Our response to the Civil Contingencies Act Review

The UK Government recently invited organisations to contribute to a Call for Views on the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, the legislation that helps shape how the UK prepares for, responds to and recovers from emergencies.

St Andrews First Aid submitted a response based on our experience as Scotland’s leading first aid charity and a trusted voluntary sector resilience partner. We did this because we believe it’s important for the voice of the voluntary sector to be heard when legislation and resilience arrangements are reviewed.

Our response highlighted several key messages:

Modern emergencies have changed 

The risks we face today are often more complex than those envisaged when the Act was introduced in 2004. Emergencies can develop slowly, have multiple causes and create long-term impacts for example pandemics, severe weather, climate, cyber incidents, energy disruption, cost of living pressures and social unrest. 

We recommended that future legislation reflects these evolving risks.

Voluntary organisations are strategic partners

We emphasised that organisations such as St Andrews First Aid are much more than emergency response providers. Volunteers support prevention and preparedness, community resilience, public wellbeing, recovery activities, volunteer development and social cohesion.  We called for stronger recognition of the voluntary, community and faith sector as a key part of the resilience system.

Stronger partnerships are needed 

While many resilience partnerships work extremely well, engagement with voluntary organisations can be inconsistent across the UK. 

We recommended:

  • Better involvement in planning and decision-making
  • Increased participation in training and exercises
  • Improved information sharing
  • Clearer expectations for partnership working

Supporting volunteers matters

Volunteers are essential to community resilience, but many organisations face challenges in recruiting, developing and retaining volunteers. We highlighted the need for long-term investment and support to help volunteering remain sustainable.

Read our full submission

Read our full submission here. 

The Government will consider responses from organisations across the resilience sector before deciding whether changes should be made to legislation, policy or guidance.