In May 2018 the Scouts published their Skills for Life plan to 2023 which included improved tools for leaders, a refresh in the wider Scout visual identity and a promise to review uniforms. A part of this plan was a commitment to investigate an Early Years provision for Scouts, a section for four and five year olds that would feed into Beaver Scouts. A series of 29 pilot sections were established during 2018 and 2019, informally called Hedgehogs, trialling three different ways of running (family-run, Scout run and partnership-run). The trials were considered a success and the Scouts approved for them to continue and be expanded in August 2020.