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First aid at holiday clubs: requirements and emergency planning

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The short answer

Check the first-aid rules for your club and the needs of the children and staff. Make sure trained people, equipment and an emergency plan are available throughout the day. Plan cover for breaks, absences and trips.

Scope: England · School-age holiday clubs and daytime activities · Check the rules for your club

Check the requirement for your provision

Where the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework applies, at least one person must hold a current full paediatric first-aid certificate, covering first aid for children. That trained person must be on site and available whenever children are present. Someone with that qualification must also accompany children on outings. Certificates must be renewed every three years. You may need more cover depending on the number of children and staff and the layout of the venue. EYFS also requires an adult with a full paediatric first-aid certificate in the room while children eat. [1]

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements specify at least one person with an appropriate first-aid certificate. Voluntary registration has its own training requirements. Check the actual register and scope rather than assuming a general workplace certificate always fulfils childcare requirements. [2][3]

Assess staff, children and the activity

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires employers to assess first-aid needs for their employees. Its event guidance strongly recommends including visitors and the public in the assessment. Consider what could cause harm, who will be there, their ages and needs, staff working hours, how far away help is and how emergency services can reach you. [4][5]

A person appointed to manage first-aid arrangements is not necessarily a trained first aider. Make sure someone with the required training is available to give first aid. [4]

Our suggested plan records each person’s qualification, expiry, role and actual availability. Plan what happens if the first aider is absent, on a break, supporting one child or accompanying someone to hospital. Reconsider both first-aid cover and ordinary supervision before continuing an activity.

Make the emergency plan easy to use

HSE recommends clear emergency roles, communications, evacuation arrangements and access for emergency services. Coordinate these with the venue. [5]

Our suggested briefing identifies the emergency caller, exact address and access point, equipment location, person meeting responders, person supervising the group and person contacting the family. Include outings and children needing assistance. Rehearse how the register and relevant care information reach the right people.

If you suspect a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), call 999 and follow the NHS emergency instructions and the child’s plan. Staff need appropriate training; reading this chapter is not first-aid certification. [6]

Record and review the response

EYFS requires a written record of accidents or injuries and first aid, with parents informed on the same day or as soon as reasonably practicable. Serious events may trigger additional reporting duties. [1][7]

Use the incident reporting chapter to distinguish your the club’s own record, telling parents and reporting to other organisations. Our suggested debrief checks what happened, whether cover and equipment worked, and which actions need completing before the next session.

Evidence behind this page

Sources and further reading

Fact-checked against these sources on . We check sources each month. This is our editorial review, not an independent legal or medical assessment.

The numbers in the text link to the sources below. Follow the original guidance for full details and later changes. How we check this guide.

  1. Department for Education. EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers↩1 ↩2Effective 1 September 2026.Paragraphs 3.37–3.39 and 3.64; Paragraphs 3.78–3.79. Read the document (PDF).
  2. Ofsted. Daycare providers on the compulsory Childcare Register: requirements↩Updated 1 September 2026.Child welfare.
  3. Ofsted. Daycare providers on the voluntary Childcare Register: requirements↩Current online guidance.Qualifications and training.
  4. Health and Safety Executive. First aid: what employers need to do↩1 ↩2Current online guidance.Needs assessment, appointed persons and trained first aiders.
  5. Health and Safety Executive. Planning for incidents and emergencies↩1 ↩2Updated 20 January 2026.First-aid and medical needs.
  6. NHS. Anaphylaxis↩Page reviewed 21 June 2023; displayed review due date 21 June 2026.Emergency action and adrenaline auto-injectors.
  7. Ofsted. Report a serious childcare incident↩Updated 1 September 2026.Reportable events and notification deadline.

NHS source date: the live anaphylaxis page still displays a June 2023 review and June 2026 review-due date. We checked its current content; our check does not mean the NHS has completed a newer clinical review. This chapter directs readers to emergency guidance and their child’s plan rather than providing a treatment protocol.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, where applicable. Specialist sources are attributed to their respective publishers.