What is Emergency Action Plan?

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is a written document that sets out exactly what your staff should do in the event of an emergency. For children's activity businesses, emergencies can include serious injuries, medical emergencies (anaphylaxis, seizures, asthma attacks), fire or building evacuation, a missing child, severe weather (particularly for outdoor activities), and security threats. Each scenario should have its own specific procedure.

A good EAP includes: the names and roles of key personnel (who takes charge, who calls 999, who manages the other children); the location of first aid kits, AEDs, and emergency medication; the address and postcode of each venue (staff should know this for giving to emergency services); contact details for the nearest hospital, the non-emergency police line, and your safeguarding lead; the procedure for contacting parents; and the process for recording and reporting the incident afterwards.

Your EAP must be venue-specific — a plan written for a leisure centre will not work for a village hall or outdoor pitch. Every member of staff should know where to find the EAP, and you should practise key elements (such as fire evacuation and missing child procedures) regularly. After any real emergency, conduct a debrief and update the plan if needed.