ACCS/info Bulletin 06/19

Wed, Jan 30th, 2019

The Secretary,
Board of Management and
School Principal in
each Community and Comprehensive School.

Members of the Executive of ACCS.

ACCS/Info Bulletin 06/19

Re: State Claims Agency In-Service Seminar 2019 - Incident Reporting

The State Claims Agency held an In-Service seminar on the 16th of January, 2019. While the seminar covered many risk management topics, the main focus of the event related to incident reporting in Community and Comprehensive Schools. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of incident reporting, legal requirements etc. and having a clear documented procedure in place. In addition, the State Claims Agency also provided feedback on how schools are performing with respect to incident reporting, rates and areas for improvement. As a means of further supporting schools and incident reporting, a brief introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was provided, together with interactive demonstrations of incident entry and reporting capacities of the system, all of which will serve to support your school management functions but also which can be used to monitor risk and inform staff. (Further information on NIMS will be provided in a separate communication)

The recent launch of the revised Guidelines on Managing Safety, Health and Welfare in Post-Primary Schools, 2018 was also provided, which was produced by the Health and Safety Authority in collaboration with the State Claims Agency. This guideline is an updated and streamlined version of the 2010 publication. The aim of this guideline is to assist schools in fulfilling their legal obligations to manage safety, health and welfare of staff, students, visitors and others in schools. The revised Guidelines offer schools a practical step by step approach to developing a safety statement supported by e-friendly risk assessment templates. An updated frequently asked questions resource is also available. www.hsa.ie/education

During the event the State Claims Agency launched the updated version of Community and Comprehensive School State Indemnity Confirmation Statement, which is evidence of the schools indemnity cover in lieu of an insurance policy.

Event Materials (attached):

  1. In Service Seminar Presentation – Incident Reporting

  2. Legislation Update

  3. New State Indemnity Confirmation Statement (English/Irish)

 

Is mise,
le mór mheas,



_________________
John Irwin,
General Secretary ACCS.

Downloads:

Paul Thornton