Safety & Assessing Risk
Safety training
Information, training and guidance provided on this page is produced solely to assist Scout Groups to understand their responsibilities for Safety. TSA accepts no liability for use or reliance upon any of the information published on this website by anyone outside the Scouting Movement. A training completion certificate does not denote any level of qualification or compliance with any legal obligations in relation to Safety.
Doing things safely is fundamental to everything we do in Scouting. The Safety training ensures that you understand your responsibilities for keeping everyone in Scouts safe and how to assess and manage risk.
It’s important that Safety training is completed within the first five months of your role start date (as recorded on Compass) and then kept up to date. It is required to be renewed every three years.
It’s independent learning, so you don’t have to attend a course to complete it.
Safety for Managers and Supporters
The training is available for those in manager and supporter roles. Full information and resources.
The training will take approximately 2 hours. This module is delivered through a workbook which takes you through a series of tasks relating to safety and your role as a manager. After completing the training you will need to validate your knowledge, you can find the validation criteria in the Adult Personal File – Managers.
Who should complete the training?
You can find out if your role is required to complete Safety training by checking Appointments: Table 2 in POR. If you have completed the Safety training you can find out when your renewal date is from the mandatory ongoing learning tab in your training profile in Compass.
What does this training include?
There are five lessons in the module and an assessment at the end. You’ll need to score 100% in the assessment to unlock the certificate of completion.
We have produced an e-learning reference guide to the content of the Safety Mandatory Ongoing Learning. This guide can be used for reference before, during or after you do the e-learning.
What are the training objectives?
By doing this e-learning, you’ll:
- Understand the Safety Policy and your responsibilities for keeping young people and adults in our movement safe.
- Be able to demonstrate how to assess and manage risk.
- Understand the role of the leader in charge.
- Know what to do in an emergency, and how to report incidents and near misses.
- Know where to access safety resources, activity rules and guidance for the safe management of activities.
Planning and assessing risk
Assessing risk in order to reduce or remove it is at the heart of safe Scouting and is present in everything we do. Remember risk assessment is something we all do every day in deciding to cross a road or get out of the car, so no one should be scared of doing a risk assessment within Scouting. Resources are provided to help provide simple and practical guidance on this issue.
Risk assessments
This guidance is to help you minimise risk both before and during an activity or event.
Safety checklists
The Safety checklists are aimed to help all adults working with young people to fulfil their role and responsibilities in managing and supporting safety in Scouting.
Managing free time activities safely
Some tips on how to reduce the risk of incidents during free time activities.
Yellow Card
We all need to continue to follow the Code of Behaviour set out in the Yellow Card when connecting with young people online.
Purple Card
This card provides support for safe Scouting and guidance in the procedures for dealing with an emergency.
General Activity Guidance
There is guidance and support for a wide range of activities you may choose to do in the Scouts.
Safety in the programme
Safety Badges
Teaching young people about staying safe is a vital skill for life, check out where there are direct connections to activity badges here.
Managing free time activities safely
This guidance is designed to provide leaders with some suggestions of how to manage these activities in order to reduce the potential for incidents and injuries.
Act for Youth Campaign
We have been working with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) who recently launched the Act for Youth campaign to educate young people on what to do in the event they are caught up in an incident.
Cold weather
Cold weather brings exciting opportunities, but also new risks. This guidance is designed to support leaders in preparing and delivering Scouting during cold weather and is just as relevant for those traveling abroad as it is for use in the UK.
Guidance for supervision of activities
Guidance for leaders on management and supervision of remote activities.
Keeping safe at camp
We have put together some guidance on how to keep safe at camp. From how to use a camp stove safely to good hand washing.
Hot weather and summer activities
This guidance is designed to support leaders in preparing and delivering Scouting during hot weather and is just as relevant for those traveling abroad as it is for use in the UK.
Safety practical tips
This guidance is to help clarify some of the administrative needs surrounding your provision of safer Scouting.
