Parents have volunteered to make tea after the leaving certificate graduation ceremony. Is this covered under our insurance?

State indemnity applies to all activities of Community and Comprehensive Schools to include parents volunteering during a graduation, once the activity has been approved by school management and the associated risk management controls have been implemented. As outlined in SIG-01-06 State indemnity operated by the SCA, servants and/or agents are persons who perform tasks on behalf of the school and include all employees, persons on a contract of service, volunteers and those on placements/work experience.

It is worth noting that the indemnity provided by the SCA is in respect of a negligent act on the part of the school, its servants and/or agents only. State indemnity does not extend to accidental injuries which are the result of a member of the public taking part in an activity and it cannot be extended to cover the liabilities of a third party i.e. the parents own negligent act(s).

All schools should have a procedure in place for engaging volunteers, which should outline risk management considerations (e.g. risk assessment, supervision, use of equipment, management approval, etc.). We recommend in certain circumstances implementing a simple but formal agreement (agreed protocol) between volunteers and the school which clearly sets out the responsibilities of all parties including reporting of incidents and insurance cover as appropriate.