Risk assessments have a reputation for being dry paperwork written to satisfy an insurer, then filed and forgotten. In a mobile creche, they are something far more useful: a working plan that tells your team where children will play, where the buggy park goes, and what happens if a two-year-old makes a dash for the door midway through the speeches. Whether you are setting up childcare at a wedding in Perthshire, a conference in Glasgow, a festival in the Borders or a community gala on Skye, the assessment is the first thing you write and the last thing you check on the day.

Walk the Venue: Layout, Zoning and No-Go Areas

Never assess a space from a floor plan. Visit in person, ideally at the same time of day as the event, and walk it as a child would — at their height, at their pace.

• Zone the room so that babies, active play and quiet activities are not competing for the same square metre. A clear buggy park near the entrance keeps temporary storage from becoming a trip hazard.
• Look up and down. Low windowsills, unguarded staircases, balconies, radiators, trailing cables, loose rugs and uneven flagstones all need noting.
• Identify no-go areas — kitchens, bar areas, dance floors, open water, car parks and anywhere near a generator or sound desk. Agree how these will be physically blocked or supervised.
• Check the sightlines. Every member of staff should be able to see their whole group at a glance. If they cannot, the layout needs rearranging, not more vigilance.

Power, Sockets and What's Within Reach

Venues are built for adults, and sockets are often exactly where a crawling baby would like them to be.

• Count the accessible sockets and note which are behind furniture, under tables or beside a hot drinks station.
• Fit socket covers, tape or cable-tidy every trailing lead, and use residual current devices on anything you plug in.
• Have all electrical equipment portable appliance tested, and carry the certificates. Outdoors, battery-powered toys and lighting are usually the simpler choice.
• Keep tea and coffee stations well outside the creche footprint. A parent's mug set down on a low table is one of the most common near-misses we see.
• In marquees and village halls, add temperature to the list — draughty corners and greenhouse-like afternoons both need a plan.

Toilets, Nappy Changes and Hand Hygiene

The distance to the nearest toilet decides a lot about how your session runs.

• Measure the walk. If children need to leave the creche area, note how many staff will escort them and who stays with the remaining group.
• Check whether accessible toilets, baby changing facilities and step stools exist. If not, say clearly what you are bringing instead.
• For nappy changes, use a dedicated mat that is wiped down between children, sealed bags for waste, and a bin that is emptied during the event rather than at the end of it.
• Plan handwashing for children and staff after every change, before food, and after outdoor play. Sanitiser is a back-up, not a replacement for soap and running water.
• If toilets are shared with guests, consider timing, queues and older children going unaccompanied.

Fire Exits, Headcounts and Getting Out Fast

This is the section that matters most, and it is the one most often copied from a template.

• Walk every exit, not just the main door. In marquees, check that laced-down sides and sealed flaps can be opened quickly from the inside.
• Confirm exits are not blocked by stacked chairs, catering crates or prams, and re-check as the event builds.
• Ask the venue for its own fire risk assessment and evacuation arrangements, and make sure your plan fits theirs.
• Keep a grab bag with your register, emergency contacts, medication, first aid kit and a charged phone. In an evacuation, the register is what lets you account for every child.
• Agree a rendezvous point with the venue and tell parents where it is, in writing, before the event.
• Brief staff on the route during setup and walk it together. A plan nobody has practised is only a hope.

Let the Event Shape the Assessment

A wedding, a conference and a Highland games are three different risk profiles, even in the same venue.

• Weddings bring late nights, alcohol, guests drifting in and out, and a schedule that slips. Note the timing of the meal, the speeches and the first dance.
• Conferences mean tight breakout timings and parents popping in between sessions. Agree clear drop-off and collection windows.
• Outdoor events add weather, midges, uneven ground, generators and crowds. Include a lost child procedure and a wet-weather alternative space.
• Whatever the event, record allergies, medical conditions, additional support needs, collection passwords and authorised collectors.
• Cover staffing too: the correct ratios for each age band, PVG checks, first aid cover, insurance and how staff will be fed, rested and rotated.

Review It on the Day — and Make It Useful

Arrive early, walk the space again with the assessment in hand, and note anything that has changed since your visit. Photograph the setup as it should look, date and sign the document, and share the relevant parts with the venue and with parents. Afterwards, log incidents and near-misses while they are fresh, because the next event in Scotland will be easier for it. A good mobile creche risk assessment is not a document that protects you from blame — it is a document that helps you look after children well.