Sometimes a young person leaves for a while, but everyone expects them back — a family moving away for a year, a Squirrel stopping now who will join Beavers when they are old enough, a child taking a break. Move to waiting list is built for exactly that.
It takes nothing away. The member keeps their record — badges, nights away, attendance history, all of it. They come off your active roster and go onto your waiting list marked Returning member, ready to be offered a place whenever one opens up. When you admit them again, their original record comes back. You never re-type a thing.
Deciding between this and archiving? See the comparison table in Archiving, Restoring, and Transferring Members.
Before you start
The move needs two things on the member's record. If either is missing, Scoutworks tells you what to add and nothing changes:
- A linked parent. The waiting list entry needs someone to stay in touch with. Add one on the Parents tab first.
- A date of birth. It is needed to work out which section they are eligible for.
A member who is currently shared with another group cannot be moved to the waiting list — remove the share first from the Sharing & Transfer tab.
Moving a member to the waiting list
- Open the member's record — click their row on the Members page, or open their full profile.
- Open the actions menu (the three dots in the header) and choose Move to waiting list.
- Fill in the dialog.
- Click Move to waiting list.
| Field | Required | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Section they'll return to | Yes | The section you expect them to join when they come back — not the one they are leaving. A Squirrel leaving now might return at Beavers. Only active sections are offered. |
| Notes | No | Context for whoever picks this up later, for example "Family moving away until next summer". Saved to the entry's leader notes. |
| Cancel active Direct Debit subscriptions | — | Only appears if they have subscriptions running. Ticked by default — see below. |
About the Direct Debit
If the member has any active Direct Debit subscriptions, the dialog offers to cancel them, ticked by default. Leave it ticked unless you have a reason not to — otherwise payments keep collecting while the child is away, which is almost never what a family expects.
Cancelling is final for that subscription: when they return, you set up a new one.
What happens straight away
- They come off your active member list. They are not in the archived list either — they are on the waiting list now.
- Their record is untouched. Badges, nights away, attendance and all their details stay exactly as they are.
- They appear on your waiting list marked Returning member, targeting the section you chose.
- They join the back of their priority tier — their wait starts from today, the same as a new application.
- Any RSVPs they had for future events are cleared, so they stop taking up places. If an event had its own waiting list, the next person is offered their spot.
- Their parent keeps their account. They stay signed in and can follow their child's place in the queue from their portal. This is the main difference from archiving.
While they are on the waiting list
They behave like any other application, with two differences:
- The Returning member chip marks them out. Hover it for a reminder of what it means.
- You cannot set Returning member by hand from Change Status — it is only ever applied by this flow, the same as Offered, Joined, and Expired.
Everything else works normally — Send Offer, Ask if Still Interested, triage, notes, and priority tiers all apply. The summary bar has a Returning member segment (labelled Rtng) you can click to filter down to just these families.
Bringing them back
Offer them a place exactly as you would any other family — from the waiting list directly, or by adding them to the plan in the Transition Planner. When they accept and you admit them:
- Their original record is reactivated, not recreated. Badges, nights away, and history are all still there, and you never end up with two records for the same child.
- They join whichever section you admitted them to. That does not have to be the one you picked when you moved them — a lot can change while a family is away.
- Their waiting list entry is marked as enrolled, keeping the full trail of what happened.
If you cancelled their Direct Debit on the way out, set up a new subscription for them.
What the parent sees
Nothing is taken away. Their account stays active and their portal shows their child's waiting list status — where they stand and what happens next — just as it does for any family waiting for a place. If you offer a place, they get the same offer email as everyone else and accept or decline in the usual way.
What's next
- Archiving, Restoring, and Transferring Members — for members who are leaving for good.
- Processing Waiting List Applications — triage, offers, and admitting families.
- Planning Section Moves with the Transition Planner — pull returning members into a planned intake.
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What's next?
Related guidesArchiving, Restoring, and Transferring Members
How to archive members who leave, restore them if they return, and transfer members between sections or groups.
Read articleProcessing Waiting List Applications
How to triage applications, send offers, and convert accepted applicants into members.
Read articlePlanning Section Moves with the Transition Planner
How to plan who moves section and when, agree moves without anything happening yet, and see what each move does to your section numbers.
Read articlePausing a Member's Subscription
How to pause a Direct Debit subscription for a member who is away or needs financial support, choose how long the pause lasts, and control whether their parent is notified.
Read article