How do schemes gain approval?
What is Adventuremark?
Adventuremark is a non-statutory safety accreditation scheme devised by the Adventure Activity Industry Advisory Committee for providers of adventurous activities that are outside the scope of the Adventure Activity Licensing regulations. AAIAC has appointed Adventure Activity Associates Ltd. to operate Adventuremark on its behalf.
Adventuremark allows providers to demonstrate to their customers or users that the provider's arrangements for managing the potential risks of adventure activities have been inspected and found to meet the AAIAC Provider Accreditation standards which define “good practice” in the adventure activity industry. All Providers who hold Adventuremark will have undergone an inspection to confirm compliance.
Who is Adventuremark for?
Some providers are required by law to hold an AALA Licence for the activities that they provide commercially to young people (you can find out more information about Adventure Activity Licensing here). However, a great many activities and providers are not covered by AALA e.g. providers working with adults and families, providers who deliver out of scope activities, providers delivering in scope activities in a low risk environment. The Adventuremark badge confirms that the holder conforms to the necessary standards of good practice in all these situations.
Do I have to get Adventuremark?
This is a non-statutory scheme and as such, there is no legal requirement for providers to attain Adventuremark. However, AAIAC is certain that providers will see the significant benefits of Adventuremark and the contribution it can make in reviewing and improving their own offering.
Adventuremark is a robust scheme based on the current licensing model. It is intended there should be a similar rigour of inspection, adapted to the needs of the programme on offer.
How is Adventuremark awarded?
There are set criteria for Adventuremark which every applicant must meet, irrespective of their activity. These include administrative procedures, the qualifications and training of staff, safety procedures, equipment, as well as a system of actual inspection of provision before the granting of Adventuremark. There is a system of reinspection on a rolling programme basis dependent on the nature of the provider and whether they belong to an accreditation scheme that might already have been accredited with Adventuremark. You can view the Adventuremark criteria here.
Scheme Approval
The Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee has established a model for approving schemes. You can find out more here.