Scouts provide opportunities for young people and adult volunteers to develop and appreciate risk and how it is managed. This vital skill for life is developed by providing opportunities to learn and experience adventurous activities where risk is controlled and managed as far as is reasonably practicable.
We know that young people learn by doing. Activities encourage the development of young people, building skills for life, and they can feel a huge sense of achievement in completing them. We want to provide EXCITEMENT, but not DANGER. We want to provide ADVENTURE, but not HAZARD.
Assessing risk starts in the early stages of activity planning and goes on throughout the activity, until all participants go home at the end of the activity. Embedding risk assessment within the planning process allows us to deliver safe, enjoyable and exciting programmes for young people that are adventurous and challenging, but where risk is controlled and managed as far as is reasonably practicable.
Who is responsible for safety
The simple answer is everyone has a part to play in assessing and managing risk. All adults have a role to play in keeping Scouts a safe place for our members and achieve this by working together and cooperating. Ensure that everyone understands their role and that young people understand how they can help keep Scouts safe for themselves and others.
Resources
Scouts website has some useful resources and guidance to support volunteers and managers
- Safety pages Safety | Scouts
- Safety checklists for Volunteers, Manager and Trustee Boards Staying Safe – Safety Checklist | Scouts
- Risk assessment guidance Risk assessments | Scouts
- Managing safe premises and safe premises audit tools .ttps://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safety/managing-a-safe-scout-premises/”>Managing a safe Scout premises | Scouts
- The County safety advisor recently ran a series of webinars to support trustees with safe premises audits. You can view the webinar here https://youtu.be/NSIzmznmtoI?si=ZfDXOWT6tK-lE8tC
