Customer Guidance Notes
1. Policy Statement
At PGL we are continually working to enable all guests to enjoy the many benefits of our courses, tours and holidays. If a participant has additional requirements, relating for example to disability, culture, diet etc, we will be pleased to discuss these with you. We need you to provide us with full details as soon as possible to ensure that a fair assessment of service provision can be made, and appropriate resources identified with reference to such considerations as access, programming, successful participation and health and safety.
2. Advance Warning
Servicing additional needs requires advance notification, assessment, agreement and planning. Please note that we can only take responsibility for arrangements that have been discussed and agreed with us in advance. All requests for additional needs must be confirmed in writing to PGL Head Office.
3. Additional Needs can result from:
Religious requirements
Cultural requirements
Dietary requirements
Behavioural difficulties
Disability
3.1 Religious requirements
We will be pleased to support participants’ needs to opt out of our programmes on religious grounds, if an activity or event is felt inappropriate; in order to pray or attend a religious ceremony; or for any other purpose confirmed by a parent or teacher.
An opt out may mean that the participant will have to occupy themselves for a session, under teacher supervision, or that they can temporarily join another group for an alternative activity or event.
The facility to attend a religious ceremony will depend on its availability in the area of the PGL centre / accommodation. Any extra travel costs incurred will be borne by the participant, parents or school. Escort arrangements will need to be arranged between the school staff or by prior agreement with the centre in the case of an individual participant aged under 18 years.
3.2 Cultural requirements
We will attempt to assist participants with cultural needs, e.g. special dress code or special domestic arrangements, where the adjustments required to standard arrangements are reasonably practicable and do not represent a health and safety risk. Please advise us of specific requirements.
3.3 Dietary requirements
At PGL centres, we are able to deliver catering provision for most dietary requirements as specified by culture, religion and medical concerns, but we do not cater for weight management programmes or “faddy” diets. We regularly provide meals for a wide variety of needs including Coeliac, Nut-free, Dairy Intolerance, Vegetarianism and Vegan. We request as much notice as possible, including at least two weeks for Kosher and Halal menus. For groups travelling to other types of accommodation on School Tours or Ski trips, special diets will be on a request basis and subject to availability.
3.4 Behavioural difficulties
We recognise that there is a full spectrum of behavioural traits and that most needn’t concern us at all. Where they can be disruptive, though, we need to carry out a detailed investigation to ensure that the participant involved cannot jeopardise the health and safety and enjoyment of themselves, other participants and our staff.
Our assessment and decision can only be as good as the information supplied to us by the participant’s parents, teachers, carers and / or social workers. Please be as comprehensive and honest as possible in the information you supply. Remember that the participant is coming into a residential situation, sharing with other guests, and undertaking activities (where relevant) that require compliance with rules and procedures to ensure their safety.
Where the situation necessitates it, we will consider increasing the free / discount adult places available to a group to ensure that supervision is not compromised. This will not normally be possible on children’s holidays, where having an adult in the group would change the nature of the experience for others.
On PGL holidays, courses and tours, we require all participants to conform to our Code of Conduct and reserve the right to exclude anyone whose behaviour is unacceptable.
Please see Appendix 1 for the type of questions we will need to ask to ascertain sufficient information.
3.5 Disability
The main questions to resolve with disability are: suitability of transport arrangements; access to all necessary domestic facilities; access to sufficient activities (where relevant); and physical ability to participate safely and enjoyably in as much as possible of the programme. We need full disclosure of requirements, capabilities and recommendations well in advance to allow us sufficient time to make appropriate decisions and put any necessary plans in train.
Please see Appendix 2 for the type of questions we will need to ask. As we are not medical or disability experts ourselves, we refer cases confidentially to a wide range of relevant organisations for advice. If you know of any bodies that would be able to assist us, we would be pleased to contact them and add them to our listing at the next review.
Coaches with lifts for wheelchairs are scarce, so advance booking is vital. Coach companies usually charge more for these vehicles.
Many PGL centres occupy existing buildings which did not include good access features for disabled visitors. We are embarked on an investment programme that will improve the situation over future years but, at the moment, we may have to hire any specialist equipment, that’s considered appropriate, and transport it to the centre involved. This provision is therefore subject to availability and an early indication of requirement is essential.
Where a disabled participant requires the services of a personal carer, we cannot provide an additional person ourselves, but will be pleased to consider providing an extra place at a discount rate for a carer you provide. Please note that any carer must have received a positive enhanced check via the Criminal Records Bureau. On children’s holidays, where having an adult in the group would change the nature of the experience for others, we might recommend a family adventure holiday instead.
Our customer service staff have detailed Centre Accessibility and Activity Accessibility Audits and will be pleased to advise on your choice of centre and activities, based on this information. Please see our sample centre audit and sample activity audit which show the guidance that is available. Please note that activity guidance is divided into ‘Full Participation’, ‘Partial Participation’ and ‘Alternatives possible’ to cater for as wide a range of ability as possible.
4. Summary
A step by step guide to servicing participants’ additional needs. Some of the following points may not be relevant in your case:
1. You advise us of any additional needs at the enquiry stage. In the case of accessibility for a disabled participant, it may affect your choice of centre / destination / holiday / dates.
2. We will ask you to provide full details of the additional needs in writing. This may involve completing the proformas as appropriate.
3. We may then need to discuss details and options with you over the phone. If necessary, we can arrange a site visit and face-to-face discussions with a PGL manager / senior.
4. We will then confirm what level of service we can provide and will provisionally book any special facilities for you.
5. We ask you to confirm acceptance in writing to PGL Head Office, so that the additional arrangements are included as part of the booking and won’t be overlooked.
We look forward to being of service to you in whatever way we can.
PGL Travel Ltd
September 2008