Outdoor Education Education and Skills Adventurous Activities (Reference Document) Safety guidance for working with children and young people Version: one Effective from: April 2016 Next review date: April 2019 Adventurous Activities Guidance 2016 Contents Page 1. Introduction 3 2. Safety on Land 9 2.1 Archery 9 2.2 Bushcraft / Forest Schools 12 2.3 Caving & Mine exploration 16 2.4 Climbing & Mountaineering 19 2.5 Coasteering & Sea level traversing 22 2.6 Cycling (including Mountaining Biking) 23 2.7 High Ropes 25 2.8 Horse Riding & Pony trekking 27 2.9 Low Ropes & Assault Courses 28 2.10 Open Country & Fell Walking 29 2.11 Orienteering 34 2.12 Shooting 36 2.13 Snowsports / Skiing & Snowboarding 39 2.14 War Games / paintballing 41 3. Safety on Water 42 3.1 Water Safety General 42 3.2 Angling 43 3.3 Canoeing (inc. Stand Up Paddleboarding) 45 3.4 Dragon Boating 53 3.5 Powerboating 54 3.6 Rafting 56 3.7 Rowing & Boating 57 3.8 Sailing - dinghies 58 3.9 Sailing – Open Sea Cruising 61 3.10 Sub-Aqua & Snorkelling 62 3.11 Surfing 65 3.12 Swimming (other than in swimming pools) 65 3.13 Water Skiing 68 3.14 Windsurfing 69 3.15 Notes on Hypothermia 69 4. Airborne Activities 73 5. Overseas Expeditions 74 National Governing Body contact details 84 Adventurous Activities Guidance (revised 2016) www.westsussexvisits.org 2 Adventurous Activities Guidance 2016 1. Introduction This document supports the West Sussex County Council Policy for Educational Visits: “Regulations & Notes of Guidance for Off-Site Educational Visits and Related Activities with ‘EVOLVE’ 2015 and the National Guidance which provide the current requirements. It is a reference document and the relevant National Governing Body (NGB) or the West Sussex Outdoor Education Adviser can provide further information as necessary. The individual sections in this document set out additional advice, guidance and interpretation of NGB guidance, related to certain adventurous and associated activities. It is not comprehensive but covers the most popular activities. The information is primarily aimed at groups operating in the context of school-led activities. The standards outlined use National Governing Body and technical adviser information. As such, they also represent the standards to be applied by staff/employees of West Sussex County Council when working with groups of children and young people. There are a variety of ways of accessing or implementing the activities listed in this document: The majority of school visits will simply use an external provider (outdoor centre, company or instructor) that has been ‘checked’ by the Local Authority. They will have suitable safety management systems/operational procedures in place. For self-led ventures that are simple or straightforward in nature (e.g. field work or curriculum activity in ‘open country’), these guidelines may be used to prepare a standard risk-benefit assessment. This would also be true of mixed contexts, such as a school ski trip or multi-activities residential, where some activity is instructor-led but the rest of the management is led by the school’s staff/leaders. For leaders who wish to self-lead more adventurous activity and recognised pursuits, such as climbing, mountain walking, canoeing or sailing, the guidance given from the relevant National Governing Body must be followed. This document provides further interpretation by WSCC and employees must follow this guidance. In all cases, this guidance can be used for monitoring external providers or sessions, including the quality of the provision, as well as raising awareness for all those concerned. It is stressed that activity leaders are expected to maintain the currency of their qualifications and skills in whatever way is determined by the relevant National Governing Body (NGB) or awarding body. Such currency should be capable of being evidenced in an appropriate and transparent fashion through use of the EVOLVE website. Copies of certificates should be scanned and attached to the relevant personal profile on the site. It is expected that due diligence is paid to the principle of progression when programmes of activities are being developed and offered, taking into account the age, experience, competence and understanding of the young people involved. Adventurous Activities Guidance (revised 2016) www.westsussexvisits.org 3 Adventurous Activities Guidance 2016 Underpinning this is a desire to create progressive challenge that encourages young people to take on newer and more robust challenge in line with careful development of their technical skills and emotional wellbeing, rather than putting them off such activities though fear of risk or failure caused by too early an exposure to overly challenging activities or situations. These generic safety control measures