The first aid training delivered by Scouts – also known as First Response course – is required to be held by all members who have or can be expected to have regular engagement with young people. This includes Team Members (Section), Team Leader (Section), Group Lead Volunteers, District / County Lead Volunteers, and their respective Team Leads.
Completion of a first course must be undertaken and recorded within 12 months of a new appointment in one of these roles. [If you were a Section Assistant pre Transformation, you have 24 months to complete your First Aid training from 7th November 2024 that is, it should be completed by 7th November 2026].
Following your initial course, you must complete a full refresh course before the expiry of your current certificate. Members will receive an automated reminder, by e-mail at regular intervals from HQ starting at 6 months prior to expiry. In addition, their default team lead will also receive a copy.
Current rules require that; all activities, must have access to someone holding a current, relevant first aid qualification and access to suitable first aid materials.
First Response is about immediate treatment and focussing on initial actions in a critical situation. Whilst the learning covers many practical areas that we might encounter within Scouts, it does not look to address matters such as minor cuts, grazes, splinters, friction blisters etc. The current Scouts First Response syllabus focuses on three fundamental areas:
A COPY OF THE CURRENT SCOUT SYLLABUS CAN BE OBTAINED BY CLICKING HERE
For most situations, the minimum requirement is First Response or an equivalent syllabus of at least 6 hours duration. This can be covered in three ways, see below. The exception is where the activity is an “adventurous activity” and the circumstances are set out in POR Rule 9.2.2.4. See this for full details but basically, any activity where participants are three hours or more from physical contact. In these circumstances, first aid materials must be immediately accessible and there should be a member with a minimum 16 hour current first aid qualification.
HOW TO COMPLETE YOUR FIRST AID TRAINING
Within Somerset, there are currently three ways in which you can complete your required First Aid training, these are:
Details of each are set out below.
FACE-TO-FACE COURSE
Somerset County Training Team are facilitating a number of face-to-face training courses at various locations around the County. Due to the demand by members who have a role in Scouts where having a First Aid qualification is mandatory (and the delivery of programme to our youth members could be impacted), places for in-person courses are prioritised to these members. Therefore, if your role does not specifically require First Aid, you can check by looking at the Adult Role Table within Chapter 16 of POR (click HERE ), you should contact Somerset Scouts at Adult-Training@somersetscouts.org.uk to indicate your interest. A place will not be allocated but your interest noted and advised if spaces become available closer to the delivery date. An alternative is to complete the learning through the Blended Learning option, see below.
Place numbers are strictly limited to 12 per course.
These courses, delivered by an external training provider, are financed by Somerset Scouts. In cases of late cancellation or a “no show”, the Scout County may invoice the Scout Group / Scout District for the recovery of the place cost.
Details of current courses will appear in the Learning Calendar available HERE
BLENDED LEARNING
What is “Blended Learning”?
Quite simply, a combination of e-learning, trainer led learning and practical assessment. The first two elements must be completed to fulfil the requirements for Module 10a and the third completes Module 10b.
First, you need to complete an e-learning course which lasts about two hours. This learning is available through your My Learning in membership and may require you to log in after clicking on the following link First Response e-learning This part of the learning will take approximately 2.5 hours to complete. You will need to search the for course, enrol yourself and start the learning.
A downloadable confirmation will be available on completion of the e-learning so that, if required, volunteers can share this with Trainers before attending the trainer led session. This can be found by navigating to the ‘Wood Badge and skills’ section of My Learning and selecting the First Response e-learning skill. Showing the achieved First Response e-learning skill on My Learning (either directly, or through a screenshot) can also be accepted.
Completing this e-learning does not mean you have completed your First Response learning. You must still attend a 2.5 /3 hour trainer led session and a face-to-face practical session, see below.
Next comes a three hour online facilitated session led by a first aid trainer. Currently, these are being provided by a number of Scout Counties such as Hampshire Scouts, Essex Scouts, South Yorkshire Scouts, Hereford & Worcester Scouts, Nottinghamshire Scouts and Cheshire Scouts.
You just need to complete one session but must have completed the e-learning element BEFORE the on-line course.
Details of session dates and times being delivered by these Scout Counties can be found by looking at the Learning Calendar, available by clicking HERE.
You are looking for a course title “First Response / First Aid (10a only – Virtual Learning with Pre Learning)”
IMPORTANT Once the course is completed, a certificate is produced or, in some cases, an e-mail is sent, a copy of either received you need to send please to advise the County Learning Team at Adult-Training@somersetscouts.org.uk so that a record may be kept and entered in your My Learning area of your Membership Record.
