Information for CAVC Homestay Providers

Homestay providers are expected to:

• provide a warm, inclusive, safe and supportive home
• provide a private, unshared and furnished bedroom with a suitable study area
• maintain suitable accommodation standards throughout the student's stay
• provide the required meals each day
• provide reasonable access to bathroom, laundry and Wi-Fi facilities
• provide fair access to shared areas of the home
• provide the student with their own house key
• provide clean towels weekly
• provide clean bedding every two weeks
• treat students fairly, respectfully and without discrimination
• respect the student's privacy while maintaining appropriate safeguarding arrangements
• include students in household routines where appropriate
• communicate promptly with the International Team if issues arise
• notify CAVC immediately of safeguarding, welfare, behavioural or accommodation concerns
• inform CAVC if a student fails to return home as expected
• follow CAVC accommodation and safeguarding procedures

We ask providers to work in partnership with CAVC to provide a positive and supportive experience for every student.

Homestay providers provide three meals each day:

• a simple grab-and-go breakfast
• a packed lunch
• a home-cooked evening meal

Providers should be willing to accommodate students' dietary requirements where reasonably possible.

Students and, where applicable, their parents or guardians are required to inform CAVC about allergies, dietary requirements, medical conditions, disabilities or prescribed medication that may affect their welfare or homestay arrangements.

Students are expected to respect their host's home and reasonable household rules.

It is helpful to explain your household arrangements when a student arrives, including:

• meal times
• bathroom arrangements
• laundry
• use of shared areas
• keeping bedrooms and shared areas clean and tidy
• Wi-Fi
• visitors
• smoking or vaping
• noise
• keys and security
• fire safety procedures, including what to do and how to leave the property in an emergency
• when students should let you know about their plans or expected return time

Students should keep their host informed of their daily plans, maintain a tidy bedroom and behave responsibly in shared areas.

Students must have their own house key and are responsible for keeping it safe and secure.

Costs associated with lost keys, replacement keys or replacement locks may be charged to the student.

Students should ensure doors and windows are secured when leaving the property and follow reasonable home-security arrangements requested by their host.

Students should have reasonable access to laundry facilities in accordance with the normal household routine.

Reasonable access to Wi-Fi is included throughout the student's stay.

Students are expected to use the internet responsibly, safely and in accordance with UK law. Illegal downloading, accessing inappropriate material or activity that places the host or College at risk is prohibited.

Students are expected to treat the homestay property, furniture and belongings with care and respect.

Students may be responsible for the cost of repairing or replacing property damaged through negligence, misuse or deliberate actions.

Homestay providers must ensure they have appropriate household insurance in place that covers paying guests staying in the property and provides appropriate cover for damage.

CAVC and the homestay provider cannot accept responsibility for loss, theft or damage to a student's personal belongings.

Students are strongly encouraged to have appropriate travel and personal possessions insurance.

The current homestay payment is £180 per week, paid directly to the homestay provider by the student.

Payments are normally made every four weeks, currently £720 per payment, with the first payment due one week before arrival.

Homestay accommodation is not available during the Cardiff and Vale College Christmas holiday period due to the closure of the College and the unavailability of safeguarding support during this time.

If a student wishes to leave their belongings in their room over the Christmas holiday period, a 50% retainer fee will be charged to reserve the room until their return.

Any other holiday periods taken by the student during their accommodation stay are charged at the full weekly rate.

If a student leaves their accommodation earlier than planned, any payment covering the final four-week period is non-refundable.

While CAVC aims to provide regular placements, placements cannot be guaranteed.

Homestay providers are responsible for meeting any personal tax obligations associated with income received from hosting students.

Providers are encouraged to review current HMRC guidance and notify HMRC where required.

Planned absences must be communicated at least seven days in advance.

Homestay providers must inform the International Team of student absences.

For students where parental or guardian approval is required, planned absence requests should be submitted in accordance with the arrangements set by CAVC and include departure and return dates and appropriate emergency contact information.

Students should seek permission before inviting visitors into their homestay provider's home.

All CAVC international students must request permission for an overnight guest to stay in their homestay accommodation.

This allows each request to be considered individually and an informed decision to be made, particularly where safeguarding considerations apply or accommodation is shared with a student who is under 18.

Guests under the age of 18 are not permitted to stay overnight in homestay accommodation.

If you receive a request for an overnight guest, or have concerns about visitors to your home, please contact the International Team.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility

As a homestay provider, you have an obligation to promote the safety and welfare of children and young people.

If you have knowledge, concerns or suspicions that a child is suffering, has suffered or is likely to be at risk of harm, those concerns must be reported. This is not a matter of individual choice.

CAVC has statutory safeguarding duties to ensure the safety and welfare of learners. By accepting a homestay learner under the age of 18, the homestay provider also accepts responsibility for adequately safeguarding and promoting the welfare of that child.

We all have a duty to respond and report if we believe somebody is at risk of harm.

