Safety Activity Checkpoints outlines the Safety Standards and Guidelines used in Girl Scouting, which apply to all Girl Scout activities.
All volunteers should review the Safety Activity Checkpoints manual when planning activities with girls in order to manage safety and risk in Girl Scout-sanctioned activities.
View the GSOH Safety Activity Checkpoints
In Safety Activity Checkpoints, you’ll find:
Following the Safety Standards and Guidelines is an Activity-at-a-Glance chart which details two critical points to keep in mind:
From camping weekends to cookie booths, adult volunteers must always be present to ensure their girls have fun and stay safe, no matter their grade level.
Not sure just how many adults you’ll need for your activity? The helpful chart below breaks down the minimum number of volunteers needed to supervise a specific number of girls; councils may also establish maximums due to size or cost restrictions, so be sure to check with them as you plan your activity.
Example: A meeting with 17 Daisies, needs three volunteers, at least two of whom are unrelated (in other words, not your sister, spouse, parent, or child), and at least one of whom is female.
In addition to the volunteer-to-girl ratios, please remember that volunteers must be at least 18 years old or at the age of majority defined by the state, if it is older than 18.
Every adult in Girl Scouting is responsible for the physical and emotional safety of girls, and we all always demonstrate that by agreeing to follow these guidelines.
You want to engage each parent or caregiver to help you work toward ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of girls. Clearly communicate to parents and caregiver that they are expected to:
Girls who learn about and practice safe and healthy behaviors are likely to establish lifelong habits of safety consciousness. For that reason, each Girl Scout is expected to:
Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland provides a Health History form. Troops are required to maintain their own records for their group. Keep in mind that information contained in a girl’s health history is confidential and protected by law. This information may only be shared with people who have a need to know this information such as the girl herself, her parent/guardian, and a healthcare provider.
For various reasons, some parents/guardians may object to immunizations or medical examinations. Councils must attempt to make provisions for these girls to attend Girl Scout functions in a way that accommodates these concerns.
It is important for you to be aware of any medications a girl may take or allergies she may have. Keep in mind the following:
See the Safety Activity Checkpoints for more on Health History forms.
Emergencies require prompt action and quick judgment. For many activities, Girl Scouts recommends that at least one adult volunteer be first-aid/CPR-certified. For that reason, if you have the opportunity to get trained in council-approved first-aid/CPR, do it! You can take advantage of first-aid/CPR training offered by chapters of the:
Please be aware that first-aid/CPR training that is available entirely online does not satisfy Girl Scouts’ requirements. Such courses do not offer enough opportunities to practice and receive feedback on your technique. If you’re taking a course not offered by one of the organizations listed above, or any course that has online components, get approval from your support team or council prior to enrolling in the course.
First Aider
A first aider is an adult volunteer who has taken Girl Scout-approved first aid and CPR training that includes specific instructions for child CPR.
The Safety Activity Checkpoints always tell you when a first aider needs to be present. Because activities can take place in a variety of locations, the presence of a first aider and the qualifications they need to have are based on the remoteness of the activity.
For more information about first aiders and when and where they are required check the Safety Activity Checkpoints
First-Aid Kit
Make sure a general first-aid kit is available at your group meeting place and accompanies girls on any activity (including transportation to and from the activity). Please be aware that you may need to provide this kit if one is not available at your meeting place.
You can purchase a Girl Scout first-aid kit, you can buy a commercial kit, or you and the girls can assemble a kit yourselves. The Red Cross offers a list of potential items in its Anatomy of a First Aid Kit (note that the Red Cross’s suggested list includes aspirin, which you will not be at liberty to give to girls without direct parent/guardian permission). You can also customize a kit to cover your specific needs, including flares, treatments for frostbite or snake bites, and the like.
In addition to standard materials, all kits should contain your council and emergency telephone numbers, which you can get from your council contact. Girl Scout activity insurance forms, parent consent forms, and health histories may also be included.
Every registered Girl Scout and registered member in the Girl Scout movement is automatically covered under the basic plan upon registration. The entire premium cost for this protection is borne by Girl Scouts of the USA. The basic plan is effective during the regular fiscal year (October to the following October). Up to 14 months of insurance coverage is provided for new members who register in the month of August. This insurance provides up to a specified maximum for medical expenses incurred because of an accident while a member is participating in an approved, supervised Girl Scout activity, after the individual’s primary insurance pays out. This is one reason that all adults and girls should be registered members.
Non-registered parents, tagalongs (brothers, sisters, friends), and other persons are not covered by basic coverage.
This insurance coverage is not intended to diminish the need for or replace family health insurance. When $135 in benefits has been paid for covered accident medical or dental expense, any subsequent benefits will be payable only for expenses incurred that aren’t compensable under another insurance policy. If there is no family insurance or healthcare program, a specified maximum of medical benefits is available.
An optional plan of activity insurance is available for Girl Scouts taking extended trips and for nonmembers who participate in Girl Scout activities. These plans are secondary insurance that a council may offer to cover participants taking part in any council-approved, supervised Girl Scout activity. Optional insurance coverage is required for any Girl Scout activity that involves non-Girl Scouts, lasts longer than two consecutive nights, or involves international travel. Contact your council to find out how to apply.
The supplemental coverage is not optional if there will be any sort of non-member in attendance. Volunteers are required to purchase the basic level of coverage (Plan 2) for non-members who participate in their event or trip. We also require Plan 3PI for all international trips regardless of membership status.
If all participants of the event or trip are active, registered Girl Scout members, and the event or trip is less than 2 consecutive nights, they are not required to purchase the coverage.
