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AAIAC : Adventure Activities Industry
Advisory Committee

 

ccpr.logoThe Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee (AAIAC) is supported by CCPR and SkillsActive.

skillsactiveThe AAIAC is representative of a wide range of stakeholders from the UK adventure activities sector. It works with the industry to identify and disseminate good practice, and to advise government and its agencies accordingly.

aaiac.2Find out more about AAIAC...


Non-Statutory Accreditation – the Way Forward

Although many of us may have felt that Licensing was too draconian a regime to apply to Adventurous Activities, when it was first introduced in 1996, over a decade later we have come to appreciate the professional services of the AALS inspectors.  Nevertheless, in line with the Government’s de-regulation agenda, it has been decided that the scope of Licensing will not be extended beyond its current definitions.  The Government has instead decided to explore the various non-statutory accreditation schemes that exist, to see if they have sufficient rigour for users of out-of-scope activities to rely on.

The DCSF turned to the Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee to commission this research and provided it with the funding to do so.  The AAIAC’s wide range of membership gives it a good grasp of industry and user requirements.  They appointed Adventure Activity Associates to carry out the project.  Its partners are Iain Peter, Bob Barton and Malcolm Campbell who between them possess a great deal of industry credibility.

Adventure Activity Associates carried out their initial investigations during 2006 and reported back to the AAIAC in November of that year.  Their main findings were that there are at least 23 different accreditation schemes in existence, plus a large number of providers who work in isolation, often relying on NGB qualifications alone. 

Not surprisingly, they also found considerable variation between schemes across the industry, but felt that there were a number of essential core criteria that were applicable to all, although they may be implemented in a variety of different ways.  Overall, they reported that the quality, credibility and longevity of many existing non-statutory schemes suggests that the industry is capable of self-regulation. 

The report was unanimously accepted and endorsed by the AAIAC and largely supported by the field.  Consequently, their recommendations were adopted by the Committee and incorporated into its work programme.  Obviously, though, further funding was required before 3A’s proposals could be piloted.  There was therefore no progress until the DCSF offered some further funding in spring 2007.  AAIAC could therefore start planning for the next stage of the project, the piloting phase. 

By this time, of course, the Outdoor Manifesto had been launched and the DCSF was keen to see the AAIAC project help meet the stated requirements for a quality badge in each area of educational visits for schools, including Adventure Activities.  The brief for Adventure Activity Associates was therefore widened to include two objectives:

  • 1. To implement the proposals which were approved by AAIAC in Adventure Activity Associates’ original report.
    - To introduce a generic approval regime for existing non-statutory accreditation schemes.
    - To assist any non-aligned providers to join a scheme or otherwise become compliant.
  • 2. To use the generic template devised for Objective 1 as the basis for an endorsement badge to be used by teachers as an indicator of safe and high quality provision in adventure activities as required by the Outdoor Manifesto. 

Adventure Activity Associates is now working towards these objectives with a range of interim target dates and final culmination in March 2009.  They will only be successful with the support and understanding of industry accrediting bodies and activity providers in general, so please respond positively if you are asked to help.  The AAIAC Committee firmly believes that we are following the best route forward.  I hope that this short note has put you adequately in the picture.

Martin Hudson
AAIAC Working Group

 

AAIAC – what?

What a title: so what does it stand for, what does it do, and should I be concerned? The latter point is personal but the rest of the article seeks to set out the role and work of the AAIAC in the context of the ever-widening range of adventure and outdoor activities with an invitation to contribute to its debates, quite likely through one of the National Governing Body Organisations [NGB] such as BCU, RYA, MLT or Guiding.  We work with and for the industry, its consumers and customers seeking best practice as universally as is obtainable.

AAIAC is the acronym for The Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee. It is representative of a wide range of stakeholders from the UK adventure activities sector. It works with the industry to identify, develop and disseminate good practice, and to advise Governments and Agencies accordingly on request. The AAIAC was originally established in 1996 by the Health & Safety Commission [HSC], as one of its standing Industry Advisory Committees, after the passing into law of The Activity Centres [Young Persons’ Safety] Act 1995 as a result of a number of tragedies involving young people, and following the Lyme Bay tragedy.