are to be used with the addition of a site- specific and/or venture-specific risk and benefit assessment, in order to create the required operational procedures that the group and context(s) require. The following activities are regarded as ‘adventurous’ and require local authority approval (through EVOLVE): All activities in ‘open country’ or ‘wild country’ (see* below) • Swimming (all forms, excluding publicly lifeguarded swimming pools) • Camping • Canoeing / kayaking • Sailing / windsurfing / kite surfing • Rafting or improvised rafting • Use of powered safety/rescue craft • All other forms of boating (excluding commercial transport) • Water skiing • Snorkelling and sub-aqua activities • Hill walking and mountaineering • Rock climbing (including indoor climbing walls) • Abseiling • River/gorge walking or scrambling • Coasteering/coastal scrambling/sea level traversing • Underground exploration/caving • Shooting and archery • Snowsports (skiing, snowboarding, and related activities), including artificial slopes • Airborne activities (excluding commercial flights) • Horse riding • Motor sport – all forms • High level ropes courses (N.B. certain elements not recommended for primary aged children) • Off road cycling • ‘Extreme’ sports • Other activities (eg. initiative exercises) involving skills inherent in any of the above *‘Open country’ or ‘Wild Country’ is defined as being mountainous country where a group will be dependent on themselves and remote from any immediate help. It is any place which is moorland (open uncultivated land at any height above sea level) or on a mountain above 600 metres and from which it would take more than 30 minutes travelling time to walk back to an accessible road (an Ambulance could use it at the time of year proposed) or refuge (telephone plus shelter). Wild country can be found in: Dartmoor, Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains, Mid and North Wales Mountains, Peak District, Isle of Man, Pennines and Cheviots, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, North Yorkshire Moors, Sperrin Mountains, North Antrim Hills, Mourne Mountains, Galloway Hills, Central, Adventurous Activities Guidance (revised 2016) www.westsussexvisits.org 4 Adventurous Activities Guidance 2016 Western and Northern Highlands, Isles of Syke, Arran, Harris and Lewis. However, this is an arbitrary boundary and there may be occasions where this definition is inappropriate. Please contact the Outdoor Education Adviser (0330 222 3844) if you think this might apply. For level of competence required to lead in wild /open country see the WSCC Regulations & Notes of Guidance for Off-Site Educational Visits and Related Activities with ‘EVOLVE’ 2015. Please contact the Outdoor Education Adviser (0330 222 8344) if there is uncertainty over whether a particular activity is considered to be ‘adventurous’ and requiring West Sussex approval. Any instructor/leader of an adventurous activity listed above, or a person wishing to lead a group on an expedition involving one of these activities, must possess the appropriate qualification as detailed in this document. Anyone wishing to appoint a person to take charge of any activity not listed, that may involve danger, or who has any query regarding qualifications, should consult the Outdoor Education Adviser (0330 222 8344) far in advance as possible. It is impossible to be specific about what constitutes a higher risk environment. In general terms a preliminary visit will enable a risk/benefit assessment to be carried out and further guidance can be sought from the Outdoor Education Adviser. 1.1 Qualifications in Outdoor Activities For the purpose of this document the following definitions are used. Organisers - are those who plan outdoor/off-site opportunities. Leaders - are those individuals/teachers or youth workers who are in overall charge of the children and young people (in 'loco parentis'). Instructors - are those with 'technical competence', in immediate control of a group out of doors. Recognition of qualification for a WSCC employee (or volunteer) to instruct groups is in two parts:- a) Confirmation on an EVOLVE form, by the Head of Establishment and Educational Visits Coordinator, that the person in question is a fit and trustworthy person to be given the care of young people in potentially hazardous adventurous activity. b) The Local Authority’s approval of an EVOLVE form that names the person in question as the instructor of an adventurous activity, their personal profile on EVOLVE contains the evidence of their qualifications and their previous experience permits them to be deemed technically qualified. In all activities, the safety precautions which are recommended in the training courses for Leaders and Instructors, and the relevant National Governing