Finally, the practical element.
The e mail advice of completing 10A (above), will also add you to the pool of learners who can be advised of the dates and location of the practical assessment – 10B. This is a 25 / 30-minute assessment in a small group to complete the learning.
Somerset Scouts are providing opportunities to complete the practical element (10b) at locations around the County. Details will be sent to all those who have completed 10a and submitted their certificate (see above) as and when dates / locations are arranged.
Those eligible will receive an e-mail advice and invitation to book a space on the next date.
If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the County Learning Team at Adult-Training@somersetscouts.org.uk
COMPLETING AN EXTERNAL COURSE
Following the Coroner’s inquest to the tragic incident at Great Orme in 2018, the Prevention of Future Deaths Notice issued and the Scouts response, Scouts has reviewed the approach to be taken where a member has a first aid qualification from an external course provider. This is to ensure that the certificate meets all the requirements of the current First Response syllabus in Scouts.
From 1st August 2024, members who complete an external course will need to submit their certificate and, if possible, the syllabus taught. These must be sent, in all instances to Adult-Training@somersetscouts.org.uk
This will apply to any externally delivered training provided by a regulated body such as Red Cross or St John Ambulance or, a training provider who is Ofqual or Qualsafe registered. The completed course must be for a minimum of 6 hours and be solely covering first aid. If the training is for less than six hours or covers other topics, it is not possible to accommodate within the requirements. This will apply to some NHS courses like Basic Life Support and those of a specific nature such as care, pain management, or healthcare support. Similarly, some courses delivered for nursery and child employment will not be of a wide enough nature to be accepted.
Members, whose employment requires them to undertake medical or first aid activities on a regular basis such as Nurses, Midwives, Police Officers, Medical Practitioners, Members of HM Armed Forces, Ambulance Care – Assistants / Paramedics / Technicians may be exempt from undergoing unnecessary duplication of first aid training. Such professionals will be required to provide evidence of an up-to-date qualification which as a minimum meets the Scouts First Response Syllabus. This evidence can be a certificate or an official letter confirming the necessary areas have been met.
Please note – there are no exemptions and you will need to provide evidence to Adult-Training@somersetscouts.org.uk who will confirm the requirements are fully met or will arrange for learning and validation of any missing elements.
However, external courses rarely deliver all the content required by Scouts. This is because they are generally structured for a specific audience. For example, many First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) courses do not include elements relating to young people as, in most instances, it would not be expected that they would encounter or be responsible for a young person. Therefore, child CPR and child illnesses would not be covered. Similarly, a Paediatric First Aid course might not include adult CPR or adult choking whilst an Outdoor First Aid course is focussed on accidents and incidents resulting from activities outdoors. These courses are designed for specific needs and are likely to have knowledge gaps required by Scouts.
In order to fill those gaps, members, after submission of certificate / syllabus, will if required, be directed to, and asked to complete some additional online learning. In March 2026, Scouts made some amendments so, depending on the gaps identified, you may be able to use either the First Response Conversion course or the First Response e-learning to support evidencing gaps in knowledge, including child-related illnesses. The required additional learning will depend on the external qualification completed as follows
The First Response Conversion Course covers head injuries, dental incidents, sepsis / meningitis, chest pain / heart attacks and strokes and should be used for those who have minimal gaps in learning such as those who have completed a First Aid at Work, Paediatric First Aid or Outdoor First Aid course.
If there are more gaps in their learning, for example after having completed an Emergency First Aid at Work or an Emergency Paediatric First Aid course, they should complete the First Response e-learning instead.
You will need to enrol on either of these courses to be able to complete it. The courses can be found on My Learning by using the ‘Explore Learning’ tab and search for ‘First Response e-learning or First Response conversion course’
Completing the course will award a skill and this will appear on a volunteer’s record in the same way they can view any skills completed.
Once completed, you will need to advise the County Learning Team at Adult-Training@somersetscouts.org.uk. Only then, once all aspects are complete will you be considered compliant and able to act as “first aid cover” for meetings, events, camps etc.
If you have any questions, please mail to Adult-Training@somersetscouts.org.uk
We appreciate that all is not simple and straightforward however, the above options are set out and in place to ensure that there are ways to allow all to complete their first aid training.
An explorer, adventurer and TV presenter, Dwayne's been seen in BAFTA nominated Channel 5 series Race to the Pole, on BBC Springwatch, Countryfile, National Geographic and Disney+.
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