During College opening hours, contact somebody in the International or Safeguarding Team.

If somebody is at immediate risk of harm or danger, call 999 and speak to the appropriate emergency service.

All relevant actions should also be recorded on MyConcern.

Safeguarding concerns can include:

• neglect
• physical abuse
• sexual abuse
• emotional abuse
• hate crime, including racist, disability, homophobic or transphobic abuse
• gender-based violence
• concerns around radicalisation or extremism
• child sexual exploitation
• County Lines
• trafficking or modern slavery
• domestic violence
• missing persons
• significant mental-health concerns, including a suicide plan, suicide attempt or psychosis

If you are unsure whether something constitutes a safeguarding concern, contact CAVC for advice.

Not every concern will meet the threshold of a safeguarding concern, but wellbeing concerns should still be taken seriously and reported appropriately.

These may include:

• anxiety
• eating difficulties
• harassment
• difficulty adjusting to student life
• loss and bereavement
• low mood, mood swings or depression
• low self-esteem
• relationship issues
• panic attacks
• sexuality or gender issues
• financial issues
• family or housing issues
• substance misuse

If you have a wellbeing concern, record this on MyConcern so that an appropriate member of the team can offer support and guidance.

• listen carefully
• remain non-judgemental
• be clear about boundaries
• do not ask leading questions
• only prompt where necessary using open questions such as where, what and when
• do not promise confidentiality, as the concern may need to be shared further
• consider the best way to record the disclosure. Best practice is normally to listen first and then write a thorough summary afterwards
• record only the facts as the student presents them to you
• do not include your personal opinion in the record
• record the concern on MyConcern
• inform the International and/or Safeguarding Teams as soon as practically possible

Your notes could subsequently form part of a social-care or criminal investigation, so it is important that they are factual and accurate.

If somebody is at immediate risk of harm or danger, call 999.

All wellbeing, safeguarding and medical concerns should be recorded on MyConcern.

All homestay providers are provided with access to MyConcern and are expected to use the platform to share relevant information.

When completing the Report a Concern form, select International in the Send Concern to section.

This ensures that both the International and Safeguarding Teams are alerted.

All CAVC learners have access to the CAVC Wisdom app, which provides 24/7 wellbeing support, including a free 24-hour helpline or chat function.

Homestay providers can also download the app and request advice, guidance and support where required.

All household members aged 18 and over must complete the appropriate DBS check.

If somebody is registered with the DBS Update Service, an online status check will be completed.

If they are not registered with the Update Service, CAVC will fund a new DBS application.

Please inform CAVC of changes to the adults living or regularly staying within your household.

Homestay providers will be sent a link to online safeguarding training.

CAVC also provides a safeguarding session specifically for homestay providers.

It is a requirement that all providers undertake both sets of training and are familiar with the safeguarding procedures provided by CAVC.

Students under the age of 18 must follow the curfew arrangements set by CAVC.

The standard curfew contained within the Homestay Agreement is 10.00 pm each evening, unless prior permission has been granted in accordance with CAVC requirements.

Students must notify their host as soon as possible if they expect to be delayed.

If a student misses their curfew but you are in contact with them and have established that they are safe and well, submit a MyConcern report. CAVC will manage the matter in accordance with the Behaviour Policy and Procedures and Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.

If you cannot make contact with the student and there are concerns for their safety and wellbeing, continue trying to establish their whereabouts.

If you have been unable to make contact for two hours and have concerns for the student's welfare, contact the Police.

When contacting the Police, explain that you are a homestay provider for an international student under 18, explain the student's curfew arrangements, when you last saw or spoke to them, what attempts you have made to contact them and why you are concerned.

The Police may ask for additional information. Be factual and share what you know.

The CAVC Safeguarding Team must also be notified through MyConcern. The report should be marked as an Urgent Concern.

Repeated breaches of curfew may result in safeguarding intervention, disciplinary action or withdrawal from the homestay programme.

If a student has an accident or injury outside College, the homestay provider should call an ambulance or take them to the nearest appropriate hospital depending on the circumstances.

All students under 18 must be accompanied by an appropriate adult from the homestay.

In the event of a critical incident or immediate threat to life:

Call the emergency services on 999 first.

The CAVC emergency contact should then be notified as soon as it is safe and practical to do so:

CAVC Emergency Number: 02920 250 251

Details of the incident should be recorded on MyConcern as soon as it is safe to do so.

Concerns about a child

Cardiff Children's Access Point: 029 2053 6490

Vale of Glamorgan Intake and Family Support Team: 01446 725 202

Emergency Duty Team, out of office hours: 029 2078 8570

Concerns about an adult

Cardiff Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH): 02922 330888

Vale of Glamorgan Adult Services: 01446 700111

Out of Hours: 02920 788570

If somebody is at immediate risk of harm or danger, call 999.

Whistleblowing is when somebody raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity or wrongdoing within an organisation.

