St John Ambulance Cadets is a youth organisation of St John Ambulance founded in England in 1922 for people aged between 10 and 17 to train them in first aid, social actions, wellbeing, communication and other essential skills.[5][6] As of December 2019[update], there were 8,071 Cadets in England.[4] Cadets take part in a variety of activities that consist of providing first aid at community events, learning leadership and training skills.
Formation | March 1922[1] |
---|---|
Type | |
Purpose | First aid education |
Headquarters | 27 St John's Lane, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 4BU[2] |
Location | |
Membership | 8,071[4] |
Commandant-in-Chief | HRH The Princess Royal |
Parent organization | St John Ambulance (England) |
Website | www |
In 2020, the Cadet program was reviewed in which a new program was launched to reflect a more modern approach for young people. This includes the Grand Prior's Award,[7] leadership courses and the development of the first aid courses provided. The program had been under design since 2017 and was an inclusive process including youth leaders from all four regions of the priory in England, St John Ambulance Wales, cadets from across the four regions and other stakeholders.
Cadets can take part in a variety of other activities that are not first aid, and assist adult members of St John Ambulance. Some of them are listed below.
As part of their enrolment, cadets pledge a Code of Chivalry, similar to how Scouts make a Scout Promise when they join. Cadets promise to observe the Code of Chivalry and will often recite it on special occasions.[10]
There are a number of awards that cadets can achieve during their time at St John Ambulance:
In 2017‒2018, St John Ambulance reviewed the roles cadets can hold. When the new service delivery uniform (SDU) was introduced, the following role bars were available to achieve with training.
As of 1 January 2018, there are no more Cadet Trainee First Aider courses or Cadet Advanced First Aider courses following a review in mid-2017. Those with the roles still hold their qualifications; the only two clinical roles available are Cadet and Cadet First Aider
Those who already hold a Cadet Advanced First Aider role are permitted to keep this qualification and role bar until they turn 18 years old. After that and assuming they complete a transfer course, which introduces medical drugs and medical gases, they can directly transition to an adult Advanced First Aider.
Cadets have to be 13 to complete their Cadet Operational First Aider Course, allowing them to deliver first aid at events. Cadets and Cadet First Aiders are trained in the use of AEDs.
Role | Cadet Observer (role discontinued - replaced with "Cadet") | Cadet Trainee First Aider (role discontinued) | Cadet First Aider |
---|---|---|---|
Role bar |
The ranking structure for Cadets is as follows; they can only attain the title of non-commissioned officer (NCO).
UK Cadets | Officers | Cadet Senior NCOs | Cadet Junior NCOs | Cadets | Recruits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CDT 8 | CDT 7 | CDT 6 | CDT 5 | CDT 4 | CDT 3 | CDT2 | CDT1 | CDT (R) | |
No equivalent | Leading Cadets LCDT |
No equivalent | Cadet Sergeant CdtS |
No equivalent | Cadets Corporal CdtC |
No equivalent | Cadets CDT |
No insignia Recruit RcT |
To be promoted to the rank of Cadet Corporal or Sergeant, they must have completed Cadet Leadership 1 training. For promotion to Leading Cadet, completion of Cadet Leadership 2 is essential. Once the leadership course is complete, they may have an interview with a panel usually consisting of the Unit Manager, Youth Leader, and District Youth Officers; some panels may also include a young person representative.
Uniform for St John Ambulance Cadets consists of two types - service delivery uniform, and non-clinical uniform.
The Service Delivery Uniform [commonly abbreviated as SDU] is used for operational activity, it's commonly worn when:
The standard issue to Cadets who have not yet completed their Operational First Aider qualification is a branded black polo shirt and a "Cadet" role bar.
Cadets who are registered as Cadet Operational First Aiders are entitled to SDU, provided by the organisation.
After the First World War, in March 1922, a junior wing of St John Ambulance – the Cadets – was officially established.