Safeguarding policy.

1. Policy statement and scope

BFC Travel Management (“BFC”) puts the safety and welfare of every young person it works with first. We will not tolerate abuse or neglect, and we act on every concern.

This policy applies to everyone who works with students on BFC’s behalf: employees, freelancers, tour leaders, guides, volunteers and the suppliers and partners we contract. It covers every stage of a trip, from planning and pre-departure contact to travel, activities, accommodation and follow-up.

For this policy, a child or young person is anyone under 18. We also apply it to students over 18 who travel as part of a school group.

Frameworks we follow

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (Department for Education, England), as our benchmark for good practice.
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government).
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• ISO 31031:2020, Managing risk for youth and school trips.
• The UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, and the data protection law of each country where we operate, including the UAE.
• The safeguarding policy and procedures of each school we work with.

Our relationship with schools. The school keeps overall responsibility for its pupils on any trip. BFC staff work under the direction of the school’s trip leader and follow the school’s own safeguarding procedures alongside this policy. Where the two differ, we follow the stricter requirement.

2. Roles and responsibilities

The DSL and deputy can be reached 24 hours a day during any trip. Contact details are given to every school and printed on each trip’s emergency card.

3. Code of conduct

Everyone working with students on BFC’s behalf must:

• Treat every young person with respect, fairly and without discrimination.
• Avoid being alone with a student out of sight of others. If it cannot be avoided, keep a door open, tell a colleague and record it.
• Never enter a student’s room alone, except in an emergency, and then with a second adult where possible.
• Keep physical contact to what is necessary and appropriate, such as first aid or safety during an activity.
• Never share a room or bed with a student, give them alcohol, tobacco or drugs, or allow them access to these.
• Never exchange personal phone numbers, social media contacts or private messages with students. Use only school-approved channels.
• Never photograph or film students except for agreed trip purposes and on BFC or school devices (see section 5).
• Never show favouritism, give personal gifts or arrange to meet students outside the trip.
• Use appropriate language and never make sexual, discriminatory or humiliating remarks.
• Follow the agreed supervision ratios, rooming plans and curfews.
• Report any concern about a student’s welfare, or about another adult’s behaviour, straight away.

Breaching this code may lead to removal from a trip, termination of contract or employment, and referral to the relevant authorities.

4. Recognising and responding to concerns

Recognising abuse. Abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual or neglect. It also includes bullying, peer-on-peer abuse, exploitation, radicalisation and online abuse. Staff should watch for changes in behaviour, unexplained injuries, distress, withdrawal or inappropriate contact from adults or peers.

If a student tells you something (a disclosure):

1. Stay calm, listen and let them speak in their own words.
2. Do not promise to keep it secret. Explain that you must share it to keep them safe.
3. Ask only open questions to clarify, such as “Can you tell me more?”. Do not investigate.
4. Reassure them that they were right to tell you.
5. Write down what was said as soon as possible, using their words, with the date, time and who was present. Sign the note.

Reporting.

1. If a student is in immediate danger, call local emergency services first.
2. Tell the school trip leader straight away, so the school’s own safeguarding lead is informed.
3. Tell the BFC DSL within the same day, or within one hour if the concern is serious.
4. The DSL, working with the school, decides whether to refer to children’s social care, the police or local authorities in the country where the trip is taking place.
5. Record every concern and action in the trip incident log (in Ildána), with restricted access.

Allegations against staff, freelancers or suppliers.

1. Report any allegation or concern about an adult to the DSL and the school trip leader immediately. If it concerns the DSL, report it to the Deputy DSL and the school.
2. The person is removed from contact with students while the concern is looked into.
3. The school is informed in every case. In the UK, the matter is referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and, where criteria are met, the Disclosure and Barring Service. Elsewhere, it is referred to the relevant local authorities.
4. BFC does not investigate criminal matters itself but cooperates fully with schools and authorities.

Whistleblowing. Anyone can raise a concern about safeguarding practice at BFC without fear of reprisal. If you feel a concern has not been acted on, contact the school directly or the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line on 0800 028 0285.

5. Safeguarding in practice

Trip planning. For every trip we:

• Complete a written risk assessment covering each activity, venue and transfer, in line with ISO 31031, and share it with the school before departure.
• Agree supervision ratios, rooming arrangements, curfews and free-time rules with the school in writing.
• Collect parental consent, medical information and emergency contacts before travel.
• Prepare an emergency plan with 24-hour contacts, local emergency numbers and the nearest medical facilities.
• Brief every staff member, freelancer and guide on this policy and on the trip’s specific risks.

Suppliers and partners. We select coach operators, accommodation, activity providers and guides with care. Before contracting, we check that they:

• hold the licences and insurance required locally;
• have their own safeguarding arrangements, or agree in writing to follow this policy;
• carry out background checks on staff who will have contact with students, where local law allows;
• provide separate, secure accommodation for student groups.

We stop working with any supplier that does not meet these standards.

Photography and social media. Students are photographed or filmed only with the school’s agreement and parental consent. Images are taken on BFC or school devices, stored securely and deleted when no longer needed. We never publish images that identify a student by full name or location without written consent.

Online safety. Contact with students before, during and after a trip goes through school-approved channels only. Ildána accounts for parents and staff are secured and access is limited by role.

Data protection. We collect only the personal data a trip needs, including health and dietary information. We store it securely, restrict access to those who need it, share it only with the school and essential suppliers, and delete it within an agreed period after the trip. Ildána keeps an audit trail of who viewed or changed student records.

6. Training, records and review

Training.

Records. Safeguarding concerns, actions and referrals are recorded in writing, stored securely with access limited to the DSL and deputy, and kept in line with our data retention schedule. Training and vetting records are kept on our single central record (see the Safer Recruitment Policy).

Review. This policy is reviewed every year, after any serious incident and whenever guidance changes. Next review: October 2027.

Key contacts

• Designated Safeguarding Lead: Founder and Director, via info@bfctravels.com
• Deputy DSL: Operations Manager, via info@bfctravels.com
• NSPCC Helpline (UK): 0808 800 5000

Approved by the Founder and Director, BFC Travel Management, 30 October 2026.