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Contents

1. Holidays for Accommodated Children
2. Holidays for Children on Care Orders
3. When the Court’s Permission is Required
4. Insurance
5. Obtaining a Passport

1. Holidays for Accommodated Children

Arrangements for notifying and consulting the Social Worker about holiday plans should be agreed in the Placement Plan.

The consent of the parent(s) or person with Parental Responsibility must be obtained and consent form signed. This should be used to provide the following information:

• Address where holiday is taken;
• Responsible adult(s) accompanying the child including adult/child ratio if group holiday;
• If the child is going with a family or person who is not known to Children's Services, whether the appropriate checks have been made;
• Dates of holiday;
• Views of the child;
• If any cost to the Department, including insurance;
• Any additional information.

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

Children must not be taken on holiday during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances that would be approved by the Social Worker's Manager for the child and the Head of School. Requests must be made in writing.

2. Holidays for Children on Care Orders

The procedure is the same as for those for Accommodated Children (see Section 1, Holidays for Accommodated Children) except that the consent of the parents or person having Parental Responsibility is not required but should be 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 Placement Plan to be notified well in advance of any plans for holidays abroad in order to obtain required consent.

3. When the Court’s Permission is Required

If the child is the subject of a Care Order and the holiday abroad is for more than one month, an application must also be made to the appropriate Court for the Court’s permission to allow the child to go abroad if the parent’s written agreement is not obtained.

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.

If the holiday is authorised by the Court, the holiday should be included in the Placement Plan.

4. Insurance

4.1 Medical Treatment during visits to UK and EEC Countries

The Isle of Man and the UK have a reciprocal agreement in place where Isle of Man residents visiting the UK, and UK residents visiting the Isle of Man have the assurance of receiving free emergency health care. This does not apply to EEC Countries. Although treatment is free in the UK, repatriation (return travel to someone’s home country) has never been included as part of the reciprocal agreement and this remains the case today. Because of this, all Isle of Man residents who travel to the UK (including on business unless they work in the UK for a UK company) should ensure that they have adequate insurance in place in the event of repatriation being required, as this can be a considerable expense ranging from the cost of a ferry ticket, to the hire of a private Air Ambulance which can cost as much as £20,000.

4.2 Private Medical Insurance Cover or Insurance Cover for Holidays

Private medical cover and insurance cover is recommended for all trips off island.

5. Obtaining a Passport

The Isle of Man Passport Office provides Guidance for those seeking to obtain a passport for a Child. Please see Child Passports (gov.im)

The social worker will obtain and complete the necessary application for the child or assist the child to complete the necessary application form.

End