The Act introduced a statutory licensing regime for a defined range of activities when provided commercially for young people under the age of 18. That regime was, and is, operated on behalf of the Government by The Department for Education and Skills, now Department for Children, Schools and Families, sponsored by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority [AALA] until the end of March 2007, when sponsorship transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This was because the Health and Safety Executive, which Parliament designated as the AALA on the same date, is a Non-Departmental Public Body belonging to the DWP... The same body that had been designated as the AALA in 1996, TQS Ltd, has been sub-contracted by the new AALA to continue its inspection and licensing programme as before under the new name of the Adventure Activities Licensing Service [AALS].

In short, DWP sponsors the HSE/AALA which contracts with AALS. The AAIAC has an Observer from the AALS, its Head of Inspection.

The early years of the AAIAC’s work were therefore concerned primarily, but not exclusively, with issues around licensing, and with the licensable range of activities, viz. caving, climbing, trekking and watersports [defined more precisely in The Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 1996, now replaced by the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004].

From the outset, the composition of the AAIAC was unique among those set up by the HSC, in that all its Members were appointed as individuals following very wide consultation with the industry, rather than following the “industrial” tripartite model. They were expected to bring to bear on the work of the AAIAC their own experience, knowledge, and judgement, but at the same time were clearly understood as coming from broadly defined “constituencies” with which they were expected to keep in touch, & of whose concerns and interests they were expected to be aware. Several members are directly sponsored by a constituent organisation such as RYA, BCU, Guiding, and MIC.

The AAIAC is now a free-standing UK-wide body, with a wider remit, working closely with the CCPR and with SkillsActive who are its co-sponsors. It is the Technical Reference Group of Skills-Active’s Outdoor & Adventure Sub-Sector Committee. The two bodies jointly provide its Secretariat.

Although ‘Health & Safety at Work’  is a reserved matter under UK legislation [i.e. it is reserved to the UK Parliament in Westminster], the  safety of children and young people when undertaking licensable adventure activities  falls to separate administrations. The DWP is responsible for the 1995 Act and the 2004 Regulations for England and on behalf of Scotland. The Welsh Assembly Government is responsible for these in Wales. 

On wider matters, including health, safety and welfare in general, the AAIAC has Observers from the Health & Safety Executive, the Department for Children, Schools and Families [formerly the DfES], and from each of the four countries devolved administrations.

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Terms of Reference

The AAIAC is principally concerned with safety and good practice in adventure activities as practised by all ages. Whereas it used to be primarily an advisory body to the Health and Safety Commission/Executive, it now has no statutory role.  Government departments and Government agencies may observe its meetings and have supported and funded some of the work of its sub-groups bearing on youth safety. Its primary responsibility however, as a free-standing body, is now to the adventure activity industry itself; and to the public, especially as ‘consumers’ [users?] of adventure activities. 

Accordingly - it has a role in maintaining and improving  standards in the industry, including for health and safety, and advises on industry-wide safety issues and standards; it has a role in advising on skill development and on the setting of competency standards, particularly in those instances where no relevant ‘Sport Governing Body’ exists;

  • it liaises with other bodies in the educational visits sector, such as the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel, the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres, the Institute for Outdoor Learning, the English Outdoor Council et al.
  • it has assumed a self-appointed role in advising on the details of, and the implementation of, both the existing statutory licensing scheme for some adventure activities and any proposed new or non-statutory licensing or accreditation scheme(s);
  • and, consequentially, it has a role in creating relevant material, and in disseminating, promoting and publicising relevant issues.

The AAIAC is not a campaigning organisation, but will normally respond to relevant consultation material, and may publicise its advice and its responses.

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aaiac.1Membership of the AAIAC

The AAIAC consists of not more than 20 Members appointed individually by the Appointments Committee, save that the AAIAC itself may co-opt a person to fill a casual vacancy for the remainder of the original Member’s term.  Notwithstanding their role(s) in any other organisation(s), Members are appointed in a personal capacity but must be nominated by a body or organisation which shall provide the nominee’s qualifications for membership,  for the nominee’s membership of relevant bodies and organisations to be listed; and for a list of any other persons, bodies or organisations sponsoring the nomination to be provided.
Members are normally appointed for a fixed period of 3 years. No Member may serve as such for more than 6 years without a break in membership. Members may not be represented at meetings by alternates. A Chair is elected annually from the membership and the AAIAC may invite such persons as it thinks appropriate to attend the whole or part of one or more of its meetings to speak on specified matters.

