Duty of care is the responsibility an organization has for the safety of the people it sends to travel. This checklist covers what should be in place; it is a starting point, not legal advice.
Know where people are
- Travel booked centrally, so itineraries are in one place
- Traveler profiles with emergency contacts
- A current list of who is traveling, including volunteers and guests
Assess before travel
- Travel advice checked for each destination (US State Department , UK FCDO , Smartraveller )
- Higher-risk trips approved by a named role
- Insurance and assistance cover confirmed for the destination and activities
Respond when something happens
- A number travelers can call at any hour (24 hours a day, 7 days a week with silentVIP)
- A way to find who is near an incident, from itineraries
- A plan for contacting them, and for escalating if someone can't be reached
- Someone in the organization who is told, and decides
Learn afterwards
- Incidents recorded with what was done
- The plan reviewed after each serious incident
- The policy reviewed at least yearly
What silentVIP does
Incident monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When an incident is confirmed, the team identifies travelers in the area from their itineraries and makes a first contact attempt within 30 minutes of an incident being confirmed, then tracks each person until they are accounted for. See duty of care and volunteer safety .