Contents

Supervision & Welfare of Students Engaged in Sport & Physical Activity
Responsibilities of Principals
Supervision of Students Engaged in Specific Sports, Physical Activities and Outdoor Recreation Activities
Supervision of Students While Engaged in Activities Conducted Under the Auspices of the School
Guidelines for Billeting Students
Supervision at Major Events
Supervision Out of School Hours
Activities at Camps Organised and Conducted by the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation and Other Agencies
Small Group Activities
Additional Activities
Liability
Physical Contact With Students

Billeting has been a traditional method of providing low cost accommodation for students involved in excursions and sporting trips hosted by schools, Area and State school sport associations.

Schools and school sport associations need to take account of the following principles:

• Billeting needs to be a planned activity in which principals, billeting coordinators, supervising teachers, the host parents and the parents of visiting students are fully informed and implement arrangements that have been agreed upon by the principals involved.
• All excursions involving billeting must have the approval of the principal and, where more than one school is involved, the principals of all participating schools.
• The principal, or members of the school staff delegated by the principal, retain an over-riding responsibility for the welfare of students they accompany for the duration of the activity. This responsibility cannot be transferred to parents, volunteers or employees of external organisations.
• Reasonable steps need to be taken to anticipate possible risk situations for students and to plan and, if necessary, implement strategies to address them.
• Professional judgement will be needed in addressing issues associated with the allocation of billets to host families. Many issues relate to incompatibility rather than unsuitability.Negotiations and communication should occur sensitively, with relevant information shared on a 'need to know' basis only.
• If the well-being or safety of a student is at risk, or there is a suspicion that this could be so, the student should be relocated to another approved accommodation arrangement and the parents informed that this has occurred.

Principals should refer to the Memorandum to Principals: Guidelines for Billeting Students (99/089) for additional information. The memorandum contains a good practice statement to assist schools and school sport associations in developing appropriate procedures.

Appendix F also contains a form: Acknowledgement of Billeting Conditions By Billeting Families which each host family is to sign.