Health, safety and welfare policy

Policy last updated 1 April 2026.

See change log for recent updates to this webpage.

Find out what's changed and why in the most recent updates to this policy.

In the event of a serious accident or death, Girlguiding must be contacted within 1 hour using the emergency safety line on 0207 592 1828. See what to do in an emergency for more information.

Health, safety and welfare are the things we all need to think about so we can enjoy great guiding experiences safely.

This policy explains what we expect of our volunteers and how we help you to create and maintain healthy and safe environments.

It also explains what we mean by adventurous activities, and covers the measures that volunteers at all levels must follow so activities can be enjoyed safely.

You should read it alongside the health, safety and welfare procedure and adventurous activities procedure.

Definitions used in this policy

Our glossary lays out a few definitions of key terms that are used across our policies - take a look.

• Adventurous activity: an activity that’s exciting and stimulating. It may take place indoors or outdoors. By its nature or location, it may expose those taking part to higher levels of risk than usual unit activities.
• Activity instructor: the person with the qualification, skill and experience to lead the adventurous activity. They could be a volunteer, member or someone not involved in guiding.
• External activity provider: the organisation or company that makes the adventurous activity available.
• Prohibited activities: activities which Girlguiding doesn’t permit you to take part in. They aren’t covered by Girlguiding’s insurance. See our list of prohibited activities.

Girlguiding’s commitment to health, safety and welfare

It’s Girlguiding’s legal duty to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in our activities, as set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. This includes our members, volunteers and staff.

Health and safety is everyone’s business. It’s everyone’s duty to look after themselves and others.

There are legal responsibilities and accountabilities associated with delivering Girlguiding. These include creating and maintaining healthy and safe environments – offline, online, and for anyone affected by Girlguiding activities.

We must have competent and responsible volunteers who:

• Are prepared.
• Respond appropriately (and know their limits).
• Follow up afterwards.

Girlguiding will provide the appropriate training, support, resources (such as risk assessment templates) and guidance to help our volunteers achieve this.

Adventurous activities

Some activities are riskier than usual activities because of what they are, or where they take place. We call these adventurous activities. You can find a full list of adventurous activities on our adventure activity finder.

There are activities that we don’t permit you take part in. We call these prohibited activities.

We have a long-standing relationship with the Scouts. Scouts’ adventurous activity permits are an accepted qualification, but only when adventurous activities are happening with the Scouts as a joint activity in the UK. Read our guidance on activities with other organisations for more detail.

Insurance

Our insurance only covers members or anyone acting on behalf of Girlguiding when they’re taking part in a guiding activity. Our insurance doesn’t cover prohibited activities, property or belongings, the actions of external activity providers, or international trips. An international trip is any trip outside of your home territory.

Find out more about travel insurance for Girlguiding trips.

Expectations

As a volunteer you must:

• Ask for help if you think you need it. Always let Girlguiding know if you need reasonable adjustments, additional training or support. This includes being mindful of your own mental and physical health and welfare.
• Be prepared. Reduce the risk – as far as is reasonably practicable - of any incident happening because of Girlguiding activities. Plan activities by doing risk assessments and be vigilant during the activity. Make sure all equipment and resources used in activities are safe to use.
• Be extra careful when doing adventurous activities. Make sure extra safety measures are in place before the activity goes ahead. The activity provider or instructor must have the necessary training and safety qualifications. These are on the specific adventure activity finder pages. You must request evidence that the activity provider or instructor has risk assessments in place. If the activity is taking place abroad, or in a Crown dependency, and the instructor qualifications are different to the ones listed on our activity pages, you must send details of the qualifications to [email protected]. Do not go ahead with the activity, or allow others to take part, until it’s confirmed the qualifications are appropriate. And never take part in a prohibited activity.
• Protect yourself. Never remain in situations where you feel unsafe or take unnecessary risks. Volunteering alone should be minimised wherever possible.
• Be vigilant. Girlguiding activities can take place in environments where things can change quickly. Always be vigilant and be prepared to carry out dynamic risk assessments. When doing an adventurous activity, if you have any doubts about the information the activity provider or instructor gives you, you must discuss it with your county, region or country outdoor activity adviser, international adviser if relevant, or [email protected].
• Never assume it’s not your problem. You must act if you have any concerns about health, safety or welfare. Take all reasonable steps to assess hazards and identify measures to manage risk. If at any time you feel uncomfortable or unhappy about safety or the level of instruction before or during the adventurous activity, you must stop it immediately. This is particularly important if circumstances and conditions change.
• Find balance. It's not possible to remove all risk, as doing this can reduce or remove the potential for us all to learn, enjoy and thrive. But risk can be managed and mitigated. Promote appropriate and measured risk management to make activities enjoyable, challenging, and safe.
• Be accountable. Act in a way that protects the safety of everyone. Follow safety guidelines and the training given, and make decisions with care, especially in situations where risks are present. Have the evidence outlined in this policy in place before doing an adventurous activity, whether it’s covered by Girlguiding’s insurance, or insurance you arrange yourself.
• Report. You must report, monitor and respond to any incident arising from activities. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Be covered. You must have appropriate insurance cover. This could be Girlguiding’s, the activity or venue providers, or in some cases you may need to arrange additional insurance separately. All adventurous activities must have suitable insurance in place. Every adventurous activity provider or instructor must have public liability insurance and leaders must arrange travel insurance for international trips. An international trip is any trip outside of your home territory. Always check the details of the insurance to make sure it covers all parts of your activities and follow our guidance on public liability insurance.
• Check your venue and activities are appropriate. Make sure that any venues, locations and activities are suitable. Meetings or activities involving young members under 16 are not allowed in private homes and gardens. However, volunteers aged 16 and over, such as young leaders and external volunteers, may attend adult volunteer meetings in these settings. Our health, safety and welfare procedure tells you how to check whether your meeting venue is suitable.

Members in British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies countries must abide by local legislation when applying this policy, where relevant.

How Girlguiding helps to create and maintain healthy and safe environments and run adventures safely

• Our health, safety and welfare procedure explains how to apply this policy, and what you must do to maintain a safe environment for guiding.
• Our adventurous activities procedure explains what you must do to keep everyone safe when taking part in adventurous activities.
• Following our health safety and welfare procedures will ensure that there are always health and safety measures in place, based on the law, statutory guidance, and best practice.
• We have guidance around risk assessments, adult to child ratios, joint activities with other organisations, and taking girls abroad.
• Our HQ safety team can advise you on matters of health, safety and welfare, and our HQ adventure team is here to support you with any questions and concerns you may have.
• Health and safety is included in our safer guiding training.
• Breaches of this policy by adult volunteers will be managed under the managing concerns about adult volunteers policy and procedure.