Duty of Care: Human Safety for the Travel & Experiential Education Industry
Cornerstone is founded on the belief that protecting human lives is not intellectual property, but a shared responsibility. We believe that knowing where human safety fits within your organization and having actionable processes to navigate complex situations is paramount to operational success.
Safeguarding and protecting human lives is not only a legal obligation for travel and experiential education providers, but it is equally a moral and ethical Duty of Care. In creating opportunities for life-changing adventures and impactful cross-cultural exchange, we also must address potential risk for participants and host communities.
What is Duty of Care?
Simply put, Duty of Care is the moral and legal obligation of organizations (including their staff) to its participants. It’s the explicit and implicit responsibility to create well-being, security, and safety for travelers throughout all aspects of the program delivery. This includes researching and preparing responsible program itineraries, securing appropriate food and water, and providing safe transportation, accommodation, and any other included or optional activities that are offered to participants.
From a risk management lens, this concept has the potential to be complex or subjective. However, it boils down to this: While you can’t avoid every potential hazard during a travel experience, it’s your obligation to have systems, processes, and training that allow participants to feel secure in your capable hands.
From the legal point of view, your responsibility is more clearly defined by a set of standards (simply check in with any number of risk management standards documents, from International Safety Standards to the GAP Year Association, or scroll through any number of tragic and unfortunate industry lawsuits).
In general, we encourage members to incorporate Duty of Care throughout their program design, participant and staff onboarding, program delivery, and even the post-program process. This implementation creates an atmosphere and culture prioritizing safety and risk management throughout the organization. That’s true peace of mind!
Let’s explore the basics of how Duty of Care fits within the context of your participant experience.
When does Duty of Care begin?
While it’s tempting to assume that Duty of Care begins and ends with the travel experience itself, it actually begins with the first participant contact.
In the enrollment and pre-departure process, consider the frequency, consistency, and transparency of your communications. Do you perform health screening, adequate onboarding relative to the experience, and collect important information from participants? How do you go about doing this and what do you do with this information?
In your staff training, do office and in-field staff understand your expectations and policies? Are these well-documented and is training consistent regardless where your programs run? Are protocols easy to follow and are staff in agreement with how Duty of Care is prioritized in each scenario? Are steps actionable and in alignment with your organization’s mission?
During the trip, is Duty of Care explicit in your frequent participant check-ins? Are staff skilled and knowledgeable in following up with urgent or ongoing needs? Do staff know how to handle all touch points with care, compassion, and control?
After the experience, do you follow up on all lingering incidents, gather participant feedback, review incident reports, and alert participants of any illness or situation that might affect them after they’re back home?
Let’s break down some general guidelines that can help generate a Duty of Care culture in your organization.
Suggestions to Ensure Duty of Care in your Operations
Vet your vendors and respond to challenges with the appropriate regional, cultural, and activity expectations. Evaluate known and anticipated risks and hazards before the trip begins.
Provide comprehensive onboarding and orientation for participants and understand their needs to the best extent possible.
Train your staff early and consistently, ensuring that your policies are readable, actionable and well-documented. Answer all of their questions about handling potential scenarios to the best of your ability.
Communicate often and clearly with all stakeholders in the pre-departure phase, including setting appropriate expectations.
Know what it means when Duty of Care has been violated and what your single points of failure are. How would your organization respond?
If working with minors, establish a Child Protection policy and ensure your staff know how to manage their role as in loco parentis (in place of parents).
Finally, Who is Responsible for Duty of Care?
While including Duty of Care into the everyday vernacular starts with leaders, the responsibility falls to … everyone within the organization.
From leadership to trip leaders and sales to admissions teams, it’s everyone’s obligation to understand Duty of Care obligations. Trip leaders, in particular, need to be familiar with the term and understand their moral and legal obligations, how to lead by example, how to avoid personal liability, and what to do if they’re unsure of a situation.
Want more in-depth information, specific scenarios, or customized Duty-of-Care training for your organization? Contact us at info@cornerstonesafetygroup.org.
