It is essential that all Church personnel (clergy, religious or lay volunteers) are familiar with the procedures outlined below. If a child has an accident and injures himself/herself while attending a Church-run event, these procedures should be followed:

  1. Assess the injury and reassure the child. If the injury is severe or the child has lost consciousness, contact the emergency services immediately by phoning 999 or 112. You can phone 112 from a mobile that has no credit and even from a phone that has no SIM card. The 112 emergency number is a European emergency number and can be called from anywhere in Europe.
  2. If the emergency services are to be called, contact with the child’s parents/guardians must be made urgently. Contact information should be found on the child’s membership/consent form. If the parents/guardians are not available, it may be necessary for a leader to travel with the child to the hospital. If medical treatment is required, Church personnel may be asked about known allergies or existing medical conditions. Again, this information should be found on the child’s membership/consent form;
  3. If the injury is minor, local application of treatment should be available from the first aid box. There should be a fully stocked first aid box to hand at all Church-related events. Remember to make a note of what has been used from the first aid box so that it can be replaced at the earliest opportunity. Under no circumstances should any medication be given to a child without prior discussion with and written consent from the parent.
  4. As soon as possible after the accident, write up a report using an accident/incident report form. (S4.14) Once completed, this form should be stored in a safe place, in line with data protection policy, and treated as a confidential document;
  5. Always inform parents/guardians of any accident that has occurred involving their child, regardless of how minor you consider it to be. It is good practice to give a copy of the  accident/incident report form to parents/guardians;
  6. It is good practice to keep blank copies of the accident/incident form with the first aid box so that one can be easily filled out in the event of an emergency.