Criteria for Membership:

Members are appointed having regard to the following criteria:

  • personal adventure activity experience, expertise, and currency;
  • adventure activity provider type and expertise, including experience of licensing (e.g. commercial centres, sole providers, local authorities, schools, youth organisations, voluntary organisations);
  • adventure activity user & consumer type & experience (e.g. nominees of Directors of Children’s Services/LAs as users, schools as users, teachers, voluntary & youth organizations/leaders; Church organisations, parent groups);
  • relevant ‘sport governing body’ (or NGB) expertise & experience (e.g. of NGB qualifications & applicability);
  • managerial and staff knowledge, experience and competence (e.g. in the direct provision of adventure activities, in childcare, in leadership, in staff welfare/health & safety, in training);
  • relevant tourism industry expertise/experience (e.g. Tourist Boards and cognate organisations).

In selecting members the AAIAC appointments committee has to take heed of the need for a proper balance in the membership of the AAIAC between the four countries of the United Kingdom {this neither implies nor requires a numerical equality of such membership};  the need for the widest possible coverage within the membership of the AAIAC of all sectors of the industry; the need for the educational, recreational, and training purposes of adventure activities to be appropriately represented within the membership of the AAIAC; and the relevance to the membership and the work of the AAIAC of “equality” issues, in particular gender, disability, and ethnicity.

The AAIAC meets not less than three times a year with normally one meeting a year  being held away from the normal meeting place [e.g. in another country of the UK], and provision is normally be made at the ‘away’ meeting for interested parties to meet the AAIAC – usually in a semi-social gathering with a formal meeting section.

The AAIAC establishes working groups with such terms of reference as seems desirable. The chairmen of all working groups is appointed by & from the AAIAC, but the membership of working groups is not otherwise limited by this constitution. The AAIAC normally has a number of ‘standing’ working groups – and this is where the major donkey works takes place.  All working groups submit a report on work in progress [which may be a ‘nil’ report] to every meeting of the AAIAC.    

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Recent work  

So, if that is how the AAIAC is constituted and whom it represents together with its aims and objectives what has it being doing recently to help the industry in terms of providers and customers?

Some of you will doubtless be aware of the developing framework of activities in recent years – anything from coasteering to mountain biking trails or canyoning to name only some – often outside the scope of statutory law or self-regulation by for example an NGB  – though of course all work-related activity is subject to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The AAIAIC is keen to work with, for example, the HSE in establishing the principles of proportionate and sensible risk management.

The AAIAC has a continuing interest in monitoring how the UK governments implement EU directives and in lobbying as necessary. For instance, we recently worked with DWP and the HSE in creating some sensible arrangements for adventure activities in relation to work at heights regulations. Each of these points does pose issues for those who provide them – Centre to sole trader and commercial to educationally provided - and for customers or clients [directly paying for their activity or  indirectly if, for example, on an LA Centre course].  The AAIAC has/had a series of working groups looking at these and other issues.

Benchmarking is a “hot topic” at present with many readers being aware of the new BS8848 involving expeditions overseas. Our members amongst others have expressed some reservations about the implications of this British Standard, what security it gives to both providers and their clients + the fact that, because it is a “Standard”, there is no direct regulation of its enforcement. AAIAC members will be party to the Review of the first year of operation scheduled for April 2008.

As a result of the excellent work of a different working group AAIAC has launched a new publication entitled “Surviving a Career in Adventure Activities” which seeks to advise all those working in them about potential hazards, current and later in life, as well as the advantages and things to look out for. It is “distilled wisdom and best practice” and is highly commended to all employers as a booklet of significant importance in the welfare of those who work for them. It is available in printed form for distribution from The Institute of Outdoor Learning or as a pdf via CCPR’s website: www.ccpr.org.uk  following the link from Home to the bottom of the page Site Map/ Our Campaigning/AAIAC. This is also where the AAIAC’s minutes are published after approval - with access for all.

