Vehicle & Outing Policy

1. Overview

It is Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill’s policy to provide safe suitable vehicles for community use to facilitate life and work in the houses and the work of Day Service groups. All the vehicles are insured to reflect this use, and the insurance covers Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill vehicles being used on Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill business and driven by a suitably qualified co-worker.

Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill prides itself on providing excellent standards of care and safe environments for our residents. This requires particular attention when conducting outings with our residents, through thorough planning of the outing and ensuring safe and appropriate travel arrangements are made as well as contingency planning.

2. What you need to know and do

Vehicles

Where necessary for delivering Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill business, co-workers are allowed to use a vehicle provided by Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill during the course of the working day. All drivers must have a valid and sufficiently clean driving licence (according to DVLA standards and the size of the vehicle). Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill asks to have a full picture with relation to every driver’s DVLA record, including any new penalties or points incurred. Copies of the driving licences are kept in personnel files in the office. All co-workers using Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill vehicles are required to comply with current road rules as well as expected to adhere to best practice guidance, such as regular breaks during longer travels.

Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill residents can only be transported in Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill vehicles and not personal vehicles by co-workers, unless agreed in their personal plan with express permission by a parent or carer where appropriate

If involved in an accident either with a work vehicle or during working time, Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill co-workers are required to inform their line managers about the incident. The co-worker is to always call the police to inform them about any accident and refrain from admitting liability without consultation with a manager. Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill will under normal circumstances cover any repair costs or put an insurance claim in for the damage to our vehicles or that of the third party. However, Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill reserves the right to investigate and, where deemed appropriate, ask the co-worker to pay for the costs, e.g. if the co-worker has been under the influence of alcohol.

Vocational co-workers living within the community are covered to use any Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill vehicle at any time as required; for the purposes of insurance they are always “on Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill business”. Foundation students in their first year are not to drive vehicles.

Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill vehicles are covered by a road recovery service with full details to be held in each vehicle.

Co-workers should be aware that their personal items carried within vehicles are not covered by Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill’s vehicle insurance scheme.

Outings

These guidelines cover any outings that residents of Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill undertake for any period of time, including Tigh a'Chomainn Camphill-led holidays. It is paramount that co-workers ensure the safety of the residents as well as members of the public. As such, outings need to be carefully planned and residents should only go on outings that are deemed safe and appropriate for that resident.

Co-workers need to maintain a professional approach with the residents during outings. At times, people might be very familiar with residents, but co-workers need to be aware of how their way of communicating and being with the residents could be perceived for a third party.

Co-workers must have means of communicating back to their base and for calling emergency services if need be. Of particular importance is that co-workers are qualified to administer and carry any rescue medication with them, if a resident is prescribed that, in addition to basic first aid packages.

Co-workers must ensure that they go out with an adequate staffing ratio, which includes sufficient number of co-workers in case of an emergency and residents having to be accompanied to, for example, a hospital.

Co-workers need to check any accessibility limitations that the residents might face during the outing.

Co-workers and residents need to wear sufficient hi-vis clothing or accessories where this enhances their safety, e.g. walks during the winter months.

Co-workers must ensure that residents are dressed for the weather and/or occasion. E.g. clean tidy clothes for concerts, sensible shoes or boots for walking, waterproof clothing for wet weather and warm clothing for cold weather. Consider taking a change of clothing when going on long outings.

Particular care needs to be taken when going swimming with residents. Adequate staffing in terms of gender support needs to be in place for such activities. Also, co-workers need to be sufficiently good swimmers and aware of the safety procedures of the particular venue they are accessing with the residents. Co-workers need to take care of any personal hygiene support for the residents with particular care if in a public setting.

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Vehicle training guides:

Driver training: van

https://docs.camphill.it/books/guidance-and-procedures/page/driver-training-guide-van