Where it is reasonably practicable all children should be able to access the opportunity to participate in off-site visits. Visit Leaders should be aware of, and follow their Employer’s equality and inclusion arrangements.
An establishment or organisation is less likely to discriminate if it plans a trip taking into account the need to include all participants irrespective of their protected characteristics rather than if it arranges a trip and then tries to adapt it to make it inclusive.
In the early planning stages it is important to consider how accessible any trip is in terms of cost, venue, activities etc. Whilst it is not necessary for every participant to be able to take part in every activity, it is necessary to make reasonable adjustments and consider alternatives to make the visit more inclusive.
In some circumstances, additional staff may be required to allow an individual to participate – this needs to be taken into account in the early planning stages when considering staffing and costs and must not be an additional cost as a result of any individual choosing to participate.
There may be unforeseen issues which arise in the run up to a trip which have not been apparent in the early planning stages. Examples of this include mental health, gender/sexuality, medical conditions etc. Reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that individuals can participate but each situation will be different and require a different solution. Involving young people and their parents/carers in any decision making is essential. Case studies are included in the toolkit.
In rare circumstances it may be required to withdraw an individual from a trip where the risks of participation outweigh the benefits. This decision should be reached in consultation with the young person, parents/carers and the Technical Advisor and only where it is not possible to make reasonable adjustments.
