Responsibilities

Responsibilities of Person in Charge

The Person in Charge (PIC) is the person who is overall in charge of a particular EOTC activity or event on behalf of the school. This person is responsible for managing a team of activity leaders and assistants during an event or is the sole activity leader. The PIC could be a registered teacher, could be a qualified instructor or sports coach.

There may be multiple Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking* (PCBUs) involved in EOTC. The respective PICs must* clarify with each other where and when their respective responsibilities apply and execute these according to best practice.

The PIC’s responsibilities cover the following major areas: competence and best practice, health and safety procedures, and equipment and resources.

1. Competence and best practice

People in Charge must:

2. Health and safety

People in Charge:

3. Equipment and resources

People in Charge must ensure that:

 

Responsibilities of Activity Leaders

Activity leaders work under the leadership of a PIC and can be teachers, coaches, other staff, contracted providers (for example, instructors), adult volunteers, senior school students, or tertiary students. This group must have the appropriate competence for the activities and groups they are responsible for.

Through the use of activity leaders, EOTC activities involving large groups can be more effectively managed. In this way, safety can be maximised and students can more easily achieve the intended learning outcomes.

Activity leaders also have responsibilities in three main areas: competence and best practice, health and safety procedures, and equipment and resources.

 

1. Competence and best practice Activity leaders:

2. Health and safety

Activity leaders must:

3. Equipment and resources

Activity leaders must ensure that:

Responsibilities of the Assistants

Assistants can be teachers, support staff, adult volunteers, and tertiary or senior students. They differ from an activity leader in that they do not necessarily have the required competence for that role. Such people should be assigned to an activity leader as an assistant. They should be given the students’ medical details and other relevant information on their group and the activity, and they should be briefed on the risk management and emergency procedures. The level for supervision of an assistant should be in proportion to the level of risk in the activity. Supervision of an assistant may, therefore, be direct or indirect.

School staff acting as assistants on EOTC experiences* continue to act as employees of the school whether the excursion takes place within normal school hours or outside those hours. Staff must* do their best to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the group and act as any reasonable adult would do in the same circumstances. 

They should*:

They should also:

MAC EOTC Roles and Responsibilities