Criterion HS210
Whenever the child leaves the premises on an excursion:
a risk assessment and management process is undertaken
a supervision plan specific to the excursion is developed and implemented
parents have given prior written approval of their child’s participation, location and method of travel for:
regular excursions at the time of enrolment
special excursions prior to the excursion taking place and
communication systems are put in place so that people know where the children are and the educator can communicate with others as necessary.
Documentation required (written or digital)
A record of excursions that includes:
the names of all adults and children involved
the time and date of the excursion
the excursion supervision plan
the location and method of travel
completed risk assessment and management process
evidence of parental permission and approval of location and method of travel for regular and special outings or excursions.
Guidance
Find the meaning of regular and special excursions in the glossary:
How to show you are complying
Whenever children leave the premises on an excursion, you must complete a risk assessment and management process (RAMS).
Consider:
the travel arrangements and any hazards identified on the way to and from the destination
hazards you expect to come across at the destination/venue, such as the proximity of water.
Parent permission and approval
As the service provider, you are responsible for managing the risks associated with the excursion. You must keep parents well informed – providing the RAMS will help with this.
You must give parents:
the location of the excursion
the method of travel.
Before a child can participate in the excursion, parents must give permission for their child’s participation and approve the location and method of travel.
Approval for changes to regular excursions
If there are changes to a regular excursion, you must carry out another RAMS and seek approval from the parents of the children intending to go on the excursion.
Supervision plan
The excursion must also be supported by a supervision plan specific to the destination.
Educators must plan ahead before going on an excursion. They should consider the destination, transport, meals, toilet breaks, and any potential hazards that they may encounter, as identified by the RAMS. This is especially important if the excursion involves water.
The plan should also outline how transitions will be managed, including from vehicles and parking areas.
During excursions, educators must supervise children according to the supervision plan. Being physically close to children and monitoring them with regular head counts are ways to supervise children.
You need communication systems in place
This is important so that relevant people know where the children are, and educators can communicate with others when necessary.
Parents need to know where their children are. This is especially important if they have given permission for a regular excursion at enrolment which might have been some time ago.
Your communication systems must provide for this, for example an online reminder, a text communication or discussion with parents so they know what is planned for the day.
Record keeping
You must keep records of the excursions that take place, which must include certain details (either in writing or in digital format). The record must include:
the names of all adults and children involved
the time and date of the excursion
the location and method of travel
a completed risk assessment and management process
evidence of parental permission for their child’s participation, and approval of the location and method of travel for:
regular excursions at the time of enrolment
special excursions prior to the excursion taking place.
You can obtain written or digital approval for regular excursions via a signature on the enrolment form.
Permission for special excursions needs to be sought for each excursion.
Excursion examples
You will find examples of regular and special excursions in the 'tools to help you comply' section.
When assessing whether you comply with HS210
Questions we are likely to ask
If you undertake any ‘regular excursions’, what are the steps you take to document the RAMS?
What steps have you taken to review your RAMS for those excursions?
How do manage combining excursions with another home-based educator?
We are likely to look at, measure or count
Enrolment forms for permissions for regular excursions.
RAMS forms.
We are likely to request
Excursions policy and procedure.
Copy of the enrolment forms that detail the RAMS undertaken.
The tools below are here to support you, but you do not have to use them. You can use other tools or methods that work better for your service.
See examples of different excursions:
Excursion examples for home-based services [PDF, 23MB]
It’s important that you actively identify and manage any hazards that could come up during excursions to keep children safe.
By planning ahead and getting parent approval in advance, you help build trust and give both adults and parents confidence that you’re prepared to handle any unexpected situations that might arise.
Doing more than the minimum can shape better outcomes for children. Here are some ideas or examples you might like to consider.
Having a designated contact person available to assist in case of an emergency is a good idea.
Extra help
You could consider having additional help on excursions. You may also consider asking using a parent to help improve on the adult-to-child ratio requirements for your outing.
If you decide to use a parent or someone else to help with the excursion, you could consider the following.
Parent helpers need to actively supervise the children in their care. This means being close enough to keep them safe at all times. They should not let any child leave their group.
The parent’s own behaviour should not put any children at risk – for example, leaving the group for a coffee or going to a shop.
If a parent has a health condition which might compromise their ability to supervise throughout the excursion, ask them to let you know.
Make sure each parent knows which children they are responsible for. Give them a list of names.
Make sure they are aware of the itinerary, timetable and general logistics of the excursion.
Parents need to stay with the main group at all times, unless some part of the activity is on a rotating basis. If they need to leave the group for some reason, make sure they know to notify the educator first.
Parents need to accept that there is no place for smoking, alcohol or other illegal drugs on any excursion.
Parents need to agree to follow all the requests and expectations of the teaching team.
Describe the positive behaviour policies of your service – you could explain to parents how they are expected to manage children. Be clear about when they should seek immediate help from the educator or person responsible (visiting teacher or coordinator).
Be clear about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
Make sure parents know about the arrangements for toileting, food/drink, looking after children’s belonging, who has the first aid kit, the number of the emergency cell phone and what will happen in any emergency. (That is, adults should not take groups away from the main group unless this is planned and organised.).
Transport considerations
See HS211 for considerations around using transport for excursions.
You may find it useful to take the following items with you during an excursion.
A list of all children, and their emergency contact details in case of any accident of emergency. Include any siblings. Use this to take periodic roll checks.
First aid kit. Consider carrying some bags in case of travel sickness, and some portable instant icepacks.
Personal medication for children and adults on the excursion, inhalers, EpiPens and so on.
Cell phone with numbers for the bus or transport company used, numbers for the destination or venue, and a contact number for someone connected with the service who is not going on the excursions.
Sun protection. Rain wear if needed.
Books or other items to entertain children if there are any delays.
Drinking water for all children and adults.
Spare clothing and other toileting supplies.