There are developments concerning a European Standard on Ropes Courses with potential implications for those involved with Ropes Courses. AAIAC has a group researching this with a meeting having been held at the end of October at the Outward Bound School, Ullswater.  Their Report will go to the January AAIAC meeting and results be minuted accordingly. The group is also to look at the feasibility of mapping first aid training provision in the industry as a whole.

Perhaps the potentially most significant development for the moment is the AAIAC’s commissioning of a two part research project for the DCSF on a non-statutory accreditation scheme for adventurous activities which lie beyond the scope of licensing. Not always understood AALS deals only with Centres supplying commercial services for minors under the age of 18. Much goes on for minors as well as their elders that simply lies outside the scope of licensing  & for which there may be no accreditation available. National governing bodies sometimes accredit individuals [once only for many] rather than the Centres or venues from which they operate and new adventurous activities such as coasteering, canyoning or mountain biking currently have either no system of accreditation or a series of independent sometimes competing ones.

The research project, led by 3As [whose leaders are well known in the industry – Iain Peter, Bob Barton and Malcolm Campbell] have produced an outline now being developed into a template for the AAIAC which would offer a single non-statutory system of accreditation available to sole traders and Centres, (?) alike as a benchmark standard indicating compliance with safety requirements, minimum standards for competency in the activity – these would normally be via the activities’ NGB as now - management of the venue and basic compliance with relevant legislation. This would be a quality assurance scheme involving  appropriate inspection to guarantee the quality. AAIAC is delighted with the Stage 1 report, its quality work & conclusions and very pleased that almost all providers contacted in the initial research understand the need now for something more than there is and support the initial proposals.

The DCSF, as part of the  Manifesto for Learning Outside the Classroom, is pursuing a badging scheme which would apply to the out of classroom provision of activities used by  pupils – anything from coach tours, accommodation providers for young persons, BAHA holidays and excursions etc.. This work is being taken forward by the Educational Visits Advisory Council [EVAC] which comprises commercial companies, local authorities and school staff unions and is observed by Government officials.  Those such as schools seeking to plan excursions, holidays, field work and outdoor activity programmes would be able to choose Manifesto-approved providers as a benchmarked organisation with the safeguards this should provide. The network of badges is to be launched early in 2008 as part of the Out and about package being created by CfBT and Price Waterhouse Cooper on behalf of the Manifesto managing group

The AAIAC’s Stage 2 project being managed by 3As is being required to see how the AAIAC non-statutory scheme could be slotted in as the Adventure Activities Manifesto badge holding authority though the AAIAC scheme will probably not be ready until early 2009. The out and about package will also include a revision of the Government’s guidance Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits and its supplement in which AAIAC will have an interest.

For many providers, employers, their employees or customers and participants in whatever adventure activity they do life will go on without what has been described – until something goes wrong, as sadly from time to time happens. The AAIAC is doing its best, as a series of voluntary members intimately connected with adventurous activities, to promote best practice and for the industry to adopt whatever that may be as a matter of course. The examples of its work above hopefully provide a flavour of what is working behind the scenes to secure a bright, healthy, safe and enjoyable sector of sport and recreation.

Canoeists will be aware of recent changes to canoeing qualifications brought in by the BCU – not to everybody’s liking. The AAIAC has quietly drawn attention to the BCU that competition sport is fine for the Olympics etc., but most canoeists paddle for fun, exhilaration and for exercise. Similarly, some disquiet currently exists with the standards of competency surrounding the BELA award and the AAIAC is doing its bit quietly to make sure best practice prevails and that harmony remains for the benefit of all. Where problems are recognised then solutions are normally available.

Readers interested in joining the AAIAC and its voluntary, unpaid work, could contact its secretary, Duncan Carter at CCPR, for an application form early in 2008. They will need the sponsorship of an appropriate organisation but we welcome forward thinking members who have the interests of the industry, its providers and participants to heart so that activities in adventure can continue to excite and provide the enjoyment they have done in the future.

Brian Ogden
Chair, AAIAC
December 2007

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