Holidays and School Trips In and Outside the UK

Arrangements for notifying and consulting the Social Worker about holiday plans should be agreed in the Care Plan or within the Delegated Authority.

Where there is a proposal for a Child Looked After to go on holiday or a school trip, the child's social worker must obtain full information about the holiday/trip. This will include:

• Proposed dates and duration of the holiday;
• The wishes and feelings of the child;
• Address(es)/contact details of the holiday location/what type of holiday;
• Insurance details;
• Who will be present on the holiday e.g. names of other children and other adults;
• If the holiday involves staying with friends or relatives, their names and addresses;
• Emergency contacts;
• Any risk assessments that may be required, which should include any health or behaviour issues of the child as well as the holiday environment itself.

The child's social worker will seek the views of the child and consent of the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility, as soon as possible.

If there are two parents, for example, living separately, consideration should be given to:

• Whether one or both parents should be asked;
• What impact the consent of only one parent being asked will have on relationships between the child and/or the parents and/or with Children's Social Care. This should be discussed with the Team Manager and an accurate record of this discussion is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

If it is a group holiday, the social worker must be satisfied that adequate health and safety precautions are taken including appropriate risk assessments.

Where the social worker, parent(s) and staff/carer agree to the proposed holiday, the holiday can be approved and should be included in the child's file within detail records. Written consent must be obtained from the of the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility.

A signed copy of the written consent of the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

For children who are in a long term placement and there is agreement with the Children's Services that the carers have Delegated Authority (see Delegation of Authority to Foster Carers and Residential Workers) depending upon the nature of the delegation agreed it may be the case that the carers are able to make decisions relating to holidays themselves. However, good practice should ensure that decisions by the carers are shared in a timely way with the Supporting Foster Care Social Worker and / or child's allocated practitioner.

Children must not be taken on holiday during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances and the holiday has been approved by the Head of School and the Social Worker's Manager.

If parents are opposed to the holiday, the social worker and their manager should seek legal advice. This should be discussed with the Team Manager and an accurate record of this discussion is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

Written confirmation of the Team Manager's decision, together with the reasons should be provided to the Parent(s) by the child's social worker.

It might be required for the Team Manager and/or the child's social worker to seek legal advice. Legal advice is to be sought in any event if the child is subject to s20 of the Children Act 1989 and the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility do not consent to the holiday.

Where the holiday will interrupt contact arrangements between the child and parents, consideration should be given for additional contacts before and after the holiday.

An accurate record is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

Please ensure that the child has a valid passport prior to any travel arrangements being made. Where a holiday cannot proceed due to the child not having a valid passport, costs incurred will not be reimbursed.

Where the proposed holiday/time outside the UK exceeds the period of one month, an application must also be made to the appropriate Court for the Court's permission to allow the child to go abroad.

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

Where there is a proposal for a Child Looked After to go on holiday or a school trip, the child's social worker must obtain full information about the holiday/trip. This will include:

• Proposed dates and duration of the holiday;
• The wishes and feelings of the child;
• Address(es)/contact details of the holiday location/what type of holiday;
• Insurance details;
• Who will be present on the holiday e.g. names of other children and other adults;
• If the holiday involves staying with friends or relatives, their names and addresses;
• Emergency contacts;
• Any risk assessments that may be required, which should include any health or behaviour issues of the child as well as the holiday environment itself.

The child's social worker will seek the views of the child and consent of the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility, as soon as possible.

If there are two parents, for example, living separately, consideration should be given to:

• Whether one or both parents should be asked;
• What impact the consent of only one parent being asked will have on relationships between the child and/or the parents, and/or with Children's Social Care. This should be discussed with the Team Manager and an accurate record of this discussion is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

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

A written document is to be produced by the child's social worker which should include:

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.

An accurate record is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker. A signed copy of the written consent of the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

Children must not be taken on holiday during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances; such a request must be approved by the Head of the child's school and the Social Worker's Manager.

Note that under the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013, the previous ability of headteachers to grant leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday during term time in 'special circumstances' of up to ten school days leave per year has been removed. The 2013 Regulations make clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are 'exceptional circumstances').

All details, including the written document as detailed in Section 2.1, Holidays for Children Looked After Outside the UK, are to be presented by the child's social worker to the Service Manager for a signature.

Once a signature of the Service Manager has been obtained, a copy of the document is to be provided to the carer(s) accompanying the child on the holiday. A copy is also to be placed on the child's file. Written consent must be obtained from the of the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility.

Where consent the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility do not consent to the holiday as set out in Section 2.1, Holidays for Children Looked After Outside the UK, the child's social worker should consider whether the holiday should go ahead despite parental consent not being given. This should be discussed with the Team Manager and an accurate record of this discussion is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

Written confirmation of the Team Manager's decision, together with the reasons should be provided to the Parent(s) by the child's social worker.

It might be required for the Team Manager and/or the child's social worker to seek legal advice. Legal advice is to be sought in any event if the child is subject to s20 of the Children Act 1989 and the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility do not consent to the holiday.

All details, including the written document as detailed in 2.1. are to be presented by the child's social worker to the Service Manager for a signature.

Once a signature has been obtained, a copy of the document is to be provided to the carer(s) accompanying the child on the holiday. A copy is also to be placed on the child's file and should be included in the child's Placement Plan. Written consent must be obtained from the of the parent(s) or person(s) with Parental Responsibility.

Where the holiday will interrupt contact arrangements between the child and parents, consideration should be given for additional contacts before and after the holiday.

An accurate record is to be placed on the child's file by the child's social worker.

The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) provides access to state healthcare in Europe at a reduced cost, or sometimes for free.