Bills submitted to United of Omaha remain the ultimate responsibility of the patient or her parent/guardian. Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Council is never responsible for payment of medical expenses incurred by a member. The council’s only role is to verify insurance coverage for any member’s claim by checking active membership status or coverage under a supplemental policy. After that, the claim is forwarded to United of Omaha for processing and whatever payment will be made.
When giving insurance information to the health care provider, you must provide your primary health insurance coverage information to that provider. The secondary coverage will be United of Omaha. Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Council is never a responsible party for payment. Be sure to inform the health care provider that it will take 30 days for United of Omaha to receive and review your claim, so they might need to delay billing until that time has passed. If United of Omaha has not received claim information from the council, it will reject the claim, and the provider will look to the patient for payment. Be sure to file claims in a timely manner to avoid being sent to a collection agency by the health care provider.
Review the Girl Scouts insurance plan description at mutualofomaha.com. Questions regarding insurance should be directed to riskmanager@gsoh.org.
GSUSA sponsors Activity Accident insurance with Mutual of Omaha for all Girl Scout members. This insurance is intended to be a supplemental accident injury coverage to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses for those injured during a Girl Scouts supervised event, activity, troop meeting, or trip. There are four categories of coverage:
Basic Plan 1
The Basic Plan 1 automatically covers Girl Scout members and non-members, who are invited to participate, and are injured during the Girl Scout sponsored and supervised activity or trip. Basic Plan 1 will pay the first $140.00 of medical expenses plus any out-of-pocket medical expenses that are not covered under the injured person’s personal (or family) medical insurance, such as out-of-network charges or large deductibles or ambulatory services. If the injured person does not have medical insurance, the Basic Plan1 will drop down to cover medical expenses from dollar one.
Every registered Girl Scout and registered adult member has this insurance. Coverage is automatic upon registration in the Movement and payment of dues. This coverage is for any approved and supervised Girl Scout activity except those events lasting more than two consecutive nights (three nights when one of the nights is a federal holiday, such as Memorial Day or Labor Day).
Note: Most situations within Girl Scouts are covered by the automatic Basic Plan 1 which covers accidental bodily injury. Accidental bodily injury would include exposures like a tick bite or food poisoning, for example, as long as the incident is reported as an accident or incident to your council at the time it occurs.
Plan 3P
Accident plus Sickness: Plan 3P covers the same as Basic Plan 1 plus sickness coverage. Sickness coverage must be purchased separately and is intended as an option for extended, long-distance trips.
Plan 3PI
Accident plus Sickness for International Trips: Plan 3PI coverage is needed for international trips. It provides accident plus sickness coverage for trips outside of the USA. The Basic Plan 1 will not cover international trips, so it is necessary to purchase Plan 3PI when taking Girl Scouts on international travel.
International Inbound Accident plus Sickness
Accident plus Sickness coverage for Councils who are hosting Girl Guides/Girl Scouts visiting the United States from out of country.
Activity insurance should be purchased for all Girl Scout sponsored events and activities when nonmembers will be in attendance.
Examples of events for which activity insurance should be purchased:
To purchase the insurance, the following information is required:
The information may be emailed to riskmanager@gsoh.org. You will receive a reply verifying the information and amount due. When paying the premium, all checks must be made out to United of Omaha Life Insurance Company and then sent to:
Risk Manager
1700 Watermark Drive
Columbus, OH 43215.
For the insurance to be in effect, your payment must be post marked prior to the event date, so please allow a minimum of one week prior to the event date when purchasing insurance. Please include an email address so that we may email confirmation of your insurance purchase.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please email riskmanager@gsoh.org.
After receiving a report of an accident, council staff will immediately arrange for additional assistance, if needed, at the scene, and will notify parents/guardians, as appropriate. If a child needs emergency medical care as the result of an accident or injury, first contact emergency medical services, and then follow council procedures for accidents and incidents. Your adherence to these procedures is critical, especially regarding notifying parents or guardians. If the media is involved, let council-designated staff member discuss the incident with these representatives.
In the event of a fatality or other serious accident, notify the police. A responsible adult must remain at the scene always. In the case of a fatality, do not disturb the victim or surroundings. Follow police instructions. Do not share information about the accident with anyone but the police, your council, and, if applicable, insurance representatives or legal counsel.
From 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday: 614-487-8101
If office is closed: 614-447-7092
If you call when the office is closed, you leave a message with a message service that will contact council representatives. Please leave your name, contact phone number, and a brief summary of the situation, and a council employee will contact you as soon as possible.
This information is also provided in the registration packet to be kept in the troop first aid kit, and emergency cards are provided to each troop to be carried in volunteer’s wallets. Girl Scout adult volunteers should get safety wallet cards from their service units.
Understand the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge
To make sure that girls are aware of how to safely use the internet, you should discuss online safety issues with the girls and distribute copies of the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge found here. The girls should also take a copy of the pledge home and go over it with their parents. Both the girl and her parent should sign the pledge.
Safeguard Information
Girls must understand that the internet is an open means of communication that anyone can access. As such, websites will often attract people other than their intended users. It is therefore imperative that any information that could jeopardize the safety and security of girls and volunteers not be disclosed on a website. The following measures will help to ensure girls’ online safety:
Safety in Technology-Based Product Programs
Girl Scouts use the internet for a variety of reasons including the online marketing and sale of approved Girl Scout related products. Below are some key points to keep in mind for all online activities:
For Digital Cookie there are additional, specific guidelines, some of which are:
For additional information and guidance please see the following sections:
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