First Aid Training FAQs

No, when you join as a leader you will develop a personal learning plan with your training adviser and this will identify when it is best for you to undertake first aid training. If you have already done this then it may be transferable, this will need to be complete before you can gain your wood badge.

When you first join as an adult volunteer you will have the requirement to undertake first aid as part of your wood badge, once complete you will need to keep your first aid current which means renewing it every three years.

The blended offer of e-learning, webinar or face to face theory training, and the demonstration and practice of life-saving skills will ensure you are safe and competent to manage emergencies within The Scouts and Girlguiding, and in the wider community. Your Trainer will be skilled in providing feedback on your skills and knowledge, and will be able to support you in becoming competent and developing your skills. Occasionally this might mean that they would offer you extra support and practice to achieve this. 

Many parts of the syllabus are adaptable to self -led online learning, however after reviewing the content of our syllabus and considering the current offer of external suppliers of first aid we believe that the best way to deliver first training is still through a trainer led method. This method of delivery ensures that appropriate knowledge and practical skills have been obtained and includes interactive parts of the training where the Trainer can assess and support learners, dispel myths, address concerns and answer questions. This ensures the Training is of high quality and promotes safe activities within the Scouts and Girlguiding. 

The previous syllabus was reviewed and compared to other similar First Aid courses.  Our previous course had a large amount of content and within 6 hours the syllabus was trying to deliver more content than most standard 16 hour first aid courses. The syllabus is now focused on conditions where prompt recognition and/or life-saving treatment is required. In addition some conditions have been included because they occur most frequently on incident/accident reports submitted to both the Scouts and Girlguiding.  

We will continue to monitor what is included within the syllabus in line with feedback, the wider sector and incident/accident information. 

Information on where to find advice to deal with less urgent conditions can be found within the course itself although it does not appear on the syllabus. 

If trainers choose to add content not listed on the syllabus this needs to be made clear to participants and should not detract from the core syllabus and training plan.  

No, there is no requirement for the permit holder to be the person with the activity group holding a first aid certificate however they often do.

Upon reviewing the content of the refresher course it was felt that 2 hours was not long enough to refresh participants on all areas of the syllabus, and allow time for practice of skills. This risked parts of the syllabus being omitted, or not enough in-depth coverage of important topics that may have changed.  

The first response programme is developed in collaboration between the Scouts and Girlguiding with a common syllabus and resources and an acceptance between the two organisations for members to undertake their first aid training in either organisation.  

Undertaking the HSE First Aid at work will provide some of the key skills required for doing first aid in Scouting, however it doesn’t cover the full range of topics members are required to have covered for Scouting first aid. For full details of what is required go to  First Response.

There is no badge available for the completion of First Response for Adult and members of Scout Network. Young people completing First Response would be able to wear Stage 4 of Emergency Aid Staged Activity Badge. Explorer Scouts, members of the Scout Network and Adult Members of the Movement who hold a full First Aid certificate or equivalent may wear the badge relating to the award which they hold on their uniform, if there is no badge from the organisation who you did your first aid with then you can wear The Scouts adult first aid badge designed for this purpose. Only one badge may be worn.

There is a list of the requirements of first response in First Aid and First Response. if you have done a course which meets these requirements then you simply need to provide this as evidence to your Commissioner or Training Adviser.

A review of first aid within Scouting highlighted that lots of activities take place in very remote environments, not just those in Terrain 2. The review group felt that it was appropriate to update the rules to reflect a higher first aid ability within groups operating in all of these environments.

No, this is not a simple task to keep current so instead we provide the requirements for first response and full first aid certificates so that people can check locally dependent on the course they undertook and then match it up.

Where an external course does not cover an element of the syllabus the member should take the time to make themselves aware of the signs, symptoms and treatment of these conditions, or undertake additional training in order to cover them. It is often possible for participants to request additional topics to be covered during a First Aid course that they are attending or to speak with a local Scouts first aid trainer to cover the final elements.

First response must be delivered by someone who holds a Scouts Trainer - First aid role, this requires a full first aid certificate and the Presenting (29) and Facilitating (28) modules of the adult training scheme. 

Make sure your standard first aid kit is in date and suitable for the environment you are now operating in. In addition make sure you have relevant PPE items listed in the guidance, and a means of disposing of them safely after use. If you don’t have CPR face shield in your first aid kit, this would be sensible in case you have to administer CPR to a child.

The 6 month extension is from the time that your area reaches readiness level Green. Counties/Areas/Regions (Scotland) are now encouraged to start providing the learning elements of first response training through online facilitated sessions followed by a short COVID safe face to face validation for the practical elements. We would encourage members to undertake this training as soon as they can, especially the online learning elements but you have until 6 months from when your location goes to Green Readiness level to complete the full programme if you have any challenges or concerns with getting this completed before.

This was allowed as an interim measure whilst face to face training was not available. From early 2021 you should be able to access the online learning along with face to face validation. Compass has also been updated to allow for recording of both the learning elements and the practical validation.  

If others have in-date first aid then they should be used to cover the first aid requirement for your section meeting. If no one else is available then yes you can, an extension of 6 months from the date your area moves to Green readiness level has been issued for all members to cover their first aid. You can sign up to take part in online learning sessions for first aid being run throughout the UK, following this up with a more local short COVID safe face to face practical validation session.

The learning elements of the first response training can be delivered through online facilitated sessions now. Having undertaken this training members can then attend a short COVID safe face to face practical validation to complete the full training package. The face to face validations can be run in a COVID safe way once your area is in Amber or Yellow readiness level. Attendance at the various elements of the training can now be recorded on compass.

We have mapped in the first response syllabus which elements can be done virtually at the current time, find more information.

Yes you can, we've updated the first aid training modules in Compass, with Module 010A allowing for the three learning elements to be recorded and module 010B to record the practical validation. Each of these once complete will update the mandatory ongoing learning for first aid.

We have also provided a simple log sheet which can be used by Counties and Districts to record people's progress through first aid training prior to uploading to Compass. 

Those who are permitted to deliver first response are the same people who can deliver it virtually. This is those with a trainer appointment and the first aid variant.

As an interim measure, we are accepting the virtual first response as acceptable in order for people to complete their Wood Badge (by updating module 10 as complete). However, once face to face training restarts, you will need to complete any elements not covered virtually in order to fully complete. At this point your Compass record can be updated for ongoing learning.

We are following guidance from the Resuscitation Council which advises against doing rescue breaths for the purposes of first aid training, this will be taught as part of the life support learning session but your practical validation will focus on arrival and assessment of the scene and the other elements of CPR including opening an airway and chest compressions. All face to face validation sessions must be risk assessed and the relevant Commissioner be in agreement with them taking place, social distancing will be observed and good hygiene measures in place for both participants and equipment to reduce risk of transmission of COVID. As rescue breaths are not being performed there is no need to replace the mannikin lungs between uses.