Event Safety and Planning
There are lots of things to consider when organising events, this page gathers some of the relevant information for those organising and with responsibility for events into one place.
Managing a safe Scout premises
General Information
This guidance takes you through a selection of common areas requiring safety checks and provides signposting to further guidance.
Fire Safety
This guidance includes links to an example fire safety checklist, fire safety action plan and fire safety risk management document.
Site Maintenance and Compliance
Guidance on managing asbestos, water at risk of legionella, tree safety guidelines and falls from a height.
Managing Contractors Working On Scout Premises
If you are using contractors to work on your event then you have responsibilities to ensure they operate safely – for their sake and for that of others involved.
Incident Reporting
Where a premises is a place of work any incidents need to be reported to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive).
Emergencies and Reporting
Emergencies and Reporting
It is important to know what to do in an emergency and for all involved in an activity to be on the same page with what is going to happen. It is also important to have clear processes for reporting of incidents, both locally, nationally and where appropriate to other agencies.
Safe Scouting Cards
Yellow card
Purple card
Orange card
Green card
Safety checklist cards
Risk Assessment
Have you had your risk assessment approved yet?
Online Training
This safeguarding training’s designed to help you stay up-to-date on safeguarding practice and your responsibilities as a member of Scouts.
Each member must complete in-person Safeguarding and Safety training at least once every 6 years, and online training at least once every 3 years. It is so important to keep on top of this…. 30 minutes to protect the well-being of our members… a no brainer really!
Staying Safe and Safeguarding
Safeguarding Training
Safeguarding Training
As adults in Scouts, the safety of young people is our priority. The Safeguarding training ensures that you understand how to keep young people and adults safe in Scouts and includes how to recognise abuse and report concerns.
It’s important that Safeguarding training is completed within the first five months of your role start date (as recorded on Compass) and then kept up to date. It is required to be renewed every three years.
It’s independent learning, so you don’t have to attend a course to complete it.
Safeguarding Commissioner briefings
Safeguarding Commissioner briefings are delivered by the Safeguarding team for District, County/Area/Region Commissioners and deputies.
Who should take the training?
You can find out if your role is required to complete Safety training by checking Appointments: Table 2 in POR. If you have completed the Safety training you can find out when your renewal date is from the mandatory ongoing learning tab in your training profile in Compass.
What’s included in the training?
There are five lessons in the module and an assessment at the end. You’ll need to score 100% in the assessment to unlock the certificate of completion.
We have produced a reference guide to the content of the Safeguarding Mandatory Ongoing Learning. This guide can be used for reference before, during or after you do the e-learning, read the guide.
What are the training objectives?
By doing this e-learning, you’ll:
- understand the Safeguarding Policy and how to keep young people and adults at risk safe
- understand the Young People First Safeguarding Card Code of Practice (Yellow Card)
- know how to recognise abuse
- know how to report concerns
- know what to do to keep Scouts safe.
The Appointments Process
How do we deal with Safeguarding complaints?
The roles and responsibilities of a Safeguarding Advisers
The role of the Safeguarding Adviser is to support the development of safeguarding awareness in their local areas.
Safeguarding Procedures for Commissioners
The Commissioner must follow the Safeguarding policy at all times.
Safeguarding Process
Information on the safeguarding process December 2020 version available now.
Reporting a concern to safeguarding
Whilst we are still subject to various restrictions for meeting face to face within the Scouts, the Safeguarding Team are aiming to keep their service ‘business as usual’ as far as possible in the current climate. They recognise that there may be subjects who await outcomes to remove them from suspension and in these uncertain times, the safeguarding process may add to their anxiety. Therefore, the team propose that Commissioners utilise technology available to them to continue with necessary parts of the safeguarding process.
You can contact the Safeguarding Team, who are all operational from home, and with communication continuing through the 020 8433 7164 telephone number and safeguarding@scouts.org.uk and vetting@scouts.org.uk email addresses, communication is all being monitoring as usual. Safeguarding Officers and National Managers can also be contacted via direct dial and/or email.