5.5.2 Holidays and School Trips Outside the UK (Under Review)

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This procedure applies to day trips and holidays (school or with carers) within and outside the UK for all Looked After Children.

RELATED CHAPTERS

For procedures relating to obtaining Passports, see Passports, Immigration and Naturalisation Procedure

For School Trips within the UK, see School Trips within the UK Procedure

For general procedures in relation to Activities and Transporting see the Transporting Children Procedure and the Leisure and Activities Procedure.

Holidays for Accommodated Children
Holidays for Children on Care Orders
Holidays for Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers
Holidays for Children on Residence Orders
Holidays where the Circumstances are Unusual
When the Court’s Permission is Required
Insurance
Taking Children on Day Trips and Organised Holidays

1. Holidays for Accommodated Children

Arrangements for notifying and consulting the social worker about holiday plans should be agreed in the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record.

The Consent of the parent(s) or person with parental responsibility must be obtained and consent form signed. This should be used to provide the following information:

address where holiday is taken
responsible adult(s) accompanying the child including adult/child ratio if group holiday
if the child is going with a family or person who is not known to Children and Families Services, whether they have been checked as holiday foster parents;
dates of holiday
views of the child
if any cost to the borough, including insurance
any additional information

If it is a group day trip or holiday, the social worker must be satisfied that adequate health and safety precautions are taken.

Children must not be taken on holiday during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances that would be approved by the Head of School.

The information should then be forwarded to the Head of Service for approval.

2. Holidays for Children on Care Orders

The procedure is the same as for those for Accommodated Children (see Section 1, Holidays for Accommodated Children) except that the consent of parents or person having Parental Responsibility is not required but should be obtained wherever practicable or possible. Any objections by the parent(s) should be recorded on the file.

The social worker should ensure that arrangements are in place through the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record to be notified well in advance of any plans for holidays abroad in order to obtain required consent.

3. Holidays for Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers

The procedure is the same as for Accommodated Children (see Section 1, Holidays for Accommodated Children) except that:

approval is unlikely if the child/young person wishes to go on their own and/or to a destination which could call into question the integrity of their original claim for asylum.
the child’s social worker would have to endorse the holiday by signing the consent form.

4. Holidays for Children on Residence Orders

The procedure is the same as in Section 1, Holidays for Accommodated Children except that the written consent of every person with Parental Responsibility for the child is required, or else the leave of the court before the child can be taken out of the country. The person in whose favour the residence order is made may take the child out of the country for a period of less than one month without the above consent or leave of the court.

5. Holidays where the Circumstances are Unusual

If it is proposed to arrange a holiday for a Looked After Child to a destination where the child may be at risk, for example, where there is political unrest, concern that the child may not return as planned or other circumstances which may make it unsafe for the child, it may be necessary to seek the approval of members.

In these circumstances, the social worker should consult the Head of Service who may decide to seek the authority of members.

If it is decided that the matter should be referred to members, the social worker should draft a report to include the following points:

The name of the person(s) with whom the child is going on holiday and their relationship to the child;
Holiday address;
Dates of the holiday;
The views of the child;
The views of the parent(s) and their consent to the proposed holiday. Where the parental consent is not obtained, details should be recorded;
If a report from International Social Services (ISS) has been obtained, a summary should be included. It this has been requested and not yet received, the committee may agree to the holiday taking place, subject to a satisfactory report from ISS;
Cost to the council, if any. The necessary approval of expenditure should be attached.

6. When the Courts Permission is Required

If the child is the subject of a Care Order and the holiday abroad is for more than one month, an application must also be made to the appropriate Court for the Court’s permission to allow the child to go abroad if the parent’s written agreement is not obtained.

Where a Court Order is required, the social worker should contact Legal Services/Social Care Legal Team as soon as possible for the necessary application to be made and advise the parents of the intended application.

If the holiday is authorised by the Court, the holiday should be included in the Placement Plan/Placement Information Record and additional contact arranged as above.

7. Insurance

7.1 Medical Treatment during visits to EEC Countries

Children travelling within EU/EEA countries and Switzerland will be covered for medical treatment through a European Health Insurance Card. An application form can be downloaded from Department of Health website, or be collected from the post office. DH also provides health advice for travellers. For children under 16 years old, the form needs to be completed by the parent(s) or foster carer(s) and be submitted as a family application. Young people over 16 can apply for a European Health Insurance Card in their own name.

7.2 Private Medical Insurance Cover or Insurance Cover for Holidays

In situations where medical cover is required at short notice, it is suggested that private insurance cover is taken out.

The insurance referred to in Section 7.1, Medical Treatment during visits to EEC Countries during visits to EEC Countries above only covers a child for medical treatment and not for loss of luggage, cover for cancellation of the holiday etc. Therefore a private insurance policy is needed for a child travelling abroad.