Safety Incident Reporting
How to report and record safety incidents and near misses during Scouting activities.
Contact UK Headquarters immediately
Call 0345 300 1818 or +44 20 8433 7100 — available 24 hours.
Call immediately if:
- A fatality occurs as a consequence of a Scouting activity.
- A hospital stay of three or more days is likely.
- There are multiple casualties from a reportable incident with overnight hospitalisation.
- A significant structure collapses, whether or not anyone is injured.
Report an incident or near miss
Report safety incidents and near misses to UK Headquarters at the earliest opportunity.
What to Do Promptly
1. Inform
Contact your Group and District Lead Volunteer as soon as possible.
2. Record
Capture the key facts clearly and accurately while they are fresh. Record actions and times where possible.
3. Keep Secure
Store records safely. They may be needed for safety learning, insurance or follow-up with UK Headquarters.
Local Incident Records
Every group or unit must maintain a local first-aid and incident record and log all incidents, including those not submitted to UK Headquarters.
The record may be paper or digital and should also allow non-Scout users of the meeting place to report incidents appropriately.
Parents & Carers
The leader in charge should communicate promptly and sensitively. Keep the information factual and concise, and explain the actions that were taken.
Information to Record
- Full name and membership type.
- Date and time of the incident.
- Activity taking place.
- Nature and severity of the injury or illness.
- A clear, factual description of what happened.
- First aid and other actions taken, with times where possible.
- Any emergency services or external agencies involved.
- Whether the activity was externally led.
- Name, role and contact details of the person recording it.
- Witness details.
- Whether it needed reporting to UK Headquarters.
- A record of relevant communications.
Data Protection
- Keep records securely with access limited to people who have a legitimate need.
- Do not store incident records on personal devices unless authorised and secure.
- Follow the local data-protection and retention policy.
- Do not share identifiable information informally.
- Review and securely dispose of records when the retention period ends.