The Barnardo's incident report form (BIRF) is used in all parts of Barnardo's except our shops, donation centres, warehouses, vehicles and the eBay Hub.
It must be completed for:
- harm that requires first aid
- a RIDDOR reportable incident
- a worker making a precautionary visit to hospital
- any harm the harmed person wishes to report
- any incident involving a vehicle used on Barnardo's business
- a near-miss
- medication error or adverse drug reaction
- anything notifiable to regulatory authority or police
- any hazard posing a significant risk of harm
- fire or any circumstance that could have led to a fire, e.g. an electrical fault
- disease, illness or condition, e.g. an epilepsy or other seizure, cardiac arrest or heart attack
- dangerous occurrence
Self-harm and suicidal thoughts
You only need to complete a BIRF for self-harm or suicidal incidents if the injured person requires a first aid dressing, and/or they require a visit to the:
- hospital A&E department
- GP
- walk-in centre (WIC)
- urgent care centre (UCC)
Who to contact
Once completed, please email the form to the Corporate Safety Team as soon as possible, and always within eight days of the incident.
Records for incidents involving children must be retained for up to 24 years.
When completing a BIRF for an incident involving aggression, please say if it was hate-motivated.
Unsure how to report an incident?
Our incident and accident reporting flowchart can help.