Dear Homestay Family,

Transcription

1 Version 4 Dec 2015 Dear Homestay Family, Thank you for your inquiry to provide homestay facilities for our international students. Our students are boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 who come from Europe, Asia and South America. At any given time we could have approximately 80 international students in the mainstream classes as well as up to 45 students in the High School Preparation Program for periods of 10 to 40 weeks. We also cater for various study tour groups for periods ranging from 1 week to 4 weeks at different times throughout the year. It is important that these students have somewhere to stay where they will feel comfortable and welcome in Australia while pursuing their studies and the other activities the School requires of them. St Paul s School ensures that appropriate arrangements have been made for the students accommodation, support and general welfare in Australia. The standard of English of these students ranges from very little (those entering the High School Preparation Program to prepare them for Middle or Senior School) to quite fluent. It is important that these students mix in a typical Australian family in as many ways as possible and get used to talking and communicating in English. Our homestays need to speak English as the main language in the home. St Paul's School will provide every assistance to ensure that student homestay runs as smoothly as possible, however, the School cannot accept any responsibility for expenses incurred by or on behalf of students. Host families are asked to provide students with: a single bedroom of their own containing adequate furnishings including a bed and linen. morning and evening meals, as well as the provision of a packed lunch during the week (including snack foods) and up to three main meals per day on the weekends. laundering of clothing, bed linen, towels and the ironing of the school uniform ( and is included in the homestay charge). a real interest in the student and his/her welfare, including coping with homesickness (if any). appropriate family guidelines for acceptable social behaviour, as you would expect of your own children, and within the regulations of the School. transport to and from School (this applies to study tour students only). New long term students arriving from overseas will be met at the airport and delivered to the homestay family. The St Paul's School year, including the High School Preparation Program is normally 38 teaching weeks. Many long term students will return home only for the Christmas vacation. In some cases the students may wish to remain in Australia through December and January to concentrate on learning more about Australia and the English language.

2 The payment for long term students from 1 January 2015 is $37 per night ($35 p/n plus $2 p/n subsidy for internet access), with payments being made monthly, with payments being made monthly. The payment for study tour students is $38 for double placement per night and $39 for single placement per night. Study Tour students are required to be transported to and from School, with payments being made at the commencement of the tour. We have also included information on host family Liability Insurance. Guests who are living in your home as overseas boarders are sometimes not covered under normal household Public Liability Cover, so further cover should be obtained (please check with your Insurance company). Homestay families are required to have appropriate Public Liability Insurance cover. Before commencing with the St Paul s Homestay Program, we require a copy of your current Public Liability Insurance (PLI). We are happy to accept a copy with personal details blanked out (eg, amount house & contents are insured for). Should you require further cover, we have found 2 companies who offer Homestay Public Liability Insurance: RSM Group - AIG Australia (Homestay Host Insurance Plus) If you wish to proceed further with becoming a homestay family for St Paul's School you will need to review, complete and return the following listed documents to myself, either by post, , or deliver in person to the International School at St Paul s School: Questionnaire (must be signed and witnessed before returning) Declaration (must be signed and witnessed before returning) Homestay Account Details for processing of homestay payments electronically (must be completed and signed before returning) Homestay Parent Contract (must be signed before returning) Copy of your Public Liability Insurance cover Once I have received & registered your application, I will contact you to organise a date & time for me to come and visit you and your home to conduct an inspection & to discuss your application further. At this stage, I will also discuss with you the need for you to have a Blue Card (should you not have one). Each person over the age of 18 years of age that lives in your home must have a current card. For further information, refer to Thank you once again for offering to host a student. Yours sincerely, Simone Green HOMESTAY CO-ORDINATOR Phone (07) (Option 6) s.green@stpauls.qld.edu.au

