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Event Assessment & Approval Procedure

Introduction

Events are part of the Scouting experience. Larger events, and events of longer duration, are more complex and require more planning and oversight. The Events Standards are designed to be scalable to reflect the variance in complexity, location, duration, and program requirements for a particular event. This Event Assessment & Approval Procedure provides steps for the Event Support Team to determine of the appropriate event risk category and risk controls to be applied.

There are 3 broad categories of relative risk: High, Medium and Low Risk. A typical High-Risk Event may have some or all of the following attributes:

  • New site – not used for a large event previously – often requiring larger infrastructure changes / updates or substantial environmental impact e.g. tree-felling,
  • New or infrequent event with little recent experience to draw upon,
  • Large scale event with many Youth and Scouters from across the country and internationally,
  • Long in duration, with significant program variety, with the potential for significant set-up (mobilization) and tear-down (de-mobilization) requirements,
  • Poor Incident Management or Safety Incident experience from past events,
  • Large amount of income that may have CRA implications.

Events

  1. All events are managed by a designated event Team Lead (Camp Chair) as part of a larger event management team which is accountable to an “Approval Team” to ensure the event adheres to the Events Standards.
    • For events categorized as low risk, the approval team is the Council Key 3 or delegate(s).
    • For medium risk events the approval team is the National Event Support team.
    • For high risk events, the approval team are the National Key 3 or delegate(s).
  2. Group events would typically be classified as low risk, for which the Event Support Team is usually the Group Committee. The Group Commissioner (“GC”), or delegate, would be the designated event team lead responsible for ensuring the event adheres to the Adventure Standards. It is not expected that the Group Commissioner would inform the Council Key 3 of a Group event – this would be left to the discretion of the GC.
  3. A section camp, expedition or adventure is not classified as an event for the purposes of this procedure and associated Events Standards.

Our Procedure

This procedure provides a consistent set of criteria to evaluate events of any scale and to determine relative risk. This is then used (in discussion with the approval team, when applicable) to determine the appropriate controls and components found within the Events Standards.

Step 1: Risk Assessment

The event support team will assess and determine an event risk category using ten quantifiable, evidenced-based criteria (Table 1):

  1. Location — how frequently the site has been used for this event (site experience).
  2. Frequency — how frequently the event is held (event experience).
  3. Event planning — based on the experience of the event team (team experience).
  4. Duration — includes the number of days that volunteers are on site setting up and taking down for the event (i.e. mobilization and de-mobilization).
  5. Category 2 and 3 Activities — includes the number of category 2 or 3 activities.
  6. Program — how well the program aligns with the Canadian Path Program, is it age appropriate and does it develop SPICES.
  7. Incident Management — assesses both frequency and scale of safety incidents and past experience of the management of the incident / emergencies (safety experience).
  8. Attendance — includes youth, Scouters and event volunteers (scope and scale).
  9. Revenue — How much income is the event generating before expenses?
  10. Cost — What is the cost of the event?

Table 1: Risk Assessment

Score 1 2 3 4 5

Location

Location used annually for large events Location used previously but not in the last 2 years Location used previously but not in the last 3 years Location used previously but not in the last 5 years New location
Frequency Annual Event Bi-Annual Event Tri-Annual Event Quad-Annual Event New Scouting Event
Event Planners Experienced team, multi-event management Quite experienced planning team Limited Experienced Planning Team Very Limited Experienced Planning Team New Planning Team
Duration 1 Day (No Overnight) 1-2 Nights 3-4 Nights 5-6 Nights 7+ Nights
Category 2 & 3 Events None 1–2 3–5 6–9 10+
Program Perfectly Very Well Well Somewhat Not at all
Previous Major Incidents 0 1 2 3 4+
Attendance Less than 500 500-999 1,000-1,999 2,000-2,999 3,000+
Revenue < $5,000 $5–10K $10–20K $20–50K > $50K
Costs < $30 $30–50 $50–75 $75–100 $100+

** Incident management experience is not an absolute quantifiable metric but a basis for discussion. The event support team would need to consider number of reportable and non-reportable incidents, first aids and, depending on the event history, incident management experience.

Note: A table of historical events and their quantified scoring is provided as a guideline in the Appendix.

Step 2: Risk Category Assignment and Characterisation

The assignment of category is based on the risk assessment (Table 1) by the Event Support Team.

The determination of High, Medium and Low Risk is not based on an absolute quantifiable outcome – but is a balance between all 10 of the criteria above – with an emphasis on attendance (scale) and complexity.

The risk level may be changed after consultation and evidence provided with relevant stakeholders such as CK3, NK3, Safe Scouting or Event Organizational Team.

Complexity = sum of scores: location + frequency + Event planning + duration + (2x Program) + (2x Incidents)

Plot 1: Example Event Risk Assessment Matrix – Determination of Risk Category

Plot 1: Example Event Risk Assessment Matrix – Determination of Risk Category 

The event support team will review past experience in conjunction with the initial plan for the event being proposed and will provide a short summary for the approval team to justify a proposed risk category assessment. This would take place in the “idea” stage of the Events Management Procedure.

Step 3: Event Governance, Decision Making and Approvals

The classification into either High, Medium or Low risk will determine the basis for the selection of appropriate risk controls.

A High Risk event would require more rigour and planning than an event without these characteristics e.g. Local, small, simple, annual and experienced team. A low risk event will require relatively few controls and should require less oversight and approvals, although the components of the Events Standards are potentially all applicable.

Although the specifics are not prescribed, it is expected that the event organizational team will work with the approval team to agree upon a set of key deliverables required to progress and support the execution of the event. The teams will also agree upon the timing of the deliverables in preparation for the next decision phase.

All events require approval at the initial “idea” stage prior to further planning and resource allocation. The risk categorisation would be determined, proposed and approved at this stage. Depending on the scale, complexity and experience the risk category will both determine the requirements for event planning, design and approval and the event governance and decision-making.

  1. High risk events must be approved by the National Key 3 (or delegate) before planning may begin and will require oversight at the National level.
  2. Medium risk events must be approved by the National Event Commissioner (or delegate) before planning may begin and will require oversight at the National level.
  3. Low risk events are approved by the Council Key 3 (or delegate) and are managed within the Council.

Related Policies & Standards

 

Related Procedures

 

Approved

June 2023

Effective Date

June 2023 

Updates

V2: Update to process in reviewing events

 

Uncontrolled When Printed: When printed, document cannot be guaranteed to have the current information and should be used with caution. This document is marked “uncontrolled” and the user is responsible for determining if the current version is active. To find the most updated version, please refer to Scouts Canada BP&P on Scouts.ca.