Liability Insurance for Churches sending teams

Posted by April Hunter on May 20, 2015 at 5:01pm

First off, is this a "thing"??

Our church youth leaders have organised a short term mission trip to Tanzania. 
The team is comprised of young people and adults, and they will be gone for a couple of weeks this summer. It's all very organised and straight forward, and i know they have travel insurance of a sort. 
However, as a mission support team, we are wondering if there needs to be some sort of liability cover for the church, as we are sending them. Something to cover us in the instance that someone is injured or worse while on the trip, and angry parents or family want to hold the church responsible.

A quick google has directed me to waiver forms that some missions organisations ask participants in short term missions to sign. 


Is there something like this that would reflect UK law?? 

Any help or direction is much appreciated!  

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Replies

  • Simon Hickman May 20, 2015 at 5:06pm

    Was the travel travel insurance in the name of the church?  Quite often now the church insurers will ask for travel insurance to be in place for overseas trips.  Be sure that the activities are going to be covered on the travel policy if there is any manual work being done.  Let your church insurers know.

    Kind regards

    Simon

    • Simon Hickman > Simon Hickman May 22, 2015 at 8:36am
      The key thing is to work out where the liability will lie if there is an incident. Who is responsible for organising and controlling the work. If it is the church then they will be liable and no disclaimer or liability waiver will help them in court. If it is Bread Trust you need to check that they have insurance to cover injury to the volunteers. Otherwise you need to arrange for the church to buy the cover.
    • April Hunter > Simon Hickman May 20, 2015 at 5:18pm

      I don't know. I will ask. 
      Are you asking whether the travel insurance policy is in the name of the church, or if each team member has their own individual policy, or if the group has a policy in the name of the group leaders but not linked to the church. 

      I know they have covered everything they will be doing, as in it covers the individuals going. We know our church's liability insurance will not cover anything outside the UK. 

    • Simon Hickman > April Hunter May 20, 2015 at 5:41pm

      Yes - is the travel policy in the name of the church?  A policy in the name of the church also incurs a lower tax of 6% rather than 20 for personal policies.

    • April Hunter > Simon Hickman May 21, 2015 at 9:44pm

      The travel insurance policy is not in the name of the church, rather in the names of the individuals going. I'm confident it's adequate to cover the team members for what they will be doing. 
      My question is more to do with covering the church itself. The individuals from our church have organised themselves into a team and are going out there and working under a UK based Charity called www.bread-trust.org.uk

      So the question would be, is the church liable? Our role has mainly been supporting the team members spiritually, supporting their fund raising efforts, and giving them a platform and profile within our church body. The trip is being led by full time members of staff, but they are in fact joining another church and together working under Bread-Trust. 

      So would it be prudent for the team members to sign some sort of liability waiver? 

      BREAD Trust > Home
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