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.

The consent of the parent(s) or person with Parental Responsibility must be obtained and consent form signed.

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.

NOTE: If there are any issues such as the holiday destination experiencing political unrest, concern that the child may not return as planned or other circumstances which may place the child at risk, these should be highlighted to the social worker's manager. A check should be undertaken through Foreign Office - Foreign Travel Advice and a balanced decision regarding the outcome made.

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

Holidays for children looked after must not be taken during the school term time (See: School attendance and absence: Overview - GOV.UK.)

All schools by law must follow the Department for Education's statutory guidance relating to school attendance. They must use the appropriate national attendance or absence code, and follow the criteria set out within the guidance.

The statutory guidance states:

• A leave of absence must not be granted unless there are exceptional circumstances and must be requested in advance;
• A leave of absence must be requested in advance by a parent who the pupil normally lives with;
• Schools must judge each application individually, considering the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind each request;
• Where a leave of absence is granted, the school will determine the number of days a pupil can be absent from school;
• A need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute an exceptional circumstance.

In the exceptional circumstance that a holiday had been agreed by the authorised person at a school not maintained by a local authority and which is not a special school, the Social Worker's Manager must also give their approval. 

See also: Working together to improve school attendance - GOV.UK.

Holidays of Less Than One Month

The procedure is the same as for those for Accommodated Children (see Section 2.1, Holidays for Accommodated Children) except that the consent of the parents or person who hold Parental Responsibility is not required but should be sought and obtained wherever practicable or possible. Any objections by the parent(s) should be recorded on the child's electronic records.

The social worker should ensure that arrangements are in place through the Care Plan to be notified well in advance of any plans for holidays abroad in order to obtain required consent wherever practicable or possible.

Holidays of One Month or More

This requires either the written consent of every person who has parental responsibility for the child, or the leave of the court.

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.

It is usual for the court to require evidence of the views of those with Parental Responsibility or the efforts made to obtain them.

If the holiday is authorised by the Court, the holiday should be included in the Care Plan and a copy of the court order giving leave for the holiday should also be given to the foster carer.

See also: Children's Services - Scheme of Delegation.

Healthcare for UK Nationals in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland

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.

Travel Insurance Cover for Holidays

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 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 needs to be completed by the person who has parental responsibility for the child.