First Aid

First Aid Qualifications

First Aid Qualifications – Certification Expiry (response to COVID-19)

First Aid Certificates are valid for 3 years – please see advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding certification expiry and those requiring to requalify. Information is also available from the First Aid Awarding Organisation Forum webpage.

Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) and First Aid at Work (FAW) qualifications

During 2017 the First Aid Awarding Organisation Forum (FAAOF) reviewed both the qualifications/unit specifications and assessment principles for EFAW and FAW qualifications to ensure that they continued to meet the requirements of the Health and Safety (First Aid Regulations) and were up to date in terms of current practice.

Following review, the qualifications were credit rated against the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF) and the qualification products were approved by Accreditation Co-ordination Group (ACG). The qualifications are:

Emergency First Aid at Work at SCQF Level 6

First Aid at Work at SCQF Level 6

A number of our awarding bodies sought accreditation to offer these revised qualifications and an implementation date of 1 October 2017 was agreed. The awarding bodies approved to offer these qualifications are noted below.

All approved awarding bodies must comply with the current version of the unit specifications and the Assessment Principles for Regulated First Aid Qualifications.

The qualifications, unit specifications and assessment principles can be found on the links below:

Qualification structure for Emergency First Aid at Work at SCQF Level 6

Qualification structure for First Aid at Work at SCQF Level 6

Unit Specification for Emergency First Aid in the Workplace at SCQF Level 6

Unit Specification for Recognition and Management of Illness and Injury in the Workplace at SCQF Level 6

Assessment Principles for Regulated First Aid Qualifications (2017 Version 6)

If you wish to deliver these qualifications in Scotland, you have two possible options:

Offer the qualifications as an approved provider of an SQA Accreditation approved awarding body

You can apply for provider approval to deliver EFAW and/or FAW qualifications through any SQA approved awarding body that has been accredited to offer these qualifications.

You may contact these awarding bodies directly – see the list below.

Awarding bodies approved to offer EFAW and/or FAW qualifications:

Alternatively, contact SQA Accreditation for an initial discussion.

Offer the qualifications as an SQA approved awarding body

SQA approved awarding bodies wishing to seek accreditation to offer these qualifications should, in the first instance, contact the SQA Accreditation Manager and complete an AC2 Form.

If you are not already an SQA approved awarding body you will need to go through our Awarding Body Approval Process. The first stage in this process requires you to contact SQA Accreditation and speak to a Regulation Manager.

SQA Accreditation contacts:

07909 890025 Karen Crawford, Accreditation Manager

accreditation@sqa.org.uk - Linda Leitch, Accreditation Officer

There are other first aid qualifications on offer (Paediatric First Aid, Outdoor First Aid and Activity First Aid) – please use our Search for Accredited Qualifications database for details of awarding bodies approved to offer.