End report Belgium and Belgian Red Cross – Sauver des vies par le renforcement des formations aux premiers secours

Actions taken:

Croix-Rouge de Belgique – Communauté francophone

L’Institut de Formation de la Croix-Rouge de Belgique – Communauté francophone lance en 2017 un dossier de plaidoyer pour que l’enseignement des premiers secours soit intégré dans les programmes scolaires. Des rencontres ont eu lieu avec la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles pour les premières discussions. Aucune décision n’a encore été prise à ce stade.

En outre, la Croix-Rouge de Belgique – Communauté francophone continue son programme de formation des professeurs de l’enseignement du secondaire en vue de la formation des élèves du secondaire.

Enfin, la Croix-Rouge de Belgique – Communauté francophone a diminué l’âge minimum pour suivre le BEPS à 12 ans, afin de faciliter l’enseignement du BEPS dès le début des humanités.

Croix-Rouge de Belgique – Communauté flamande

• Les mesures nécessaires sont prises pour normaliser l’enseignement des premiers secours de base.

Different measures are taken to standardize the teaching of basic first aid:

• • The revised first aid book Help! Eerste hulp voor iedereen is available from September 2016. This book is evidence based and is adapted to the latest guidelines for first aid.
  • The book is for sale at our webshop, the bookstore Standaard Boekhandel and at Bol.com
  • All participants of the free first aid trainings (Cursus Eerste hulp en Helper) can buy the first aid book Help! Eerste hulp voor iedereen at a reduction price.
  • All participants of the trainings first aid at work (Cursus Bedrijfseerstehulp) receive the book Help! Eerste hulp voor iedereen. This is included in the price.
  • The first aid trainers followed a compulsory refresher and are fully in line with the new guidelines.
  • The first aid trainers receive didactic materials (manuals and presentations) adapted to the new guidelines.
• Les mesures nécessaires sont prises en vue d’appuyer l’intégration de l’enseignement des premiers secours dans le parcours scolaire obligatoire, l’enseignement supérieur non universitaire et universitaire et l’enseignement de promotion sociale.

Different measures are taken to implement the teaching of basic first aid in primary, secondary and higher education:

• • In 2016 138 teachers of secondary and higher education succeeded in the training of trainers. They become First aid trainers in schools. 8532 students received in 2016 a certificate of basic first aid or resuscitation and defibrillation.
  • 640 teachers of primary and secondary education followed in 2016 the first aid initation for teachers.
  • Minister of education of Flanders Hilde Crevits organised a Task Force first aid. The purpose of the Task Force is to support schools with measures and actions that allow every young person leaving secondary education to have at least a minimum of knowledge, skills and attitudes about life-saving actions. Belgium Red Cross-Flanders is an active participant of this Task Force.
  • Belgium Red Cross-Flanders participates at the Committee Education and Society of VLOR (Vlaamse onderwijsraad). The aim is to provide structured consultation between the various actors involved in certain education. The committee will focus on long-term activities in terms of health promotion and the consultation on world-citizenship education. During the consultation, a shared generic vision is taken of how schools best meet social challenges and how they can be supported.
  • Belgium Red Cross-Flanders developed an evidence-based educational pathway to enable the integration of first aid into the school curriculum by defining the goals to be achieved for knowledge, skills and attitudes, for different age groups. “Calling for help, performing first aid and providing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)” is part of the educational goals in secondary schools in Belgium (Flanders). However, for teachers it is not always clear at what age children can be taught which aspects of first aid. In addition, it is not clear what constitutes “performing first aid” and we strongly advocate that the first aid curriculum is broader than CPR training alone.Added to these national initiatives the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders is supporting National Red Cross Societies in Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa) through capacity building. Belgian Red Cross-Flanders provides capacity building to provide first aid trainings to new local trainers and the local population with a special focus on youth and first responders.  Furthermore they assisted the Societies in setting up new fundraising initiatives so they can eventually be self-sufficient. Since 2014 the Flemish government has contributed 2 147 840 euro to this program.

Added to these national initiatives the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders is supporting National Red Cross Societies in Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa) through capacity building. Belgian Red Cross-Flanders provides capacity building to provide first aid trainings to new local trainers and the local population with a special focus on youth and first responders.  Furthermore they assisted the Societies in setting up new fundraising initiatives so they can be self-sufficient. Since 2014 the Flemish government has contributed 2 147 840 euro to this program.

Implementation completion: