Information for Parents and Guardians

The amount of direct contact you are likely to have with the Widening Participation team will depend on the particular activity your child or ward is taking part in.

 For our workshop activities, which will usually take place at your child or ward's school, we will rely on school staff to provide any necessary details about the young people taking part.

 For our sustained contact (Oxford Young Ambassadors and Compass: Young Carers) and residential programmes (Murder in the Cloisters), which will usually take place at the University, we will need you to provide medical and other details for your child or ward and consent to them taking part by signing a declaration. Our Data Protection statement can be downloaded here: Data Protection Statement.pdf (138 kb) .

We take our responsibility for looking after our participants very seriously, and are always happy to discuss any special requirements. Regardless of the type of activity, we always take the following steps to ensure the safety of your child or ward:

• Our staff and student mentors undergo enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks
• Our staff and student mentors complete NSPCC accredited child protection training
• Our staff are First Aid At Work trained
• Our activities are covered by the University's Public Liability insurance
• Our activities are covered by in-depth risk assessments

 For more information, please contact us at wp@admin.ox.ac.uk or call us on 01865 280198.

Our activities are designed to be both fun and educational, and to provide participants not just with information on Higher and Further Education options, but also with the tools to think critically about their future and what is right for them.

We want our participants to get the most out of their time with us. During all our activities, your child or ward can expect to:

• Be treated with courtesy and respect
• Have the aims of the activity clearly explained
• Be supported and encouraged to participate fully
• Have all materials necessary for taking part provided at no cost
• Have reasonable adjustments made to accommodate special requirements, where we are informed of these in advance
• Be advised of any changes or cancellations to an event as far in advance as possible

During our sustained contact programmes, your child or ward can also expect to:

• Be given notice of dates for all planned events when we confirm their place on a programme
• Receive details of venue and programme at least one week in advance of an event
• Be given staff emergency contact details in case of any problems on the day of an event
• Have the opportunity to visit parts of the University not usually open to the public and to meet current students
  
• Have all meals and refreshments during an event provided at no cost
  

During our residential (overnight) events, your child or ward can additionally expect to:

• Be provided with adequate single sex accommodation
• Have a member of staff on duty at all times, in case of illness or emergency
  

In order to make our events run smoothly, we ask parents and guardians to:

• Treat staff and student mentors with courtesy and respect
• Provide accurate and up-to-date personal details (e.g. medical details / contact address)
• Inform us as soon as possible if a participant is unable to attend an event
• Return requested paperwork before stated deadlines
• Make us aware of any changes to your child or ward's situation as soon as possible
• Ensure that we can reach you during an event, on the phone numbers you have provided us with, in case of emergency.