Risk Assessment for going out and about

[Lynne28]

Hi Everyone,

 

Can anyone help as we do not have a risk assessment in place for us to go out and about and I am very eager to put one in place. I have risk assessments in place for other things but just unsure how much information to put in on this, Can anyone show me examples of theirs so that I have an idea, obviously I have my own template Risk assessment but just don't know where to start, any help would be gratefully received and I know that I will need to do my own because where I want to take our children wont be the same as every one elses.

I have in my mind things like

• Staff ratio
• naming staff and children they will be responsible for
• First aid kit
• Telephone
• Contact number
• First aider in group

Obviously a lot more, do I need to record of all this?

Can I put children's contact details into mobile or do I need a printed sheet with contact numbers in?

 

I would appreciate any help on this and more

Many thanks

 

[Fredbear]

Hi we have all our parents contact telephone numbers in our pre-school mobile, ensuring mobile is fully charged.

We make a new risk assessment sheet each time we go out and about.

If it is a large trip we will have already visited the site to complete this beforehand.

So items on ours would include staff / child responsibility, parent / carers attending too. All our staff are first aid trained so would all be responsible for this.

Medication sheet and meds.

Where the first aid posts are on the site you are visiting if applicable.

Register for outgoing and return journey on each coach if applicable.

Possible hazards and how you are going to minimise them.

This might include touching animals.

Washing hands.

Meeting point.

Notepad of children being collected by another adult on our return. ( password if person is not known to us).

All helpers will have already received a letter thanking them for their help, but also to advise of the things we will or won't be doing.

So things like not visiting the shop on this occasion.

Buying ice creams, sweets etc.

No sharing of packed lunches due to individuals allergies etc.

And the best bit is that we are all going to have a fun time.

Hope this might help.

[Mouseketeer]

This has raised an interesting question re first aider, if you only need 1 in setting and you take a small group of children out of setting should the first aider stay or go, luckily I have a couple at each session, but to be honest it isn't something I've thought about before, what do others do ?

[Guest]

We have a new risk assessment for each trip as they throw up different issues usually.....

 

Obviously getting on and off coach, ratios etc will be the same but we have to think about the risks once we have visited a place.

[finleysmaid]

to my mind Lynne most of the things you list are actually part of your outdoors procedure...not your risk assessment.

I have a general risk assessment for short trips as we are quite often spontaneous and pop out with small groups to the post office or larger groups to feed the ducks!

My risk assessment lists things like

roads /traffic

strangers

water hazards

Rotios are on there because we adjust per group (2 year olds and sen and those who dont risk assess!!)

weather (including wind if going near trees)

Lost children

...sorry unable to post at the moment as my hard drive is playing up!!!

 

and mouseketeer all staff are first aid trained (and specialist trained for my more complex children) so problem solved!!!!! I would never leave a group with an untrained person.

[Lynne28]

This has raised an interesting question re first aider, if you only need 1 in setting and you take a small group of children out of setting should the first aider stay or go, luckily I have a couple at each session, but to be honest it isn't something I've thought about before, what do others do ?

We also have 2 out of 4 staff trained in first aid and another member of staff is a registered nurse so we have no worries there, however as a small setting we plan on all staff to attend first aid training but I am going to stagger training over two years so I will always have atleast 2 members of staff trained every year but it should work out that we are all trained within a year. (we have just taken over a setting so obviously funds are very tight).

 

Also what kind of safety clothing/equipment do you use, e.g. jackets etc for staff and children.

 

I am only going to take the children on small walks around the surrounding area such as the post box or the allotments to start with.

 

Thankyou for all your help

[Lynne28]

to my mind Lynne most of the things you list are actually part of your outdoors procedure...not your risk assessment.

I have a general risk assessment for short trips as we are quite often spontaneous and pop out with small groups to the post office or larger groups to feed the ducks!

My risk assessment lists things like

roads /traffic

strangers

water hazards

Rotios are on there because we adjust per group (2 year olds and sen and those who dont risk assess!!)

weather (including wind if going near trees)

Lost children

...sorry unable to post at the moment as my hard drive is playing up!!!

 

and mouseketeer all staff are first aid trained (and specialist trained for my more complex children) so problem solved!!!!! I would never leave a group with an untrained person.

 

 

Thankyou for your reply.

 

This is what I thought so think I will do a check list for the resources that we have to take, so that the staff member taking charge of the small walk will take responsibility of the rucksack.

 

Do you take a change of clothing with you, just incase it is needed?

 

A look at a risk assessment would be a great help if you have one

 

Many thanks

[Guest]

We also have 2 out of 4 staff trained in first aid and another member of staff is a registered nurse so we have no worries there, however as a small setting we plan on all staff to attend first aid training but I am going to stagger training over two years so I will always have atleast 2 members of staff trained every year but it should work out that we are all trained within a year. (we have just taken over a setting so obviously funds are very tight).

 

Also what kind of safety clothing/equipment do you use, e.g. jackets etc for staff and children.

 

I am only going to take the children on small walks around the surrounding area such as the post box or the allotments to start with.

 

Thankyou for all your help

That sounds good - they'll have to go on regular refreshers too - I always seem to have someone out doing this and have even thought about using training days to get everyone at the same speed - but there's always so much else to cover on training days!

When we go out staff wear hi viz jackets, and I'm about to buy them for children too with the schools name, address and phone number printed on - a sportswear shop locally can do this.

We always take inhalers, other medication prescribed for children and parents signed permission slips as well as medical information forms, even if we're just going to the post-office.

[Lynne28]

That sounds good - they'll have to go on regular refreshers too - I always seem to have someone out doing this and have even thought about using training days to get everyone at the same speed - but there's always so much else to cover on training days!

When we go out staff wear hi viz jackets, and I'm about to buy them for children too with the schools name, address and phone number printed on - a sportswear shop locally can do this.

We always take inhalers, other medication prescribed for children and parents signed permission slips as well as medical information forms, even if we're just going to the post-office.

Hello

 

yes really eager to get this sorted.

we have a car park right outside our main door and this is a major problem with safety in mind, we also have a lane with no pathway which cars go up and down but not frequently, we do have another option for the route to the post box however that is along a main road and we need to cross a road to a very popular shop.

 

Thinking of the main hazard and this is what I think

• children and staff getting run over, hi Vis jackets would obviously reduce the risk, also staff awareness, holding small children's hands and a small group of children, no more than 1 adult =3 children to start with.

How do others cross the road , at first it will be approx. 6 children = 2 adults so not enough staff to wait in the middle of road and see children across, this will be a mixture of children between 2-5 years probably no more than two 2 year olds to start with. Am I looking into this too much.

 

I have a risk assessment ready to get on with and I will do the small 10 minute walk to the post office over the next few days, what kind of hazards do you look for in closed up area ?

 

Many thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it