1. EDESSENCE’s philosophy on risk management
EDESSENCE adopts a proactive, responsible and proportionate approach to risk management. We assess destinations and partners before including them in a package, establish standardised procedures for supervision and intervention, and ensure full transparency with parents and schools, taking into account recognised best practice in the education and school-group travel sectors (rigorous planning, risk assessment, insurance and medical/evacuation support).
2. Due diligence
2.1. Initial (desk-based) screening: we verify the general safety of the destination, accessibility of medical services, reported crime rates, official travel advisories (where available) and the existence of the partner university infrastructure.
2.2. Due diligence on local suppliers: we request documentation (licences, insurance policies, references), assess the reputation of partners (hotels, transport providers, guides) and carry out compliance checks against relevant standards.
2.3. Assessment and approval of activities: each activity (e.g. campus visit, off-site excursion, transport) receives a documented risk assessment, and activities assessed as high risk will be subject to specific mitigation plans and managerial approval.
3. Local team and group coordinators
3.1. EDESSENCE coordinators (group leaders): all coordinators accompanying groups of minors undergo a selection process such as a background check (verification of antecedents/references), mandatory training in child protection, first aid and emergency procedures, and are required to wear visible identification for the duration of the programme.
3.2. Local team at destination: we run programmes together with local coordinators who are familiar with the area, local medical services and procedures. EDESSENCE maintains direct channels of communication with the local team 24/7. We will also provide emergency contact numbers for each programme.
4. Standard procedures applied to programmes
4.1. Pre-departure planning: individual participant records (emergency contact, allergies, medications, informed parental consent), verification of passports/visas and insurance policies, and pre-departure briefings for participants and parents (safety briefing and code of conduct).
4.2. Arrival briefing: explanation of the code of conduct, meeting/departure procedures and distribution of emergency contact information (leaflet).
4.3. Continuous monitoring: daily attendance registers, designated meeting points and incident reporting.
4.4. 24/7 assistance: an EDESSENCE support line (including outside work hours) for parents and students and an internal escalation procedure in the event of an incident.
4.5. Post-programme reports: analysis of events, procedural improvements and communication with all parties regarding any incidents and the measures taken
5. Safety measures
5.1. Continuous supervision by accredited staff: EDESSENCE group leaders are trained in first aid. We will allocate a reasonable number of group leaders to each programme relative to the number of participants.
5.2. Careful assessment and selection of local suppliers, including contractual clauses requiring security standards, insurance and anti-fraud procedures, and verification of references and reputation.
5.3. Mandatory medical insurance for all participants: a medical insurance policy and, where applicable, cover for medical evacuation/repatriation.
5.4. EDESSENCE will liaise with local medical services without delay in the event of an incident.
5.5. 24/7 contact: We provide a helpline for parents.
5.6. Cybersecurity and data protection, including procedures for protecting minors’ personal data (for example: restricting access to medical records) and technical measures to prevent data breaches. If we detect a security incident, we will notify affected parties in accordance with applicable law.
5.7. Safeguarding (child protection) policy, through clear procedures to prevent abuse, background checks for all employees and group leaders who work with minors, and a direct contact for reporting suspicions (including cooperation with local authorities)
6. Relationship with parents and participants’ rights
6.1. Parents receive detailed pre-contractual information which includes the safety plan, the insurance policy, emergency contact details and rules of conduct.
6.2. Any parent may request access to EDESSENCE’s due diligence documentation relating to our partners. If requested, we can provide copies of licences, insurance policies and relevant contractual documents if it is permitted under applicable confidentiality obligations. When a document cannot be disclosed for reasons of confidentiality or for any other lawful ground, we will issue an official confirmation of this and, if possible, provide a non-confidential summary.