Using the Getting Started Hub

There's a lot to set up when you first start with Scoutworks, and it's easy to lose track of what you've done and what's still left. The Getting Started Hub gives you one personalised checklist that shows exactly what to do next for your role — and most of it ticks off on its own as you work, so you rarely have to mark anything complete by hand.

Where to find it

There are two ways in:

From the sidebar — click Getting Started (near Settings and Help & support). It stays there until you've finished the essentials for your role, then quietly steps aside.
From your dashboard — when there's still setup to do, a banner appears: "Get the most out of Scoutworks — see your personalised setup checklist." Click Getting Started to jump straight in, or dismiss the banner with the ✕ if you'd rather not be reminded.

Your goal at the top

The top of the Hub greets you and shows the one thing you're working towards — your goal line. It's different for every role, so it always reflects what matters to you:

Your role	What you're working towards
Group admin	Your group is live: volunteers in, members imported, first night booked.
Volunteer	See your section, run a night, award a badge.
Parent	Your child's profile is complete, you've RSVP'd, and payments are set up.
Treasurer	Money can flow: accounting set up, GoCardless connected, first subscription created.
Trustee	Governance is visible: risks, compliance, meetings.

Next to your goal, a short line tells you how far you've got and roughly how long is left — for example "3 steps left, about 15 min". Once you've done everything, it changes to an All done badge.

Working through your checklist

Your tasks are grouped so you always know what to tackle first:

Group	What it's for
Core	The must-do steps that get you to your goal. Start here.
Essentials	Important next steps, opened up once your core steps are done.
Optional	Nice-to-haves you can skip — hide any you don't need.
Your profile	Your personal details, shared across every group you belong to.

Each task is a single row with a short description. When a step is finished, its row turns green with a tick, so you can see your progress at a glance. Tasks you don't need in the Optional group can be hidden with the ✕ on the row — they won't come back and won't count against your progress.

Steps that tick themselves off

Most steps don't need marking complete — Scoutworks notices when you've done them and ticks them off for you. Add your first members, invite a parent, or book your first night, and the matching task updates the next time you open the Hub.

If you're a leader or admin, these same setup steps also appear as cards on your Getting Started board, so you can work from whichever view you prefer. A banner at the top of the Hub points you there:

Click Open board to switch to the board view.

Discover what else Scoutworks can do

Below your checklist, the Discover section is a gallery of features worth exploring — things like events, badges, or payments, depending on your role. Each card has a Show me how button that gives you a quick guided walk-through, so you can try something new without reading a manual first. Cards you've already explored are marked Seen.

Help and support, always to hand

Every Hub ends with a Help & support block — three cards that are always there, whatever your role:

Help docs — opens this knowledge base in a new tab.
Report a bug — points you to where to flag a problem so the team can look into it.
Request a feature — opens the place to suggest something you'd like to see.

Focusing on one section (leaders)

If you help with more than one section, a Viewing: filter appears near the top. Switch it to a single section to see the readiness of just that section, or leave it on All sections for the full picture.

It looks different for everyone

The Hub is tailored to who you are. A parent sees a short, mobile-friendly list focused on their child; a treasurer sees the steps to get money flowing; a trustee sees governance tasks. You'll only ever see the steps that apply to you — there's no wading through other people's setup.

Hiding the guide

Happy to find your own way? Use Dismiss guide in the top-right of the Hub to tuck it away. The Getting Started item also steps aside from your sidebar on its own once you've reached your goal, so it never lingers once you're set up.

What's next

First Steps After Signup — a recommended first-week plan to get your group running
Setting Up Your Scout Group — configuring sections, details, and your group's basics
Using the Dashboard — what you'll see on your home screen day to day