Safe Scouting Premises Audit
Download the Safe Scouting Premises Audit Tool.
What is a Safe Scouting Premises Audit?
This audit is designed for those who manage and operate any Scouting premises, be it your regular Group meeting place, a campsite or activity centre. This audit is focused on the delivery of safe scouting and should be a used as a local reflection on the current situation and used to help inform future actions.
Who is involved in this process?
This audit should be shared with relevant Trustee Board and Commissioners so they have oversight of the assets they are responsible for and in order to offer support. Further support is available from specialists within Districts/Counties/Areas/Regions (Scotland) and from UK Headquarters.
Where do I start?
This audit is in sections of different topics, so you may choose to review in these stages. Don’t go it alone, work with someone else so you can discuss the questions. It starts with the main, regular items relevant to nearly all premises. The second half is most relevant to larger premises, campsites and centres but check it out as some bits may also apply to you.
Do I have to answer all the questions?
The questions posed within this audit are a prompt for the premises, not all will be relevant to every premises. You should still consider them all to identify which are relevant and which aren’t.
We have identified in the checklist any items which would have been covered by an external accreditation, you can find the key at the end of this document.
If you rent the use of a meeting place, ensure that your landlord has these checks and controls in place and ask to see a copy. Add to your audit and other risk assessments any considerations for Scouting activity where it may vary from other use and therefore potentially create new hazards.
How often do we do this audit?
Once complete the audit should be reviewed regularly, no less than annually and should form a discussion for the relevant Trustee Board and management committee in order to identify what is going well as well as areas for improvement. As with risk assessments the audit should be redone when there is significant change in the circumstances, such as a change in management, key processes or infrastructure.
What happens once this audit is complete?
This audit must be shared with those responsible for the premises and the volunteers (and staff) operating at it. Any actions identified within the audit or areas for development must be incorporated into an action plan which should be monitored to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. The audit should then be repeated at least annually.
Webinar recording
Check out the webinar recording for how to use this tool