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Contents

1. Staff Traveling to Locations other than their own Work Base
2. Single/Return Journeys
3. Regular or Repeat Journeys for Looked After Children
4. Escorts

1. Staff Travelling to Locations other than their own Work Base

This procedure sets out guidelines for staff who, in the course of their duties, need to travel to locations other than their own work base. It is intended to illustrate the division's reasonable expectations of staff to keep travel costs to levels consistent with the need to maintain an efficient and cost-effective service.

1. Budgets for car mileage are devolved to Group Managers, who are accountable for keeping expenditure within budget provision.
   1. Any noticeable trends in the pattern of expenditure, which give cause for concern, will be brought to the attention of the relevant Head of Service
   2. Anyone who is aware of any potential changes should draw it to the attention of their Group Manager.
2. All staff should ensure that the most cost effective method of travel is used at all times
   1. All journeys should be planned in a way that visits in the same area are organised so as to reduce travel time and car mileage.
   2. Wherever practical, shared arrangements should be made. Where one member of a travelling group has a lease car then that car must always be used.
3. All mileage and travel expenses incurred by any member of staff must be recorded in their diary. This diary must be retained by the member of staff for at least one complete year after the final entry.
   1. Diaries will be subject to regular scrutiny, both by Group Managers and Internal Audit.
4. In addition, all staff will need to complete an official car mileage record form (PS1843). The car mileage form must accompany all claims for car mileage allowance. Claims for care mileage allowance should be made on form PS3719.
   1. All car mileage forms must be submitted monthly.
5. All journeys which extend beyond the borough boundary must be approved by a Group Manager or Head of Service before the journey is undertaken.
   1. For all journeys extending beyond the borough boundary, public transport should be used where this is more cost effective than the use of a car.
   2. If a member of staff chooses to use their car, where public transport would have been less costly, then the reimbursement will be at the public transport cost.
6. Home to office mileage is not claimable other than when undertaken outside normal working hours. Visits undertaken either on the way to or from work should exclude normal home to office mileage.
7. Staff in receipt of fixed allowances, such as relocation or essential car user, must notify their manager of any changes in their circumstances or pattern of car use that may affect the level of allowance payable.
8. The mileage claimed must be for the shortest route possible between the start and finish of each journey.
9. Where public transport is used, the cheapest fare available should be paid. Whenever possible, travel should be delayed until reduced fares are available, usually after 9.30 am, when travel cards, cheap day returns and other low-priced fares are available.
   1. For regular travel on buses, weekly or monthly season tickets must be used, where this is more cost effective.

2. Single/Return Journeys

All taxis for single/return or one-off journeys are booked by the allocated team and the cost comes out of the individual team budget. Children's Social Care has a contract with Cannon Cars and all single/return journey taxis are booked through them (please see contact details below). 

When booking a taxi cab, the worker must complete a Taxi Cab Booking Form in every instance. The worker must complete all boxes and record the budget code before any booking can take place (it is possible to correct a budget code later, if necessary). Each team has its own budget code. The budget holder, or their appointed representative, must sign the relevant box before the order is placed.

When phoning for a taxi, the worker should ask for the approximate cost and record this on the form. This helps to monitor budgets by showing what commitment has been made against the total budget for the year. It will be helpful if the worker phoning for the taxi records their name in the relevant box.

After the worker has completed the form, booked the taxi, and the social worker has signed the last box (where appropriate), the social worker or admin worker should fax it through to Cannon Cars and ensure they receive confirmation of receipt.  

When requesting an extension to journeys that were previously authorized, a Taxi Cab Booking Form must be completed.

The contact details for Cannon Cars are:
Tel: 020 8777-8888.

3. Regular or Repeat Journeys for Looked After Children

Children in care often make use of taxis on a regularly scheduled basis - such as for travel to and from school or for contact visits. Such journeys are paid for through the placement budget rather than through the individual team budgets. 

When a social worker needs to arrange a taxi for Looked After Child on a regularly scheduled basis, this is often part of the general arrangements for a placement and should be requested on the placement form sent to the Children's Commissioning Team. If the social worker has already completed the placement paperwork and needs to send through a request for a regularly scheduled taxi at a later stage, (s)he should send through the referral to the Children's Commissioning Team on an Outreach Service Form.

When requesting a change or extension to a regularly schedule journey, the Children's Commissioning Team must be informed. 

If a social worker needs to arrange a taxi for a Looked After Child for a single/return or one-off journey that is not part of the child's placement arrangements, the same procedure applies as does for any other single/return journey: as above, the booking should be made through Cannon Cars on a Taxi Cab Booking Form and the cost will come out of the individual team budget. 

4. Escorts

Escorts are always required for any taxi booked through Bromley Children's Social Care in the following circumstances:

• Any child being transported to a 'special school' (physical or learning disabilities),
• Any child of primary school age,
• Any female child irrespective of age,
• Any male secondary school child in certain circumstances, e.g. where there may be more than one child in the vehicle with 'special needs' (in its broadest interpretation). These need to be assessed on an individual basis.

All taxi firms used by LBB Bromley employ people who can act as escorts. When a worker is booking a taxi for any child that falls into one of the above categories, the worker should request that the taxi firm sends an escort as well as a driver. 

ALL escorts MUST be CRB checked.

End