An online learning resource for community groups
Module 8: Running services, events and activities safely
Introduction
Most community organisations are keen to run activities, services and events for their community. This can be a great thing to do but there are some important things that you need to consider before you start.
As a management committee, you are legally responsible for the actions of your group. If you start running events and services, then you are responsible for the health and safety of all the people who use the service and/or who attend the event. If you employ staff and provide volunteering opportunities, then you are responsible for the welfare of the staff and volunteers while they are carrying out their duties.
This can all seem like a lot to think about, especially if you are a new group or if you are just starting to run services and events, so this module is designed to help. It’s not possible to cover all your legal responsibilities in this module but we will help you consider what you need to do to make your events and activities run safely and where you can get further support to do so.
Make sure you have a plan
When organising services or events, you can also use Module 4 to develop a Project Plan. This will help you to consider what you want to change or achieve, (your outcomes), what you will do (your outputs), how you will do it (your actions) and who will do it (designated people to take on the tasks).
Module 4 will help you look at the bigger picture for your groups activities, whereas this module will look at the details of running specific events and activities.
This module will help your group to:
Plan and deliver effective events and activities
Use our Events/Services Checklist to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything
Think about health and safety of everyone involved
Carry out Risk Assessments to keep people safe
Support staff and volunteers and find out where to get further information
Explore the modules
Let’s get started – Running events and activities
As a group, discuss:
What are the events or activities that you are running or would like to run?
Who will attend these events or use these activities (children, adults, everyone)?
What are the main challenges in running these events and activities? Think both about running them well and running them safely.
Write your answers on a flipchart or note them in this form.
Running events and activities - planning
Firstly, let’s think about how to plan events and activities, and how to make sure that your event/service is as safe as possible for everyone involved. Remember to start planning early so that you have time to plan everything and to carry out all the practical activities.
Watch this presentation on how to plan events and activities.
Group discussion 1 Running events and activities
Look at the Events and Activities Checklist. Think of an event or service that you want to run in the future. Work through Part 1 of the checklist – this is all about planning.
Discuss:
What is the purpose of our event/activity?
What will we call the event/activities?
What will we do at the event/activities?
Who will plan this event/activity and what are their roles?
How will we support people to take part?
What is the budget?
How will we get the funding we need?
Once you have agreed the above, make notes in the Events and Activities Checklist
2. Running events and activities - practical tasks
Now that you’ve planned what you want to do, it’s time now to think about practical tasks.
Watch this presentation on practical tasks.
Group Discussion 2 Practical Tasks
Look at the Events and Activities Checklist - Practical Tasks
Using the same event or activity that you discussed during the previous discussion:
Work through Part 2: Practical Tasks.
If any don’t apply to your group, then score them out.
For all that do apply, discuss and agree any actions.
Note down any agreed actions in the Events and Activities Checklist.
3. Health and Safety
Responsibility for health and safety
If your group employs staff or has responsibility for a building, then you will have legal responsibilities under the law, including carrying out fire risk assessments. More information can be found here.
However, even if you don’t have staff or a building, you will still have a responsibility for the welfare of people who are attending your activities, events or using your services and for your volunteers and committee members.
This includes ensuring you have procedures to prevent fires and that you have the right type of insurance to cover the kind of things you do.
Very simply, this means you have to work together as a group to do everything you can to prevent avoidable accidents and to keep everyone safe.
Thinking about risk
As human beings, we assess risks everyday, for example when we are crossing the road or travelling in bad weather.
You probably already do this within your group, for example, cancelling an outdoor activity if the weather is bad, or tidying up a community hall to make sure that nobody trips and/or falls. You can also apply this thinking to other issues like how you can reduce the risks of people catching diseases like COVID 19.
The best way to ensure that people are safe during your activities is to work together to carry out a risk assessment. When we need to share the thinking about risk and what to do about it, it's a good idea to write it down
Risk assessments
Carrying out a risk assessment has three steps:
First step - identify all potential hazards and what could go wrong.
Second step - agree what action you need to take to reduce the risks as much as possible and to make the activity less dangerous.
Third step - make sure that all the actions you agreed have been carried out.
It is impossible to get rid of risk completely. What is important is that you have considered the risks and taken action to reduce it so that avoidable accidents don’t happen.
Policies and procedures
As a group, you will also have to develop your own policies and procedures including
A Health and Safety policy, particularly if you are running regular events and services
Child Protection Policy if you are working with children or families and an Adult Protection policy if you are working with vulnerable adults. You will also need to make sure that you train your staff and volunteers. For more information on policy development, click here.
If you want to find out more about developing policies, click here.
Now watch this presentation on how to carry out risk assessments and keep everyone safe.
Group Discussion 3: Carrying out risk assessments
Look at the Events and Activities Checklist.
Work through Part 3 - this is all about health, safety and risk assessments.
If any of the parts of the checklist don’t apply to your group, then score them out. For all that do apply, discuss and agree any actions.
Note down any agreed actions in the Events and Activities Checklist.
If you need to carry out a risk assessment, use the Risk Assessment Template and work through the following steps:
Step 1 - think about all the potential dangers and what could happen
Step 2 - agree what action you can take to avoid these dangers and to reduce these risks, and who will take that action
Step 3 - monitor your risk assessment to check that everything has been done and to update if necessary.
For more information about risk assessments, please click here.
Staff and volunteers
Employing your own staff can really help your organisation to achieve its aims. But it also requires your group to operate as an effective employer with the right structures, policies and support practices in place.
As an organisation, if you are employing staff, then you will need to make sure that you are meeting all your legal obligations under employment law.
If you have volunteers, then it is good practice to think about how you are going to manage and support these volunteers. You can find out more from SCVO here. There’s also more information from Volunteer Scotland here.
Now watch this presentation on Staff and Volunteers
Group Discussion 4: Staff and volunteers
Look at the Events and Activities Checklist.
Work through Part 4 of the checklist - this is all about staff and volunteers
If any don’t apply to your group, then score them out. For all that do apply, discuss and agree any actions.
Note down any agreed actions in the Events and Activities Checklist.
Putting all of this into action
Once you have completed your planning it's time to put it all into action. Watch this presentation on the steps to take.
Group Discussion 5: Putting it into action
Look at the Events and Activities Checklist.
Work through Part 5 of the checklist - this is all about delivering your event. The checklist covers the lead up to your event, during the event and afterwards.
If any don’t apply to your group, then score them out. For all that do apply, discuss and agree any actions.
Note down any agreed actions in the Events and Activities Checklist.
Conclusions
By doing this module, we hope that you now know how to plan community events and activities safely.
This is an ongoing process. You can use the templates within this module over and over again.
For ongoing services and events, it is also a good idea to review your risk assessment on a regular basis and to update it if anything changes, for instance, if you have to move venue or if there are new government health guidelines.
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