5.5.2 Approval for Holidays and School/Organisational Trips for Looked After Children

BACKGROUND

All holidays for Looked After Children must be approved by a manager before the holiday can take place.

Holidays for Looked After Children must not be arranged until the necessary approval has been obtained. Foster Carers should be reminded of this at time of placement, and when any suggestion of an intended holiday is made.

SCOPE

This procedure relates to any child or young person deemed to be "looked after" regardless of legal status or type of placement.

For the purposes of this procedure, "holiday" is defined as any time away from placement which involves at least one overnight stay, is of more than 24 hours duration, the purpose of which is for enjoyment and relaxation.

Approval
Information Required to Obtain Management Approval
Passports

Pro Forma for Holiday Arrangement Consents

1. Approval

Before a Looked After Child can go on holiday either in the UK or abroad, responsibility for the approval of this holiday rests with the relevant Team Manager.

In cases where the relevant Team Manager has concerns about the proposed holiday, they will consult with the relevant CSM.

If approved, the holiday should be included in the child's Placement Plan / Placement Information Record.

Children who are placed for adoption - holidays outside the UK

Holidays abroad for children who have been placed for adoption can only be approved by the Head of Children's Social Care.

Holidays with other organisations e.g. school holidays

All school holidays either within the UK or abroad must be approved by the relevant Team Manager.

Holidays taken within school term time

In general, holidays taken within term time should be discouraged.

However in special circumstances, a CSM may give approval to such a holiday, where it appears to be in the child's best interests.

In such cases, the permission of the school head- teacher must be obtained before approval from a CSM is sought. Discussion must also take place with the REACH team.

In all cases, it will be the role of the child or young person's allocated social worker to obtain the necessary consents and approval for any holiday.

Parental Consent

For all children who are accommodated under S20 Children Act 1989, parental consent is required, in addition to approval by relevant line- managers. This should be recorded on the form Pro-forma for Holiday Consent.

Where the Local Authority share Parental Responsibility for a child, consent by a parent is not required. However it is still good practice to work in partnership with parents by informing them of the proposed holiday and obtaining their agreement where possible.

2. Information Required to Obtain Management Approval

Before giving approval, line managers will require the following information from the child or young person's Social Worker:

Dates of holiday
Destination
Type of accommodation
Who will be going
Travelling arrangements
Social Worker's assessment of risk
Medical insurance issues

Dependant on situation, the line manager may require additional information.

This information should be submitted by memo to the relevant line-manager.

The form Pro-Forma for Holiday Consent should also be completed and submitted to the approving manager.

If the foster carers will be taking a holiday with other friends or relatives, who may be likely to have unsupervised contact with the Looked After Child, it may be necessary to obtain these people's consent to undertake CRB clearance. In some cases, there may be other adults who will require clearance by CRB prior to holiday approval.

3. Passports

Any Looked After Children travelling abroad will require their own passport. The procedure for obtaining a passport for a Looked After Children should be followed - see Home Office Guidance on Applications for Passports for Looked After Children.

End