Raising a concern, sometimes referred to as "blowing the whistle", is an important process for identifying risks to people's safety.

Sharing information or talking through a concern can be the first step in helping an organisation identify problems and improve its practices.

Homestay providers can raise concerns and should follow the CAVC Whistleblowing Procedure.

Where possible, concerns should be provided in writing with as much supporting evidence as possible about the disclosure and grounds for concern.

If your concern relates to another organisation rather than CAVC, the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line can provide advice and guidance on 0800 028 0285.

Homestay providers should:

• maintain appropriate boundaries and behaviour at all times
• keep communication with students respectful and appropriate
• avoid situations that place either the provider or student at risk
• not take or share photographs of students without appropriate permission
• report welfare or safety concerns promptly
• inform CAVC of accidents or prolonged illness

Your legal responsibilities

If you provide accommodation to paying guests, fire-safety law applies.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, providers of relevant accommodation have responsibilities for protecting people using their premises from the risk of fire.

You must:

• carry out a fire risk assessment
• improve your fire-safety measures where necessary
• keep risks and your fire-safety measures under review

The responsibility remains with the person responsible for the premises even where somebody else assists with the fire risk assessment.

Fire risk assessment

A fire risk assessment is a thorough assessment of your property, the people who are likely to use it, the possibility of a fire occurring and the measures needed to prevent fire and keep people safe.

Your assessment should follow five key steps.

1. Identify fire hazards

Consider:

• possible sources of ignition
• sources of fuel
• sources of oxygen
• cooking equipment
• electrical equipment
• heaters
• smoking materials
• candles and naked flames
• combustible or flammable materials

Consider how a fire could start and what could burn.

2. Identify people at risk

Consider everybody who may be present in the property and anybody who may be particularly vulnerable or need additional assistance.

This can include children, older people and disabled people.

Consider where people sleep and whether they would be able to leave the property safely if a fire occurred.

3. Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk

Take action to remove or reduce the fire hazards you have identified.

Consider how a fire would be detected and how everybody in the property would be alerted.

Consider whether:

• fire detection is adequate
• detectors are positioned appropriately
• alarms are tested regularly
• escape routes are suitable and kept clear
• everybody can leave the property quickly and safely
• appropriate firefighting equipment is available where required

4. Record, plan and inform

Keep an appropriate record of your assessment and the fire-safety measures you have put in place.

Make sure students know what to do if there is a fire and understand how to leave the property.

Your arrangements should take account of anybody who may require additional assistance.

5. Review

Your fire risk assessment is a living document and should not simply be completed and forgotten.

Review it regularly and update it when necessary.

You should particularly review it following changes to:

• the way the property is used
• the layout of the property
• the people staying in the property
• fire risks or fire-safety arrangements

If new or different risks are identified, take appropriate action to address them.

Fire detection and escape

Providers should ensure appropriate fire-detection arrangements are in place and maintained.

Escape routes should be suitable, unobstructed and capable of allowing everybody to leave the property safely.

Students should be told:

• what to do if they discover a fire
• how they will be alerted to a fire
• how to leave the property
• where appropriate exits are located
• where keys required for an exit are kept
• to call 999 in an emergency

Any fire-safety equipment, emergency lighting or other precautions required for the particular property should be maintained appropriately.

An annual landlord's gas-safety certificate is required where applicable.

Support is available to providers to arrange this if required.

Please inform the International Team of significant changes that could affect a student's placement, the suitability of the accommodation or safeguarding arrangements.

This includes:

• somebody moving into or out of the property
• a new adult regularly staying at the property
• moving home
• significant building or renovation work
• changes to the bedroom used by students
• significant changes to household facilities
• changes that could affect the safety of the accommodation

Changes to adult household members may require additional DBS or safeguarding checks.

If a student is unhappy with their accommodation, CAVC will normally encourage a conversation between the student and homestay provider where appropriate to try to resolve the issue.

If the matter cannot be resolved, the International Team should be contacted.

Any planned move requires a Change of Accommodation Form and normally requires two weeks' paid notice.

Students must leave their room clean and tidy when departing.

CAVC reserves the right to move a student to alternative accommodation where necessary for safeguarding, welfare, behavioural or operational reasons.

Where possible, the student and their parent or guardian will be informed in advance. In urgent circumstances, CAVC may arrange an immediate move where this is considered to be in the best interests of the student or homestay provider.

Students remain subject to relevant CAVC policies throughout their stay, including:

• Student Code of Conduct
• Safeguarding Policy
• Behaviour Policy
• accommodation guidance issued by the International Team

Failure to comply with College policies may result in disciplinary action, removal from homestay accommodation or, where appropriate, withdrawal from the College.

CAVC processes personal information relating to homestay arrangements in accordance with applicable UK data-protection legislation.

Information will only be shared where necessary to support a student's welfare, accommodation arrangements, safeguarding responsibilities or to comply with legal obligations.

Information about students should be treated appropriately and should not be shared unnecessarily.