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Leisure and holidays

All children will have the opportunity to take part in leisure activities, and the procedures set out below should not inhibit their participation in day to day activities. There will however be times where children are able to take part in more hazardous activities (e.g. outward bound activities) or where they can go on activity based holidays (e.g. with school). The procedures below consider these circumstances. Wherever possible the aim at the outset should be for the child to be able to take part alongside their peers.

Parents should be consulted about activities wherever possible and appropriate. Where obtained, consent must be written consent.

If the parents refuse to give permission this must be explored. If it is considered that permission is being withheld unreasonably and it is in the child's best interests to go on the holiday or take part in the activity then legal advice should be sought.

All carers should be encouraged to support the children in their care to engage in sport and leisure activities.

Risk assessment

A risk assessment should be carried out for any planned trip or activity giving consideration, as appropriate, to:

Consent

Where a child is accommodated any activity considered potentially hazardous cannot go ahead without parental permission. The child should not be taken on any holiday without the prior agreement of the parent.

Where a child is on a community parenting order and the parent gives consent, an activity considered potentially hazardous can go ahead with the agreement of a social worker (or above).  If the parent refuses permission, the activity may go ahead only if it is considered to be in the child's best interest and a service manager (or above) agrees.

Holidays

Children who are looked after should have access to a range of leisure and recreational experiences including excursions, activity-based trips and holidays. All holidays, excepting those arranged by the school, should ideally take place during the school breaks.  When the proposal is for the holiday to take place in term time, permission should be sought from an service manager.

If any other adults will be taking part in the holiday who are not normally part of the child's placement then names and addresses of those people should be obtained and services for children and young people's records should be checked.

There should not be an automatic acceptance that children looked after will always be allowed to partake in school trips. The reasons for the trip, the child's wishes and the cost should all be considered.

Where a holiday outside of Guernsey is proposed a holiday authorisation form should be prepared (signed by the director or deputy) which should include full details of the proposed holiday including:

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