Written by Melissa de Beer, Senior Assistant Case Manager.
Shona & I recently attended the BABICM training day “Holidays Without Barriers: Making Travel Possible for All” in Bristol. We wanted to share a small number of practical insights from the day that feel particularly relevant to our work with clients with disabilities.
This session focused on safe, person‑centred holiday planning, with particular emphasis on balancing client choice with duty of care in complex cases. Supervision, reflection, and learning following a holiday were discussed as essential components of good practice, rather than an afterthought.
This is not a full summary of the training, but a curated snapshot of learning from three speakers, focused on planning, risk, and practical decision‑making.
- Holidays matter, and risk is inherent
Speaker: Anita Pascoe, Registered Case Manager & Clinical Lead, Westcountry Case Management
A key message from the day was that all holidays involve inherent risk, particularly for clients with complex needs. The role of the Case Manager is not to eliminate risk, but to understand it, plan for it, and communicate it clearly.
Key points:
- Travel involves loss of structure, unfamiliar environments, fatigue, and unplanned events.
- Case Managers should be mindful not to let their own appetite for risk (particularly if risk‑averse) influence decisions.
- There is an important distinction between accident and negligence – things can go wrong even when planning is robust.
Practice reminders:
- Seek supervision early.
- Begin formal risk assessment at the outset of planning.
- Clearly document rationale and revisit risk assessments as plans evolve.
- Reflect and review following the holiday to inform future practice.
- Successful holidays rely on structure, verification, and clear recommendations
Speaker: Paula Hansen, Director, World Accessible Holidays
The training reinforced that accessible holidays are achievable – but only when approached methodically.
Key learning:
- “Accessible” does not mean the same thing everywhere; assumptions are a common cause of problems.
- Hotels are consistently the highest‑risk element of accessible travel.
- Accessibility must be verified, not assumed (photos, measurements, written confirmation).
Recommendations should clearly address:
- Level of risk
- Number of staff and contingency planning
- Cost and financial viability
- Whether specialist agents or tour operators are required
- Whether a holiday needs adapting, or may be too risky to support on that occasion
- Insurance and logistics are safeguarding issues
Speaker: Shannon Collins, Head of Business Operations, Fish Insurance
Standard travel insurance is rarely adequate for clients with complex needs.
Key points:
- Gaps in cover often arise due to non‑disclosure, undeclared equipment, unnamed carers, or changes in health.
- Over‑disclosure is safer than under‑disclosure.
- Early engagement with specialist insurers is essential.
- It is important that clients and their support workers are included on the same insurance policy to ensure clarity around liability, medical cover, and responsibility if something goes wrong.
- Including support workers on the policy can also simplify cancellation or curtailment, helping ensure costs relating to both the client and their support arrangements are appropriately covered.
Additional practical tips from the day
- Holidays are important for personal growth, participation, and well-being – not just leisure.
- Social media can be a valuable tool when researching UK‑based accessible holidays (e.g. Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth, was highlighted as an example of good practice).
- Early research and specialist input can prevent significant issues later.
A final thought shared by Paula Hansen was particularly thought‑provoking and neatly captured the ethos of the day:
“When rehabilitation focuses only on treatment, we help people survive. When we help people participate in life again, we help them live.”
