Terms & Conditions for activities and programmes
For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, the terms ‘Referral Agency’ or ‘organisation’ or ‘You’ refer to the entity which is making the booking for the programme/course/event. The terms ‘Down to Earth’, ‘D2E’ or ‘We’ refer to Down to Earth Project.
Terminology
Participant – A young person or adult who is a direct beneficiary/attendee on our activities or programme
Referral Agency – The organisation bringing the participant(s) to Down to Earth
Referral agency support worker/worker – The staff from the referral agency accompanying and supporting the participant(s)
1. Our Approach to Programme Planning
Down to Earth offers inclusive and engaging approaches to the outdoors that are centred on improving well-being. We specialise in working with ‘hard to reach’ groups and we understand everyone has specific needs – our ethos is that everyone should have equal opportunities and be treated with respect.
Down to Earth’s extensive range of activities has been carefully designed and risk-assessed to nurture well-being as well as practical skills. We’ll work with you and your group to produce a programme which achieves the desired outcomes for your beneficiaries. During this planning process, please let us know of any activities you’d like us to exclude. We take the safety and protection of our groups extremely seriously and we’ll happily show you any policies & procedures you’d like to see.
2. Programme Booking
This group booking form sets out who is responsible for which aspects of the programme. Down to Earth will provide all sessions as agreed. Unless explicitly agreed, logistics like transport & lunches are the responsibility of the referral agency.
3. Participant selection and consent/medical form completion
Appropriate participant selection is the responsibility of the Referral Agency. We’ll always tailor programme content to the needs of the group but we expect you to select participants who will be able to engage in the agreed programme to some degree. If Down to Earth feels that we cannot manage the safety or needs of any particular participant in a given situation we reserve the right to change the planned activity to a more accessible one, or request that the participant does not return.
Participant safety is paramount to Down to Earth, and to ensure this we need completed consent and medical forms for every participant and support worker. If a participant is under 18, their consent form must be signed by their legal guardian before attending Down to Earth. If a participant or worker does not have a completed consent form, they cannot take part in Down to Earth programmes.
4. Logistics
Transport. Unless otherwise agreed, the referral agency is responsible for transporting participants & staff to the venue.
Food. Unless otherwise agreed, the referral agency is responsible for ensuring that participants have adequate food. Down to Earth does provide catering at an additional cost.
Clothing. Participants & staff members need to wear clothing which is suitable for being physically active outside, with a strong possibility of getting muddy! We advise that you wear older, comfortable clothing.
PPE. Down to Earth will provide all relevant PPE. All we ask is that all participants wear (or bring) socks as many activities require steel toe-capped footwear.
5. Behavioural Management, Medication and Insurance
5.1 General Behaviour Management. Down to Earth know that the most important aspect of positive behaviour management is strong relationships. We’ll work in partnership with the referral agency to ensure that participants needs are met, but overall behaviour management is down to the Referral Agency. During higher risk activities, such as rock climbing or green woodwork – Down to Earth will take on a more proactive behavioural management to ensure activities are kept safe and delivered appropriately.
5.2 Physical Intervention. DtE staff will not use physical intervention in the case of behaviour that challenges others. If this is required it will be the responsibility of Referral Agency Staff unless otherwise contractually agreed
5.3 Drug and alcohol possession or consumption. This will not be tolerated either by participants or staff on Down to Earth programmes. Anyone found in possession of drugs or alcohol will be asked to leave site.
5.4 Medication. The Referral Agency is responsible for the storage and distribution of prescribed
medicines for the participants. It is the referral agency’s/organisers responsibility to ensure the Down to Earth Project consent/medical forms have accurate information in the medical section so we are aware of any medication that the young people/adults are consuming.
5.5 Insurance. The Referral Agency/Organiser has appropriate liability insurance that will cover negligent acts on the part of the Referral Agency/Organiser. Please note Down to Earth has appropriate liability insurance in place for all activities and takes Health and Safety procedures very seriously.
5.6 Staffing Ratios. We generally work on a staffing ratio of 1 Down to Earth Staff member to 6 participants. Unless agreed otherwise, we expect a minimum of two referral agency staff members to attend with the group.
5.7 Participants being taken home/back to their organization. There are a number of scenarios which may result in a participant needing to be taken home or back to their organisation. With overnighters, this may sometimes be late in the night. Such scenarios may include (please note this list is not exhaustive):
- A participant is feeling homesick and strongly/consistently requests to be taken home, or back to their organisation
- A participant is excessively disrupting the session
- A participant is found consuming drugs/alcohol, or is found to be in possession
- A participant is feeling unwell
- A participant hurts him/herself – and is judged to not need hospitalisation – and needs to be taken home/back to their organisation
On activities/programmes, the referral agency needs to be able to take a participant home/back to their organisation. If an individual cannot be transported without the rest of the group, it may result in an early end to the session. We will provide input on whether we feel a participant needs to be taken home/back to their organisation, however, the final decision will be a joint decision between D2E and the referral agency workers.
5.7 Damage and wear & tear. Down to Earth activities are based on experiential learning, use of the outdoors, and innovative approaches. We anticipate wear and tear both on our site and our facilities. However, any excessive and/or deliberate, malicious damage to our site or facilities by the young people/adults on activities/programmes will be charged to the referral agency/organiser.
6. Cancellation/Postponing a session/activity
We understand sometimes sessions need to be cancelled or postponed. The following applies with regards to our notice periods. Please note that if weather conditions deteriorate unexpectedly we will not be able to offer a refund. Where possible we will arrange an alternative session.
Referral Agency Funded Programmes:
More than 4 weeks’ notice. We’ll offer a free replacement session as soon as possible.
1-4 Weeks. As a ‘not for profit’ organisation we need to ensure our staff costs are covered so we will
charge an extra 50% of the session fee to re-schedule.
Less than 1 week. With less than 1 week’s notice we will charge 100% of the session fee to re-schedule the session.
Down to Earth funded programmes:
We’ll aim to provide a replacement session, but this is at our discretion
Venue Hire:
For venue hire, D2E will charge 50% of the hire cost if cancelled with more than four weeks’ notice. If
less than four weeks, we will charge 100% of the hire cost.
6.1 Extreme and uncontrollable conditions. Down to Earth is an experienced outdoor activity provider and we reserve the right to cancel a session if we consider that weather conditions are too hazardous to continue. We will always prioritise the Health and Safety of the participants and will err on the side of caution. Where possible, we will try to provide alternative activities/venues, but this may not always be possible. (Please note, sessions that are cancelled at the beginning or middle of the session due to extreme and uncontrollable conditions are non-refundable.)
7. Payment Schedule.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, payment schedules are as follows:
One off days/activities: payment is required upon receipt of invoice following confirmation of booking.
Longer term programmes:
- 50% deposit to confirm programme once agreed
- Interim payment (half way through programme) of 25%
- Completion of programme 25%
- Please note invoices will be generated at each stage