<aside> 💡 Applicable to: All

This policy takes account of the Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (England) Regulations (2013) and the National Minimum Standards for Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (Department for Education).

This policy has been approved by the OMH Board of Trustees

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Policy Statement

Oundle Mencap Holidays welcomes volunteers with families.  We believe that the holidays are significantly enhanced by both giving the opportunity for volunteers with young families to continue to take part in the week, and sharing the holiday with young children.

However we also acknowledge the need to monitor the inclusion of the partners and children of volunteers on the holiday to ensure that our charitable aims continue to be met and that the presence of family members does not affect the smooth running of the holiday.  With this in mind we make the following statements:

• The inclusion of the partners and children of volunteers on the holiday is at the individual holiday leaders’ discretion, and on a case by case basis.
• Volunteers may be asked to make a financial contribution to the holiday or to find alternative accommodation for their families during the week
• Family members who are not holiday volunteers are not permitted to take one-to-one responsibility for a child, even if they have a clear DBS check
• All adults staying in house, including volunteers’ partners, must have an up to date and valid DBS check
• As volunteers’ children get older they may be confused with one-to-one helpers and otherwise disrupt the week. Therefore we will welcome volunteers’ children up to and including the summer before Year 10 / 4th Form, but not the summer before Year 11 / 5th Form
• Children of volunteers are able to apply to come as a helper the summer after Year 12/ Lower 6th assuming they are 17 years old.
• All the children of volunteers remain the parents’ own responsibility and under their parental supervision at all times