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Contents

1. Holidays for Children Accommodated under Section 20
2. Holidays for Children on Care Orders (Section 31)
3. Holidays for Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers
4. Holidays for Children on Residence Orders
5. Holidays where the Circumstances are Unusual
6. When the Courts Permission is Required
7. Insurance
8. Obtaining a Passport
9. Taking Children on Day Trips and Organised Holidays

1. Holidays for Children Accommodated under Section 20

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

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 Family 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 entered on consent form or provided in an E-Mail and passed to the Designated Manager (School or Educational Trips/Holidays Abroad) for approval. A copy should be kept on the file.

2. Holidays for Children on Care Orders (Section 31)

The procedure is the same as for those on Section 20 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 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 those on Section 20 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 for those on Section 20 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 Designated Manager (School or Educational Trips) 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:

1. The name of the person(s) with whom the child is going on holiday and their relationship to the child;
2. Holiday address;
3. Dates of the holiday;
4. The views of the child;
5. The views of the parent(s) and their consent to the proposed holiday. Where the parental consent is not obtained, details should be recorded;
6. 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;
7. Cost to the council, if any. The necessary approval of expenditure should be attached.

The social worker will be notified of the Committees decision and will receive a copy of the committee report for the case file.

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 Courts permission to allow the child to go abroad if the parents 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.

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 an E111, which will be replaced by a European Health Insurance Card by 2006. An application form can be downloaded from http://www.dh.gov.uk, 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 an E111 in their own name.

7.2 Private Medical Insurance Cover or Insurance Cover for Holidays

In situations were 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 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.

8. Obtaining a Passport

Amended: June 2009

In the past babies and children could be included on a parent or guardian's passport. The law has now changed and babies and children up to 16 who are not already on a parent's or guardian's passport must have their own child passport if they are going to travel abroad.

There are additional arrangements that must be made in relation to Looked After Children (Children in Care).

To find out more, see the following:

• The Home Office Identity and Passport Service (IPS) website for applying for Child Passports
• Guidance issued by the IPS for applying for passports on behalf of Looked After Children.

Before applying for a passport, it will be necessary to consult the parent(s) and seek the approval of the Designated Manager (Passports), in writing.

The written request for such approval should include the reason for the request, the wishes of the child; the views of the parent; the views of the staff/carer where applicable; and the child's up to date Care Plan, Placement Information Record and, where applicable, Pathway Plan.

Where the Designated Manager (Passports) gives authority for a passport to be obtained for a child, this must be confirmed in writing. The social worker must inform the parent of the decision.

9. Taking Children on Day Trips and Organised Holidays

When planning day trips or organised holidays, the following must be taken into account:

Transporting Children and Activities Procedure.

Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits, A Good Practice Guide; issued by the DfEE, 1998

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