, the Irish Times reported that, following revelations of internal disputes, the Department (of Children) had commissioned an independent review to examine the governance of Scouting Ireland and that they were tendering for an independent expert to carry out the review.
In January of this year (2025), following whistleblowing activity by two previous Board members, the Charities Regulator appointed inspectors to investigate the affairs of the company and a number of other organisations that may be related to it. The scope of this review also includes why accounts for 2022-23 and 2023-24 have not yet been presented to the organisation.
We have not heard the outcome of either of those investigations to date, although they may be still ongoing. It is to be hoped that the outcomes of these and any other investigations that may be underway at present will shed further light on the condition of the organisation and provide a roadmap for recovery / improvement.
Disciplinary Procedures
It is understood that legal action against the organisation is underway on behalf of two individuals who held senior roles at national level in relation to disciplinary action taken against them by the Board in 2021. These are not isolated cases, there have been numerous others before and since. Indeed it appears that, in September 2024, the then-outgoing Board initiated a number of suspensions and referrals to the Disciplinary Procedure. Information is not available as to the current status of those complaints, although it is understood that at least some of them may be still ongoing with the individuals still suspended.
Perhaps the review of Conflict, Disputes, Disciplinary mentioned earlier may succeed in clarifying that Disciplinary Procedures are intended for use only for the most serious of matters and only after reasonable efforts have been made to address matters via an appropriate Conflict and Dispute resolution approach.
We can hope…
So, although there seem to be some signs for optimism, it is evident that there are a number of not-insignificant reasons to be concerned about the future of Scouting Ireland as a national Scouting organisation.
It is to be hoped the results of current external investigations, and the accounts for the past two years will serve to reduce rather than increase concern.
Also, perhaps the outcome of the current internal reviews will enable / cause the Board to make the fundamental changes required to revert to an appropriately sustainable organisation which can provide a quality Scouting experience for volunteers and staff as well as our youth members.
An easy to print version of this posting can be found HERE.
