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.
Chapter 7 of Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) lays out the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency involving a member of The Scout Association.
Safe Scouting and What to do in an Emergency (Purple Card)
- Name of injured person, membership type, Group/Unit, District and County
- Date of incident
- Activity being undertaken
- Nature of the injury and severity (were they kept in hospital overnight)
- Any external agencies involved
- Who is reporting the incident and how can they be contacted
Guidance on Emergencies and Reporting can be found on The Scout Association website – Emergencies and Reporting
Near Miss Reporting
As well as reporting incidents where injuries occur it is also important to log and track incidents which could have resulted in significant injury or impact or could have been much worse given a few minor changes to the situation.
The Scout Association have an online near miss form which allows members to share information about these incidents which can then be learned from to prevent future incidents.
Local Recording
It is important to make local records of any incidents, this will allow you to pass relevant information to parents following an incident. Recording of incidents needs to be done in a sensitive way and meeting all data protection regulations.
