4.2 Risk management For Parties Of Children And Young Persons Visiting BSU Premises

All visits must be arranged through a BSU member of staff who agrees to act as coordinator for a visit. S/he has overall responsibility for managing any visit to BSU premises and assessing the risks for the visit. A specific BSU risk assessment form HS/RA2 is available for party visits and must be completed before any visit takes place.

The risk assessment must identify the hazards and assess the health and safety risks relevant to the visit. The visit risk assessment must be in writing, completed in advance of the visit and where possible in conjunction with the visiting Party Leader (see 4.1). The BSU Coordinator and the Party Leader must have copies of the completed risk assessments forms which must be signed by Head of School or Department and kept on the School / Department safety file for reference for at least 3 years.

Visit By Children

A child is legally defined in England as a person not over 16 years of age.

The following notes are provided to help BSU Coordinators ensure that adequate safeguards are in place and suitably documented. It is considered appropriate for the party to be made up of sub-groups with dedicated supervisors who are staff member of the visiting school/organisation.

• Liaison: The BSU Coordinator and visiting Party Leader should formally agree arrangements before the visit;
• Itinerary: A written programme of all the activities must be logged with the BSU Coordinator and made available to all supervisory staffs for the party visit. Emergency action plans in case of injury, accidents, medical conditions or the need for individuals to contact or return home etc must also be provided;
• Supervisory staff: The name of the Party Leader and the supervisory staff must be listed and include the names of those who are First Aid trained. A copy of this list should be held by the BSU Coordinator and the Party Leader. Each party should have at least one First Aider per fifty children;
• Register: The Party Leader and the supervisors must carry a register of the children under their care. A head count should be made at regular intervals and/or appropriate intervals, (eg. before leaving an area, finishing an activity etc.);
• Special conditions: A confidential list of the details of special conditions that apply to individual children, e.g. medical including medication, dietary, disability, must be kept by the Party Leader;
• Staff/children ratio: The recommended supervisory ratio by the DfES for secondary age pupils is 1:20 for normal low risk activities. Lower ratios may be required at other times depending on the risks associated with the activity, age and ability of the children. However, the decision for such ratios lies with the BSU Coordinator in consultation with the Party Leader. The decision must be recorded in the visit risk assessment;
• Cover: One member of supervisory staff must be on duty - available on call - at all times (24 hours) when the visit involves an over night stay. All pupils "free-time" activities must be supervised to a ratio of at least 1:50 for children over 11 years old, but at a smaller ratio when younger children are present or when the nature of an activity is greater than low risk;
• ID: All children must carry personal identification at all times and the party contact phone number in case they become lost. Children should never leave their group without permission from the supervisor or Party Leader;
• Hazards: Information on known hazards must be provided by the BSU Coordinator to the Party Leader visiting Bath Spa University sites, eg. the two lakes at Newton Park, details of construction work, BSU emergency procedures etc. It is expected that all such information will be passed on to the supervisors.

Visit By Young Persons

Young persons are legally defined as persons aged over 16 and less than 18 years old.

The information provided above for visit by parties of children applies equally to visits by young persons, except the restrictions on staff/children ratios may be less stringent for staff/young persons. The written risk assessment completed before the visit by a party of young persons must document the judgement regarding appropriate ratios for the course of the visit.

Dependent Children Accompanying Staff / Students On To BSU Sites

Dependent children are not permitted to accompany members of staff or students on to BSU sites unless they are under the control and supervision of their parent or a responsible adult at all times. The University is aware that there are occasions when children who would normally be in school are not so engaged. e.g. School in-service days or due to sickness. However, staff/students must appreciate that The University cannot be responsible for the safety or well being of unaccompanied children on any of its sites at any time.

November 2007