School trips are getting more adventurous, can you keep up?
Trips and residentials are brilliant for children — and operationally complex for staff. Let's see if we can help you simplify them with:
- Planning and approvals; consent and medical information;
- Staffing ratios and supervision models that work off-site;
- Accommodation safety (including rooming and night-time routines);
- Overseas and adventure activity considerations;
- Managing phones, photos and social media; and
- What to do if a safeguarding concern happens away from base.
If a safeguarding incident happened on your trip… would you know exactly what to do next?
Most trip issues aren’t “big” — they’re messy: missing medication, a child who won’t settle at night, a disclosure on day two, a parent complaint, a boundary issue with phones. The safest trips are the ones where the plan is simple, shared, and written down.
1) Trip planning: start with the reality, not the brochure
The planning questions that matter
- What are the highest-risk moments (travel, evenings, free time, rooming)?
- What’s different about this group (age, SEND, medical, behaviour, vulnerabilities)?
- What’s different about this location (public access, water, alcohol, remoteness, signal)?
- Who is the decision-maker if plans change?
Approvals and documentation (keep it lean)
- Trip overview: purpose, dates, location, itinerary
- Risk assessment: activity + environment + supervision model
- Emergency plan: comms, escalation, local services
- Staff briefing sheet: roles, routines, red lines
2) Consent, medical info, and “what if” permissions
Trips fall apart when information is missing.
What to collect (and check early)
- Consent and emergency contacts
- Medical needs, allergies, medication permissions
- Behaviour support needs and triggers
- Photo permissions and social media preferences
- Travel permissions (especially for overseas)
Practical tip: confirm what you’ll do if you can’t reach a parent — and document that plan.
3) Ratios and supervision: build a model, not a number
Ratios matter — but supervision design matters more.
A supervision model that works off-site
- Named lead for each small group
- Floating safeguarding lead (not tied to an activity)
- Headcount rhythm: set points (arrival, before/after transitions, bedtime)
- Clear boundaries: where children can/can’t go
- Separate plan for “free time” (the riskiest time)
Staffing note: maintain clear DBS checks where required, particularly for volunteers who are common on these types of trips and document supervision arrangements for any adults not in regulated activity.
4) Accommodation safety: where safeguarding gets complicated
Residentials introduce privacy, fatigue, and blurred boundaries.
Rooming and privacy
- Rooming plans agreed in advance (and reviewed for vulnerabilities)
- Clear rules for staff access to rooms (avoid 1:1 where possible)
- Separate arrangements for children who need additional support
Night-time routines
- Clear lights-out expectations
- Staff rota for checks (documented)
- Procedure for illness, distress, or leaving rooms
Visitors and site security
- Who can access the accommodation?
- How are entrances controlled?
- What’s the process if someone unknown is seen?
5) Overseas trips: add layers, don’t add panic
Overseas doesn’t automatically mean unsafe — it means you need extra clarity.
Extra controls for overseas
- Copies of passports/ID and emergency contacts
- Local emergency numbers and nearest medical facility
- Clear comms plan (including roaming/signal issues)
- Cultural considerations and local safeguarding expectations
6) Adventure activities: due diligence is safeguarding
If you’re using external providers (watersports, climbing, high ropes), your safeguarding includes checking them.
What to check
- Qualifications/licensing relevant to the activity
- Insurance and risk assessments
- Ratios and supervision model
- First aid provision and emergency response plan
- Safeguarding policy and reporting route
Record checks and decisions in digital safeguarding records so you can evidence due diligence.
7) Phones, photos, and social media: the modern trip risk
Trips create loads of content — and loads of boundary issues.
Practical rules
- Clear phone times (and no-phone zones)
- No filming in bedrooms/toilets/changing areas
- Staff don’t add children on personal social media
- Group communication channels only (where needed)
8) If a safeguarding concern happens away from base
A simple response flow
- Ensure immediate safety
- Inform trip lead and safeguarding lead
- Record facts (same day)
- Follow escalation route (including local services if needed)
- Communicate with parents/carers appropriately
- Update digital safeguarding records and plan next steps
How safeguarding software supports trips and residentials
Trips are high-trust environments — and high scrutiny if something goes wrong.
Safeguarding software helps you:
- Centralise staff and volunteer checks and DBS check status visibility
- Keep trip documentation consistent across sites
- Record incidents and concerns quickly in digital safeguarding records
- Evidence due diligence for providers and venues
Q&A: common safeguarding questions for trips and residentials
Q1: What’s the biggest safeguarding risk on residentials?
Evenings and unstructured time: fatigue, privacy, and reduced visibility. Build routines and supervision for those moments.
Q2: Do we need different ratios for trips?
Often yes. Consider environment, activity risk, travel complexity, and individual needs. A supervision model is as important as the ratio.
Q3: How do we manage rooming safely?
Plan in advance, consider vulnerabilities, allocations, set clear staff boundaries, and avoid 1:1 situations wherever possible.
Q4: What should we do if a child discloses something on a trip?
Listen calmly, don’t promise confidentiality, record facts, and escalate to the safeguarding lead immediately. Follow your normal safeguarding process — just adapted for location.
Q5: How do we evidence we did proper checks on an adventure provider?
Keep a record of qualifications/licensing, insurance, risk assessments, ratios, and safeguarding policy — stored in digital safeguarding records.
Q6: How do we handle phones and social media?
Set rules before you leave: no filming in private spaces, clear phone times, and staff avoid private messaging or personal social connections.
Quick checklist: safer trips
- Supervision model designed for travel, evenings, and free time
- Consent and medical info collected and checked early
- Accommodation rules and night rota agreed
- Provider due diligence completed and recorded
- Phone/photo rules communicated to children and parents
- Incidents logged promptly in digital safeguarding records