Council Estate Cub Pack

“Hello this is Sarah, I’m a social worker working with a family you might know, Tommy. Are you sitting down, Tommy is OK but his dad was killed yesterday.. And Tommy won’t talk to us and is asking for you.”

Tommy is staying with a foster family at the moment, mum isn’t coping and is using again. Amazing this is a local family and Tommy is still around his friends, other family, and Cubs. But he is broken.

And so am I.

There isn’t a huge amount we as Scout leaders can do really. So let me tell you about Trusted Adults.

Because this is what happens when a child finally finds a trusted adult in their life, someone safe, steady, predictable, kind, and present.

Someone who listens.
Someone who doesn’t get angry.
Someone who sees them, not their behaviour, not their trauma.

For some children, that’s a parent or carer.

For others, it’s a teacher.

For too many on our estate… it’s a Cub leader.

And that’s why trusted adults matter more than most people ever understand.

Kids don’t need superheroes.
They don’t need perfect people.
They don’t need experts with clipboards.

They need safe adults:

• adults who show up every week
• adults who keep promises
• adults who speak gently
• adults who stay calm when the child can’t
• adults who provide structure in a world that doesn’t
• adults who don’t disappear when things get messy

When life around them feels unstable,
when home is frightening or unpredictable,
when school is overwhelming,
a trusted adult becomes an anchor.

Someone to run to.
Someone to talk to.
Someone to hide behind when the world is too big.

Tommy didn’t choose me because I’m special.
He chose me because I’m steady.

Week after week, Monday after Monday, he sees the same face, the same smile, the same “Hey mate, glad you’re here.”

And that consistency becomes safety.
Safety becomes trust.
And trust becomes the thing that helps a child open up instead of shutting down.

This isn’t glamorous work.
It’s not loud or shiny.
It’s not the kind of thing that gets you applause on social media.

But it is life-changing work.

Trusted adults are the difference between a child spiralling and a child coping.
Between fear and belonging.
Between isolation and connection.
Between silence and a little boy finally saying what’s hurting him.

We don’t fix everything.
We can’t.

But we can show up.
And sometimes, showing up is everything.

And if Tommy asks for me?

I will always, always show up.

Because that’s what trusted adults do.
And these kids, every single one of them, deserve at least one in their corner.

And now I am going to get a stiff drink, because writing about this brings it all back.