3.10: Incident & Serious Occurrence Reporting

Unexpected situations can happen during Powerhouse® programming. Your organization should have a clear process for identifying, responding to, documenting, and following up on incidents or serious occurrences before programming begins.

What Needs to Be Reported?

Your organization should define what situations require an incident or serious occurrence report based on your policies and applicable requirements. This may include:

  • Participant, staff, or volunteer injuries or medical emergencies. 
  • Participant safety concerns.
  • A participant who cannot be accounted for. 
  • Significant behavioural or interpersonal incidents. 
  • Property damage or other significant program-related events. 

Staff and volunteers should understand what needs to be reported and when concerns need to be escalated to leadership.

Establish Your Reporting Process

Your procedures should clearly identify:

  • Who needs to be notified when an incident occurs. 
  • What documentation is required and when it should be completed. 
  • How incident information is securely stored.
  • When additional internal or external reporting may be required. 

Incident documentation should provide a clear, factual record of what occurred, the actions taken, and any follow-up required. Establish reporting and escalation timelines that reflect your organization’s policies and requirements.

Review & Follow-Up

Significant incidents should be reviewed to determine whether additional follow-up is needed for participants, families, or staff and whether changes to policies, procedures, programming, or risk-management practices should be considered.

★ Powerhouse® Tip: Make reporting easy to do in the moment. Keep incident-reporting forms and procedures easy for staff and volunteers to access, and make sure they know where to find them before programming begins.

✅ Key Takeaway: Define what constitutes an incident, who must be notified, and how incidents should be documented before programming begins. Clear, factual documentation helps protect young caregivers, staff, and the organization while ensuring concerns are handled consistently.