Guidelines for transporting children

It is the responsibility of the Northumberland Sport office to arrange transport to all events organised by Northumberland Sport. In the event of activities being organised by a partner of Northumberland Sport then it is the responsibility of that partner to make the appropriate transport arrangements including the provision of buses and coaches with appropriate safety specifications for the safe transport of children including wherever appropriate seats with individual seat belts.

In all cases the transport of children must comply with the latest guidance and standards operated by Northumberland County Council including appropriate checks and clearances for drivers with access to and responsibility for vehicles.

In some instances the transport of children may involve car Journeys. In such cases the key points are:

When parents make the travel arrangements to and from an activity without the knowledge of the organising body it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure the arrangements are both safe and appropriate.
When Northumberland Sport or one of our partners makes the arrangements for travel there must be a risk assessment undertaken by members of staff and volunteers. The risk assessment will need to cover the following areas:

Ensure all vehicles are appropriately insured
Ensure all drivers have a valid and appropriate license and CRB check
Ensure all safety measures are available i.e. seatbelts and booster seats
Ensure an appropriate child-adult ratio
Ensure all drivers have adequate breaks/rest periods

It is also important that wherever possible children are in the back seat of a car. The legal requirements also state that there are seatbelts and booster seats.
Where a journey is planned, written parental consent is necessary if a volunteer or member of staff is to be transporting children.

Along with safeguarding the children it is also important that any members of staff or volunteers are aware of good-practice that is required to protect themselves:

A collection policy needs to be agreed with parents which will ensure a clear understanding of collection arrangements between all involved.
Always tell another member of staff that you are transporting a child, giving details of routes, length of journey and arrival times.
Take all reasonable safety measures (seat belts, booster seats).
Take another member of staff with you wherever possible.
Call the child’s parents to inform them you are transporting their child advising them of when you expect to arrive.