• If the child already has a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) this remains valid until the expiry date on the card;
• If the child does not have a European Health Insurance Card or it has expired, they will need a Global Health Insurance Card. Cards can be ordered online from the NHS (see the NHS.UK website). For children under 16, the application should be completed by their carers;
• The GHIC and EHIC do not replace travel insurance which should be in place for all holidays outside the UK. For the latest advice on the GHIC, see the GOV.UK website.

Carers should obtain travel insurance for all holidays overseas, this will cover a range of eventualities, including medical expenses, a trip being cut short or cancelled, and loss or theft of possessions. For more advice on travel insurance, see the GOV.UK website.

The social worker should ensure that the carer is provided with a letter which confirms:

• Name, age, date of birth of the child(ren);
• Legal status of the child(ren), name of the authority to whom the order is made;
• Names and addresses of carers;
• Name of person giving permission for the holiday, date given;
• Duration and destination of holiday for which permission is given.

The carer should be advised to keep this letter with the passport.

A copy of the letter should be put on the case file.

The social worker should ensure that the following information about the holiday is recorded on the case file:

• Holiday destination, address and telephone number;
• Start and end dates;
• Emergency contacts;
• Details of the tour operator telephone numbers etc;
• Details of travel Insurance.

The social worker should check the following with the carer prior to the holiday:

• That medical and accident insurance has been obtained;
• That the carers have an E111 for the child obtained from the Post Office. It is advisable that an E111 is obtained as this gives clear advice on which countries medical treatment will be given free or at a reduced cost. Most European countries are covered.

Consent for medical treatment form will be taken on holiday.

The following should be read in conjunction with:

Appendix 1: Passport Applications Flowchart and Checklist

• The Home Office has issued Guidance for Local Authorities Children's Services Departments when Applying for Passports on Behalf of Children;
• Children's Services Departments are normally only entitled to apply for passports for a Looked After Child when they have parental responsibility;
• Where Children's Services do not hold parental responsibility, the application cannot be processed without the consent of at least one person who has parental responsibility for the child.

Photos:

• Children must be in a sitting position; this can be difficult for some children who have a disability;
• Hair should not cover the face;
• Makeup should not be worn;
• The face must be clearly shown.

Do not attach photos to application form with paper clips/staples etc. There should be no marks at all on the photo's the passport offices are very strict on this and will return the application and photo to be redone, incurring an additional fee.

Signatures:

• Principle officers sign Section 9; social worker must sign Section 10 and includes their passport number etc.;
• If the child is 12-15 years old they must sign Section 6, their signature goes on the passport;
• If the young person is aged over 16 years then s/he must sign Sections 6 and 9, these apply in all cases even if they are the subject of a legal order. Note: It is important to ensure that all signatures initials etc. have the same date the passport offices will return applications to be redone incurring an additional fee.

Other Supporting Documents:

• In all cases the child's and their mother's birth certificate are required;
• If the mother was born after 01-01-2003 the maternal grandmother's birth certificate is also required;
• If the maternal grandmother is deceased then the birth certificate will still be available from the register office;
• If the child is the subject of a Legal Order e.g. Care Order, Interim Care Order, Placement Order, Adoption Order etc, please note the passport office request an original copy of the Order (in the case of Interim Care Orders they have accepted a faxed copy after it was explained that the Court no longer send out originals but faxes the renewals);
• If the child is placed for adoption then a copy of the Placement Order is required;
• If the child is adopted then a copy of the Adoption Order is required;
• If the child has changed his/her name, all paper work pertaining to this must be sent;
• A letter on headed paper is required. This should be signed by the Principle Officer on behalf of the Group Director of Early Intervention and Safeguarding.
• Please make sure the letter is signed and dated on the same day has the passport application.

Timescales:

• Ideally all children who have a Permanency Plan should have a valid passport. The social worker should know where this is kept at all times. This should be recorded on file;
• In all cases the field social worker, residential worker, foster carer and the proposed adoptive parent should seek consent for holidays for Child Looked After. This should be done as early as possible to ensure that enough time is available for the social worker to apply for the passport. In any event the carer should be advised not to book a holiday until consent has been given.

Consent:

• If the child is accommodated under section 20 Children Act 1989, parents must be consulted with a view to obtaining their agreement. In such instances good practice would suggest that involving the parent in the passport application process is recommended for example obtaining their signatures etc.;
• If however there is no contact between the child and their parents, contact has been terminated or it is not in the child's best interests to do so. Advice should be sought from the Legal Section;
• Should the parent refuse to give consent and this is deemed unreasonable then advice should be sought from the Legal Section.

The application, and all supporting documents should be sent to the relevant Passport Office within 4 weeks of the date on the application.

If this timescale is missed then the application will be returned for resubmission; this will incur an additional passport fee.

Passport Fee

The fee for passports will vary depending on the type of passport that is applied for, and how quickly it is needed. Check the GOV.UK website or call 0300 222 0000.

• Standard service, normally three weeks but up to six for first time passport applications;
• Premium service, guaranteed one-day service for renewals and amendments only;
• Fast Track service, guaranteed one-week service for renewals, first child passports (under 16 years old) and amendments only.

Applications

• By post: use pre-addressed envelope that comes with this pack, it is recommended that applications are sent using Royal Mail Special or Recorded Delivery services;
• By the Check and Send Service. There is a handling charge for this service.
• By Appointment: book an appointment at one of seven regional offices by calling the Passport Advice line on 0300 222 0000. Note: this is only available for customers using the Fast track or Premium service. It is not available for First time Passports for young people aged 16 +.

When collecting the passport for a child you need; proof of your identity, and a letter signed by the person who signed Section 9 of the form giving permission to collect the passport.