Although there are no set regulations from the Care Inspectorate regarding first aid training for staff within OSCs, the Care Inspectorate and the SSSC do require that staff are appropriately trained to do their role, and many staff will have first aid as part of their training. With regards to nursery services, the Care Inspectorate insist that there is at least one first aider on the premises, and we recommend this as a minimum for OSC services too. Please note, there may be additional first aid training requirements for OSC staff set by their employers, if, for example, they are employed by a Local Authority, or they operate from premises that have additional regulations, such as a community centre or sports hall. Moreover, the Health and Safety Executive publish regulations on First Aid that apply to employers that have to be addressed, both in terms of the first aid needs of their employees, and also non-employees, such as service users and visitors. The Health and Safety Executive (First Aid) 1981 Regulations have guidance on issues such as having an appointed person to take charge of first-aid arrangements, as well as keeping records of incidents. You can download a copy of this below.

SOSCN advises that all staff working within OSC have at least basic, and certified, first aid training. SOSCN would also suggest as a matter of good practice that more senior members of staff be trained in advanced first aid, however the level of this, and duration of the training, will depend on what can be accessed in your area. We would also recommend where a service cares for children with specific medical needs for enough staff to undertake training, as required, about that condition, to be able to administer First Aid with awareness of that child's specific needs.

Training should be updated as and when required. Often, this will be dependent on the training that is being accessed and the recommendations that come along with it for when to renew, so if you are an employer, then you can check with your training providers as to when you should be looking to retrain staff.

There are many certified first aid training providers that operate in Scotland, many of which offer pediatric first aid courses too. These include, but are not limited to, St Andrews First Aid, Red Cross First Aid, and St John Ambulance. Many of Scotland's Colleges also offer first aid training.