Health and Safety Statement

Health and Safety Statement (2007)

Education for children in Need is an organisation that aims to provide a framework for development and education through placements in Romania for people from all walks of life from the UK. All of our placements by their nature are educational and the majority are for volunteers working in schools and disadvantaged communities. Through all of our volunteer placements we aim to provide equal benefit to the volunteer and the local community.
Our philosophy is that we should show love, care and assistance to those who have less and by so doing we will learn more about ourselves and the world. The more we learn about our world and the cultures within it the more we will care for it and the people in it.
However, in exploring our world, we are often exposed to greater risks than at home. Risk is an inevitable part of everyday life, no human activity is 100% safe and the further we get from familiar environments the greater these risks may become.
Whilst we do all that we can to minimise the risks that are within our control, it is central to our philosophy that some of the risks encountered whilst volunteering, in part contribute to the adventure and learning experience to be had. Were we to remove these risks altogether our volunteers would have a significantly poorer experience.
It must be recognised however that, by definition, where there is risk, accidents sometimes can and do happen. This must be made clear up front to potential volunteers and their families.
While there are undoubted risks in volunteering abroad it is important to recognise that these can be minimised by simple and sensible procedures. Risk Assessment Policy
ECN takes the health and safety of our volunteers, our staff and local people seriously. We have clear procedures to managing the risks and health and safety implications that may be encountered in our locations and placements:
• Careful choice of locations for visits outside the established community
• Training and informing volunteers
• Assessing risks at each location and taking appropriate action to minimise risks
• Risk assessments
• A reliable communications structure
• A clear structure of roles and responsibilities within ECN
• Careful volunteer / staff selection
• Informing and training volunteers
• Ongoing monitoring of placements and volunteers
• Incident reports
• Review and feedback