HANDS UP SCHOOL TRIPS
Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy
Protecting the welfare of young people on educational and service-learning trips
Hands Up School Trips is a trading name of Hands Up Holidays Ltd.
Adopted 22 June 2026 · Next review 21 June 2027 · Owner: Designated Safeguarding Lead
1. Our commitment
Hands Up School Trips designs and runs overseas educational and service-learning trips, many of them for young people under 18. The welfare of every young person on our trips is our first concern, and it comes before reputation, convenience or commercial interest.
1.1 We are committed to protecting from harm every young person who travels with us, and every child in the host communities we visit. We expect the same commitment from everyone who works on, supports or supplies a trip.
1.2 We work in partnership with the schools and groups we serve. The school holds primary pastoral responsibility for the day-to-day care of its students; we provide the programme, the in-country logistics and a clear safeguarding framework that supports the school’s own arrangements.
1.3 Our wider ethic — hands open, ask first, never impose — applies to children as much as to adults: children in host communities are not an attraction, a backdrop or a photo opportunity.
2. Purpose and scope
2.1 This policy sets out how we keep young people safe before, during and after a trip, what we expect of the adults involved, and how concerns are reported and handled.
2.2 It applies to: the founder and any employees; contractors, freelancers and guides engaged by us; in-country operators and other Suppliers and their staff; and any volunteer or representative acting for us. It also informs how we work with the Accompanying Staff a school provides.
2.3 This policy should be read with the HUS Terms & Conditions, our Code of Conduct (Section 7), our consent and medical forms, and our Privacy Policy.
3. Definitions
3.1 “Child” or “young person” means anyone under the age of 18.
3.2 “Safeguarding” means protecting young people from harm, promoting their welfare, and creating an environment in which they are safe. “Child protection” is the part of safeguarding that responds when a child is, or may be, suffering harm.
3.3 “Harm” includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation, whether by an adult or by another young person, and whether in person or online.
3.4 “DSL” means our Designated Safeguarding Lead (Section 5). “Accompanying Staff”, “Group Organiser”, “Participant” and “Supplier” have the meanings given in the HUS Terms & Conditions.
4. Guiding principles
- The welfare of the young person is paramount and guides every decision.
- Every young person, whatever their background, has an equal right to protection from harm.
- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility — not only the DSL’s.
- We listen to and respect young people, and take any concern seriously.
- We act in partnership with schools, families, communities and, where needed, the proper authorities.
- Children in host communities have the same right to protection, privacy and dignity as our own Participants.
5. Roles and responsibilities
5.1 Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). The DSL has lead responsibility for safeguarding: receiving and acting on concerns, liaising with schools and authorities, keeping records, and reviewing this policy. Our DSL is Christopher Hill, contactable at chris@handsupschooltrips.com.
5.2 Alternative contact. Concerns about the DSL, or concerns arising when the DSL cannot be reached, should be raised with Kelly Lensen, kelly@handsupschooltrips.com.
5.3 Founder and leadership. We resource safeguarding properly, ensure this policy is followed, and make sure those acting for us are suitable and briefed.
5.4 In-country partners and Suppliers. Every operator, guide or provider whose staff come into contact with Participants must agree to act in line with this policy and our Code of Conduct, and must tell us at once of any safeguarding concern.
5.5 Accompanying Staff. The school’s nominated staff hold primary pastoral care of students during the trip, including supervision, headcounts and overnight care, and act as the school’s safeguarding point of contact. We support them; we do not replace them.
6. Safer recruitment and vetting
6.1 We seek to ensure that adults who work on or support our trips are suitable to work with young people. Before engaging anyone in such a role we will require a signed commitment to this policy.
6.2 Background checks are not available, or not equivalent, in every country we operate in. Where a check cannot be obtained, we rely on references, the partner’s own safer-recruitment practice, supervision arrangements and the Code of Conduct, and we record the basis on which we are satisfied.
6.3 Suitability is treated as ongoing: anyone whose conduct gives rise to a safeguarding concern may be stood down from contact with young people pending review.
7. Code of conduct for adults on our trips
Every adult acting for us or supplying a trip is expected to follow this code. It protects young people, and it protects adults from misunderstanding.
Adults will:
- Treat all young people with respect and dignity, and maintain clear, appropriate boundaries.
- Ensure contact with a young person is, wherever possible, observable by another adult.
- Respect young people’s privacy, particularly around rooming, washing and dressing.
- Follow the school’s and our reporting procedures, and challenge and report concerning behaviour in others.
- Use positive, appropriate language and behaviour at all times.
Adults will not:
- Be alone with a young person unnecessarily, or in a place that cannot be observed.
- Share sleeping accommodation with a young person.
- Engage in physical contact that could be misinterpreted, or any contact of a sexual nature — which is absolutely prohibited and may be a criminal offence.
- Form private or personal relationships with students, or contact them privately, including by phone, messaging or social media.
- Give personal gifts to, or show favouritism toward, a young person.
- Use, possess or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while responsible for young people.
- Take, share or store images of young people except as permitted by Section 10.
- Smoke, swear or behave in any way likely to harm or distress a young person.
