It's summer camp time, but before you book a place for your child, make sure you do your homework, writes SHEILA WAYMAN.
PLAYING SOCCER all day is my sons’ idea of bliss. So like many thousands of other parents, I have booked a week’s summer camp where they can indulge their favourite pastime.
After the national schools close at the end of this week (June 26th), all sorts of summer camps will swing into action. They cater for diverse interests, from computers to cookery, film-making to French, while many community-based camps offer a good mix of activities.
Summer camps have mushroomed in the past decade as working parents of schoolgoing children struggle to piece together childcare cover. For parents in the home, they provide a little breathing space and silence the “we’re bored” refrain.
But it is the benefits the children, not the parents, get out of these activities that matters. Whether it is learning new skills or pursuing a favourite hobby for hours on end, summer camps should be a positive, life-enhancing experience. Mixing with peers outside school and making new friends can boost their self-esteem.
“For many kids, it really does make the summer for them. Their confidence grows by September,” says Tess Noonan, southern regional manager with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).
“But parents do need to be vigilant and do their homework and research first.”
Putting your children in the care of others always requires a level of trust; nobody wants to look at every sports coach as a potential child abuser but there are checks which parents can make, which should help to ensure the safety of their child.
I have to confess that while I looked for the right dates for a soccer school, a handy venue and checked out the price, the camp’s child-protection policy did not enter my head.
In my defence, one presumes when dealing with a professional organisation such as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) that health and safety standards can be taken on trust.
But it should have been on my checklist when booking. I doubt if I am alone in not raising the issue and it is certainly not included in the “frequently asked questions” section on the FAI summer schools website. However, now I look, the introduction to the programme clearly states “all our coaches are FAI accredited, reference checked and Garda vetted”.
Parents booking children into any kind of summer camp or hotel club should ask a few basic questions about child protection, according to the ISPCC.
The key question is are the staff and volunteers fit to work with children. Have they gone through a proper recruitment process? Have they been Garda vetted? Are they approachable? Are they friendly?
There may be organisations running summer activities that do not have Garda vetting but the ISPCC recommends parents seek out ones that do.
However, that’s just one component of child protection. “Qualifications, reference checks, recruitment policies and good supervision policies are also essential,” says Noonan, who is based in the ISPCC’s Cork office. “Vetting just tells us if someone has a conviction.”
Is the child/staff ratio appropriate for the age of the children and the activity? Is it centre-based or are they taking them out on outings, in which case you would be looking for a higher ratio.
Other safety questions that parents need to ask include: Is there a first aid box on the premises and is the leader trained in first aid? Do the premises comply with fire regulations? A good organisation will welcome questions about its activities and the safety of its environment.
Summer camp organisers should have a child-protection policy and a written code of behaviour. This would outline things such as how they manage children’s challenging behaviour. For instance, how do they deal with bullying or shouting?
“If you are leaving a very young child in an activity, things like hitting, biting – normal behaviour in young children – could come up. You just want to know how the staff will deal with that,” says Noonan.
Drop in during the camp, especially if you have signed up your child before it started. See what the children are doing: do they appear happy and relaxed?
And, of course, listen to what your child has to say about each day there.
If children are going on any sort of outing, long or short, parents’ consent must be sought. They need to be informed of all arrangements, such as transport, whether there are belts on the bus and the level of supervision.
Even if you have booked your child’s camp weeks ago, it is not too late to ask questions, particularly about Garda vetting and qualifications.
“It can be hard to ask,” acknowledges Noonan. “Sometimes it is easier to ask for the manager rather than talk to a member of staff or volunteer. But it is really important that parents do ask.
“If you feel uncomfortable asking these questions, the onus is on the manager to put you at ease,” she says. “What I think is great is that parents are starting to ask these questions. The more parents who do it, the easier it becomes for others.”
If you are holidaying abroad and planning to use a children’s club at the resort, the same advice applies and you should do your homework before you travel. Again, ask about police vetting.
“The requirements and standards you have as a parent don’t change, just because you’re abroad. If anything, I think they may be heightened, particularly with water facilities,” says Noonan.
“Also you won’t know the people. You are really looking that the group you are going to is reputable.”
Make sure you are satisfied with all the arrangements before you hand your child over to the resort club staff.
“No matter how much you might want a rest,” she adds, “you really do have to ask yourself, is your child safe here?”
RIGHT TO ASK
The following are some key questions you should ask when checking out about children’s camps:
- Are the staff and volunteers fit to work with children? They should have all been Garda vetted and references checked as part of a proper recruitment process.
- Is there a written code of behaviour? You need to know how the organisers will deal with bullying, shouting or other oppressive behaviour by children.
- What is the staff/ children ratio? Make sure this is appropriate for the activities and children’s age.
- Is there a health and safety policy? There should be a first-aid box available with a leader trained in first aid, and the premises should comply with fire regulations.
- How can parents or children voice concerns? Organisers should tell you who to go to if you or your child has any worries during the camp.
BABYSITTING AT HOTELS
Children should not be left alone in hotel bedrooms, even if you are just down in the dining room and have a monitor with you.
“It is not a big house, it is a hotel,” points out Tess Noonan of the ISPCC. “Sometimes when you are away, you have a feeling of security, ‘I’m only here and the child is only there’, but you are in a place where you don’t know everybody else.”
The ISPCC recommends that a babysitter be a minimum of 16 years old, and, if abroad, Noonan suggests, it would be better looking for a babysitter who is aged 18 or over.
Check if the babysitters are known to the hotel and used regularly there, or does an outside agency supply them? You are depending on the hotel vouching for the babysitters, so is the hotel reputable?
Go with your instinct when first meeting the babysitter and leave plenty of time for the handover.
The same advice applies when going abroad: find out in advance what sort of babysitting service is available and how the hotel sources the people who do it.