Here at LeapAbroad we want to ensure that each student has a positive experience abroad. Therefore, we voluntarily adhere to the NAFSA´s framework with regards to Responsible Study Abroad: Good Practices for Health & Safety. The framework was created by The Interassociational Advisory Committee on Safety and Responsibility in Study Abroad as a joint venture with professionals of the field. Their guidelines are as follows:
Information taken directly from: Good Practices for Health & Safety
Responsibilities of Program Sponsors
In general, practices that relate to obtaining health, safety, and security information apply to all parties consistent with their role and involvement in the study abroad program. Much of the basic information is readily available and can be conveyed to participants by distributing it and/or by referring them to, or using materials from, recognized central sources. Statements of good practice that refer to the provision of information and the preparation of participants are intended for parties that advise, refer, nominate, admit, enroll, or place students. Statements of good practice that suggest operating procedures on site apply to entities that are directly involved in the operation of the overseas program.
Program sponsors should:
A. Conduct periodic assessments of health and safety conditions for their programs, and develop and maintain emergency preparedness processes and a crisis response plan.
B. Provide health and safety information for prospective participants so that they and their parents/guardians/families can make informed decisions concerning preparation, participation, and behavior while on the program.
C. Provide information concerning aspects of home campus services and conditions that cannot be replicated at overseas locations.
D. Provide orientation to participants prior to the program and as needed on site, which includes information on safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the host country. In addition to dealing with health and safety issues, the orientation should address potential health and safety risks, and appropriate emergency response measures.
E. Consider health and safety issues in evaluating the appropriateness of an individual's participation in a study abroad program.
F. Determine criteria for an individual's removal from an overseas program, taking into account participant behavior, health, and safety factors.
G. Require that participants be insured. Either provide health and travel accident (emergency evacuation, repatriation) insurance to participants or provide information about how to obtain such coverage.
H. Conduct inquiries regarding the potential health, safety, and security risks of the local environment of the program, including program-sponsored accommodation, events, excursions, and other activities, prior to the program. Monitor possible changes in country conditions. Provide information about changes, and advise participants and their parents/guardians/families as needed.
I. Hire vendors and contractors (e.g., travel and tour agents) that have provided reputable services in the country in which the program takes place. Advise such vendors and contractors of the program sponsor's expectations with respect to their role in the health and safety of participants.
J. Conduct appropriate inquiry regarding available medical and professional services. Provide information about these services for participants and their parents/guardians/families, and help participants obtain the services they may need.
K. Develop and provide health and safety training for program directors and staff, including guidelines with respect to intervention and referral that take into account the nature and location of the study abroad program.
L. Develop codes of conduct for their programs; communicate codes of conduct and the consequences of noncompliance to participants. Take appropriate action when aware that participants are in violation.
M. In cases of serious health problems, injury, or other significant health and safety circumstances, maintain good communication among all program sponsors and others who need to know.
N. In the participant screening process, consider factors such as disciplinary history that may impact on the safety of the individual or the group.
O. Provide information for participants and their parents/guardians/families regarding when and where the sponsor's responsibility ends and the range of aspects of participants' overseas experiences that are beyond the sponsor's control.
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