Unwell Participants and Medication Policy
If a participant is unwell on arrival, they should not take part in the session. natur ni staff reserve the right to refuse a participant onto a session if they feel that the participant is too unwell to take part in a session without their safety or that of other participants and staff being compromised.
If a participant under 18 years old, becomes unwell during a session the procedure below will be followed:
- In the case of it being an unaccompanied session, then the natur ni staff/Forest School Leader will contact the person(s) listed on the child’s ‘emergency contacts’ as provided on the booking form.
- The participant will be given appropriate first aid or care until the parent/guardian arrives to collect them.
In the unlikely event of a more serious incident, natur ni’s first aid trained staff will provide appropriate first aid, seek medical advice and attention if necessary and arrange for the attendee to be taken to hospital, if necessary. natur ni staff/ the Forest School Leader will contact the person(s) listed on the participant’s ‘emergency contacts’ as provided on the booking form, as soon as is reasonably possible.
Please also see section ‘First Aid and Emergency Procedure’.
It is not our policy to care for sick participants of any age, who should be at home, until they are well enough to return to Forest School or other outdoor sessions run by natur ni. However, we do agree to assist and supervise administering medication to participants under 18-years-old, at unaccompanied sessions, as per instructions from their parent/guardian, in order to maintain their wellbeing or if necessary, to aid their recovery from illness.
- Participants under 18-years-old, taking prescribed medication, should be well enough to take part in the outdoor session.
- This policy and administration of prescribed medicines will be in line with the insurance policy listed in the Insurance section of this handbook, as held by natur ni.
- natur ni will not administer any prescribed medication to participants under 18, without prior parental/guardian consent to administer the medication. A signature is needed from parent/guardian on the Medication Record Form before each Forest School/outdoor Session.
- Only prescribed medication will be administered. It must be in-date and prescribed for the current condition as prescribed by a medical professional.
- Prescribed medication must be supplied within its original packaging, clearly labelled with the child’s name and the dosage must also be clear. It must be given to the natur ni staff on arrival by the parent/guardian.
- It will be recorded on the Medication Record Form, when any medication is given, including when medication is administered to a participant under 18. A copy of this Medication Record form can be found at the end of this handbook in the annexes and hardcopies are held by natur ni staff.
- Natur ni staff will make sure that prescribed medicines are stored safely within the emergency bag, and well out of reach of children and young participants for the duration of the session. Medicines will be returned to the relevant parent/guardian at the end of every session. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to note on the medication consent form if specific medications have specific storage implications for the Forest School/outdoor activity setting.
- No medication will be left in children’s bags with the exception of asthma inhalers.
- If you or your child need inhalers/EpiPens/insulin, these are to be brought (and ensure that this is listed on the medication consent form at the point of booking) to every session by yourself (if 18 or over) or by parent/guardian (if under 18) in case of emergency. If you/your child arrive without emergency medication, we reserve the right to refuse you/your child onto a Forest School/outdoor activity session. This is to ensure the ongoing safety of all participants, natur ni staff and volunteers.
Privacy Policy
natur ni respects the privacy of all staff, participants and that of their parents/carers. Confidentiality and safe handling of personal information is of the utmost importance to us and GDPR legislation and guidelines will be followed at all times, as outlined in the Data Protection Act 2008 and (GDPR) 2018. Under this act we have a legal duty protect any ‘data’ or ‘personal information’ that we collect.
The personal information that we hold will be that which is provided on booking and permission forms (hardcopy or online via our website). This includes emergency contact details, medical details, 1st aid permissions, learning needs and styles, allergies or food requirements, photographic permissions, payment of fees due etc.
Information will only be shared with natur ni’s staff on a need-to-know basis to ensure the safe participation of all those taking part in natur ni’s activities.
We use personal information for the following purposes:
- To ensure the ongoing safety of participants (e.g. medical or learning needs)
- For administrative purposes (e.g. name, address, fees due, etc)
- To ensure compliance with health, safety, emergency procedures (e.g. emergency or family contact details)
- For marketing purposes (e.g. photos – only with relevant permissions)
- For information purposes such as keeping participants/families up to date with the latest news
In order to comply with a number of legislative requirements (e.g. the Early Years Foundation Stage Welfare Requirements of the Childcare Act 2006, the Limitation Act 1980, The Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991) and with good practice in safeguarding, we keep participant records for three years after the last time they attended a natur ni activity.
There may be times when we may need to share personal information with third parties. These exceptional times will only be in the case of emergencies or safeguarding concerns when we need to share details with the emergency services or the appropriate statutory body. Please see the Safeguarding Policy and the Emergency Procedures for more information.
Personal information is available on request to individuals over 18. Or for under 18’s, on the request of the person legally responsible for the child/young participant. Please complete and return the Subject Access request form to natur ni. The form can be completed on the website, by downloading an editable copy from here, or by requesting a hardcopy using our contact details.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has a dedicated helpline (0303 123 1113) and guidance on it’s website about data protection: How to make a data protection complaint to an organisation | ICO (Information accessed in Oct 2022).
I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as of 17/10/2024.
Cancellation Policy and Procedures
All sessions must be paid for in full at point of booking. This can be done via the website, bank transfer, booking platform, Paypal, cheque or cash.
Natur ni’s outdoor activities take place in all weathers, all year round. However, safety always takes priority. Therefore, there may be times when the need may arise to cancel sessions at short notice or in the midst of a session, due to unforeseen circumstances including:
- Severe weather changes and conditions including, but not exclusive to, high winds, extreme thunderstorms or when natur ni staff feel that the session is exposed to unacceptable risk;
- Staff Illness (or that of their child/ren) which prevents safe staff/child ratios being met;
- Any other situation that poses a health and safety risk.
In the above circumstances, cancellation decisions are taken as soon as possible, and we will inform parents/guardians, adult participants, staff, volunteers/helpers via telephone and/or or social media.
In the event of cancelling a session at short notice, alternative dates will be offered, at the discretion of natur ni staff. Or if appropriate, should Consumer Law apply to the cancellation, a refund will be offered. In the event of cancelling in the midst of a session, only a goodwill gesture may be offered, at the discretion of natur ni staff. For example, a small discount on the cost of a future event. This does not affect your statutory rights.
We require a minimum of 6 participants for a session to go ahead. Should we need to cancel a session due to low numbers, 24 hours notice will be given and you will be given the choice of an alternative date, or a credit note.
We will endeavour to run sessions whenever possible; however, we reserve the right to cancel on the day and will aim to inform all parents/guardians of participants, or adult participants as soon as possible.
No refunds will be given for individual sessions missed by a participant within a series of sessions or missed one-off sessions.
We understand that extenuating circumstances can occur that result in occasionally participants being unable to attend a session or series of sessions. In the case of such extenuating circumstances (e.g. long-term or debilitating illness), places that are already paid for, can be considered for permission to ‘gift’ that place to a ‘replacement participant’ of your choosing*.
* This decision is at the discretion of natur ni staff and is also subject to the following:
- You have notified natur ni staff as soon as possible and no less than 24 hours before the session is due to take place.
- all the necessary ‘replacement participant’ information is provided to natur ni staff no less than 24 hours before the session is due to take place.