8. Recognising abuse and harm
8.1 Abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual, or take the form of neglect or exploitation, and may be caused by an adult or by another young person. Possible signs include unexplained injuries, marked changes in behaviour or mood, withdrawal, fearfulness around a particular person, or a young person’s own account of being harmed.
8.2 No one is expected to be an expert or to diagnose abuse. Everyone is expected to notice, to take concerns seriously, and to report them. A concern does not need to be proven to be reported.
9. Specific risks in international and service-learning travel
9.1 No visits to or volunteering in orphanages or residential childcare institutions. We do not include visits to, volunteering in, or fundraising for orphanages or other residential children’s institutions in any trip. Such visits can fuel the unnecessary separation of children from families and expose vulnerable children to a stream of unvetted adults. Our service-learning works with families, schools and communities, not with institutionalised children.
9.2 Contact with children in host communities is always supervised, never one-to-one and unobserved, and always led by the community’s own adults. Participants do not give money, sweets or gifts directly to children.
9.3 Activities are chosen so that the dignity, privacy and agency of community children are respected. We do not frame communities or their children as objects of pity.
9.4 Online safety: where trips involve internet use or messaging, we and the Accompanying Staff take reasonable steps to keep young people safe online, in line with the school’s own e-safety practice.
10. Photography and images
10.1 Images of young people — whether Participants or community children — are only taken and used where appropriate consent has been given. For a Participant under 18 that consent comes from a Parent/Guardian; for community children it comes through the community’s own adults or guardians.
10.2 We never use an image that compromises a young person’s safety, dignity or privacy, never publish information that identifies where an individual vulnerable child can be found, and withdraw any image on reasonable request. This mirrors clause 27 of the Terms & Conditions.
11. Reporting and responding to a concern
11.1 If a young person is in immediate danger, act first to make them safe and, where needed, contact local emergency services and the lead member of Accompanying Staff straight away.
11.2 Report any other concern, disclosure or allegation to the lead Accompanying Staff member and to our DSL without delay, normally the same day. Time zones are not a reason to wait: use the alternative contact in clause 5.2 if the DSL cannot be reached.
11.3 Record what you saw or were told as soon as possible — factually, in the young person’s own words where they have disclosed something, dated and signed. Stick to fact, not interpretation.
11.4 Do not investigate the matter yourself, do not confront an alleged perpetrator, and do not promise a young person that you will keep a disclosure secret. Explain gently that you have to pass the information to someone whose job is to help.
11.5 The DSL, working with the school’s DSL, will decide on next steps, including any referral to local authorities, to the relevant authorities in the young person’s home country, or to our insurers, and will comply with any mandatory reporting duty that applies in the country concerned.
12. Handling a disclosure
12.1 If a young person tells you they are being harmed: stay calm, listen, and take them seriously. Let them speak without leading or pressing them. Reassure them they were right to tell you. Do not promise secrecy. Record and report as in Section 11.
13. Allegations against an adult
13.1 An allegation or concern about an adult — whether our team, a Supplier’s staff, an Accompanying Staff member or another adult — is reported to the DSL (or, if it concerns the DSL, to the alternative contact in clause 5.2).
13.2 Pending review, we will take proportionate steps to protect young people, which may include standing the adult down from any contact with young people, and we will refer the matter to the appropriate authority where required.
14. Information sharing and confidentiality
14.1 Safeguarding information is shared only with those who need it to protect a young person, and is otherwise kept confidential. The young person’s safety takes priority over confidentiality. Sharing complies with our Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.
15. Records
15.1 Safeguarding concerns and the actions taken are recorded promptly, kept securely and confidentially by the DSL, and retained. Records are shared only as set out in Section 14.
16. Awareness
16.1 Everyone acting for us is made aware of this policy and the Code of Conduct, and is briefed on reporting before a trip. We ask in-country partners to confirm their staff are briefed on equivalent standards.
17. Working with schools
17.1 Before a trip we agree safeguarding arrangements with the Group Organiser, including supervision ratios (see Terms & Conditions clause 18), emergency and medical protocols (clause 19), reporting routes, and the names of the school’s and our safeguarding contacts.
17.2 Where a school’s own safeguarding policy sets a higher standard than this one for its students, that higher standard applies to those students.
18. Whistleblowing
18.1 Anyone may raise a safeguarding concern in good faith without fear of reprisal. If a concern is not acted on, or cannot be raised internally, it may be taken to an external authority.
19. Monitoring and review
19.1 This policy is owned by the DSL and reviewed at least once a year, and after any safeguarding incident or relevant change in law or operations. The current version and review dates are shown on the first page.
20. Key contacts
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Christopher Hill, chris@handsupschooltrips.com
Alternative / deputy contact: Kelly Lensen, kelly@handsupschooltrips.com
Hands Up School Trips: schools@handsupschooltrips.com
+1 (917) 967 1766 (USA and Canada) · +44 (0) 203 807 8409 (UK and Rest of World)
In an emergency overseas, contact local emergency services and the lead Accompanying Staff member first.
Everyone who works on, supports or supplies a Hands Up School Trips trip is expected to have read, understood and agreed to follow this Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy.