4.6.1 Holidays and School/Organisational Trips Outside the UK |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This procedure applies to all holidays and school trips outside the UK for all Looked After Children. See Holidays and School/Organisational Trips Inside the UK Procedure which applies to holidays and school/organisational trips within the UK.
For organisational trips, reference can be made to the Leisure and Activities Procedure in the Bradford Children's Homes manual.
AMENDMENT
This chapter was updated in July 2011to include the requirement for recording of approval.
There is a dedicated Children’s Homes manual and it contains a chapter on this subject that is intended for the sole use of staff in Residential Children’s homes - see Bradford Children's Homes Procedures Manual, Holidays and School Trips Procedure.
Contents
- Holidays or School Trips
- Holidays During School Term
- When the Court's Permission is Required
- Obtaining a Passport
1. Holidays or School Trips
Where there is a proposal for a Looked After Child to go on holiday or a school/organisational trip the child's social worker must obtain full information about the holiday/trip, and seek the views of the child and consent of parent as soon as possible.
- Carers/Residential Units must seek approval of Social Worker before booking a holiday
- Carers/Residential Units complete risk assessment form and send to Social Worker- Carers take advice from their linkworker
- Social worker ensures parent is aware of assessed risks and consent obtained for inoculations from parent where practicable
- Social Worker provides standard letter to Carer/Residential Unit signed by Service Manager confirming permission, emergency contact and medical consent.
Refusal of consent by parent
Child Subject to Care Order
An order made under Sec 31 children Act 1989 carries the warning "While a care order is in force no person may...remove the child from the U.K. without the written consent of every person with parental responsibility or the leave of the Court. However the local authority in whose care the child is may remove the child from the U.K. for a period of less than one month"
- If consent is refused child can go with Service Manager approval for a period of less than one month . Reasons must be given to parents in writing
- If one month or greater then legal advice should be sought
Child Accommodated under Section 20
Legal advice needs to be sought. The capacity to override parental objection or unavailability depends on the circumstances of the case. The possibility of seeking leave of the Court without instituting care proceedings exists
Where the child does not hold a valid passport, the social worker should arrange for this - see Section 4, Obtaining a Passport.
Where the holiday will interrupt contact arrangements between the child and parents, consideration should also be given to including in the Placement Plan additional contacts before and after the holiday.
2. Holidays During School Term
At no time will any professional, IRO or carer agree or make arrangements for a looked after child to be taken on holiday, within term time. There may some exceptional circumstances:
These were:
- If one of the carers has to take their holidays due to their workplace closing etc.
- If there is a special event in the family such as a wedding
- If one of the carers has to take their holidays due to their workplace closing etc.
- If there is a special event in the family such as a wedding.
The process for agreeing whether there are exceptional circumstances is that the Foster Carer must notify the child's social worker at least ten weeks before they wish to take the child out of school . The Social Worker would send this request to the Group Services Manager (Care Management) who would respond within 14 days. If the plan is agreed, permission is also needed from the child's school.
The timing of the proposed holiday will be taken into account as well as the child's attendance record and progress at school as well as the view of the school of the impact on that child's education.
It is unlikely that any request for holidays in term time for those children in their GCSE year or about to sit SATs would be agreed to unless essential. Please note - it is is very important that permission is gained from Group Services Manager (Care Management) before any arrangements/bookings are made.
3. When the Court's 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 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 and additional contact arranged as above.
4. Obtaining a Passport
Where there is a proposal for a child to go on a holiday or trip abroad and the child does not currently hold a valid passport, the social worker should make arrangements for the passport application.
The social worker will obtain and complete the necessary application for the child or assist the parent/child to complete the necessary application form.
Where the child is the subject of a Care Order, the passport application must be signed by the Service Manager (Care Management) and accompanied by a letter confirming the child's legal status and purpose and time-scale of the holiday/trip abroad.
When the child is Accommodated, the parents must sign the application. If the parents do not Consent, legal advice should be sought; the application can only be made in these circumstances if accompanied by a Court Order authorising the issue of a passport without the parents' consent.
For further advice on passport applications, see the Identity and Passport Service Guidance
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