3 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NEW HOMESTAY FAMILIES Thank you for your interest in providing Homestay Accommodation for an overseas student. In order to create a profile of your family, we would like you to provide the following information to assist in making the best possible match for both you and your prospective overseas student. Once the Questionnaire is completed and returned to St Paul s School, we will contact you to make an appointment to meet you and view your home. Homestay Families are required to apply for, and be granted, a Suitability Blue Card from the Blue Card Services. If you already have a Blue Card please provide the details of the card/s below. Statement of Commitment: St Paul s School supports the rights of children and young people and are committed to ensure the safety, welfare and wellbeing of students. St Paul s School are therefore committed to responding to allegations of student harm resulting from the conduct or actions of any person including that of employees. This commitment includes the provision of a safe and supportive living and learning environment for all students and requires all employees, volunteers and visitors to model and encourage behaviour that upholds the dignity and protection of students from harm. In support of this commitment, St Paul s School are dedicated to their Child and Youth Risk Management strategy which includes having relevant policies, procedures and training in place to effectively address the safety and wellbeing of students in their care. HOMESTAY PARENT(S) Surname: Given Name: (Father) Surname: Given Name: (Mother) ADDRESS: P/Code: Home: (07) Mother Mobile: Father Mobile: Address/es: (Please note: we require a current address as most communication is through ) OCCUPATION Father: WK PHONE: (07) Time you leave for work: Time you arrive home from work: Mother: WK PHONE: (07) Time you leave for work: Time you arrive home from work:

4 SUITABILITY CARDS (BLUE CARDS if current) Father Suitability Card # / Expiry Date: / / Mother Suitability Card # / Expiry Date: / / Other Suitability Card # / Expiry Date: / / Other Suitability Card # / Expiry Date: / / CHILDREN LIVING AT HOME: Name Gender D.O.B School (if applicable) M F OTHERS LIVING AT HOME: Name Gender D.O.B Relationship M F FAMILY INTERESTS: (Please tick) swimming craft cooking tennis picnics movies skating computers camping cycling golf gardening board games badminton reading walking ballet music other: PETS Yes No If yes, are they? INDOOR OUTDOOR Type / size / breed: RELIGION: Are you registered to provide Homestay accommodation for other institutions? YES NO If YES, please specify: Do you currently, or will you in the near future have any Homestay students living with you from other institutions? YES NO If yes, please provide details: M F Age/s: Nationality:

5 Can anyone in the home speak any other language besides English: If YES, please give details: Internet Access: Unlimited Other (please note: from 1 January 2015, all long term students residing in your home must have access to internet) Family Dietary Requirements? Vegetarian Celiac Other (please note: this information helps to place students with host families with similar dietary requirements) Would you consider taking students with special needs? e.g., diet, medical conditions etc YES NO Do you have third party insurance for accidental breakages? YES NO Do you have Pubic Liability Insurance that covers students living in your home? YES NO Please note: Guests who are living in your home as overseas boarders are sometimes not covered under normal household Public Liability Cover, so further cover should be obtained (please check with your Insurance company) Insurance Company Name: Policy No: Expiry Date: / / ***Please attach a copy of PLI to this application*** Please indicate how the student would travel to and from School? (please note: Study Tour students are required to be delivered and collected from School each day) Family Car Travelling Time: minutes Bus Train Bus Stop No: Bus No: Distance from bus stop to home: metres Station: Distance from station to home: metres If necessary, would you be able to transport students to and from: Extra-curricular activities: YES NO Weekend sporting fixtures: YES NO Please indicate if you have any preference for: Nationality: Gender: Age: Are you interested in providing Homestay Accommodation for: Long Term Students OR Short Term Students (Short term students may stay anything from a few days to a few weeks students must be driven to and from school each day) Number of students you can accommodate?: (L/Term students must have a room of their own) I/We confirm acceptance that St Paul s School will not accept responsibility for expenses incurred by or on behalf of students without prior notice and written authorisation from St Paul s School. I/We also give St Paul s School permission for Questionnaire Details to be placed on the St Paul s School database which will be used for selection purposes. I/We understand these details will also be provided to the family of the child placed in my/our care. Signature(s) 1. Date: / / 2. Date: / / Signature of Witness: Date: / / Name and Address of Witness:

6 DECLARATION To the Head of St Paul s School, St Paul s International School, and the Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane I, (Name/s) Of (Address) in the State of Queensland, hereby declare that the information contained below and in my application to be a homestay provider at St Paul's School is a true and complete statement. I unconditionally authorise St Paul's School and/or its agents to make any and all enquiries they deem necessary to satisfy the School as to my identity, qualifications, background and suitability to provide homestay services to overseas students. I hereby declare that: 1) I have not been referred for, or treated in the last 10 years for: Alcoholism, Drug dependence, or A mental or nervous disorder; 2) I have never been convicted of an offence, had an offence proven against me, or been fined for any offence other than a minor traffic offence; 3) I have not been the subject of a Family Law or Domestic Violence Order, or other court order with respect to my behaviour; 4) All information presented in support of my application, both verbally and in writing, is true and correct in every way, and that no matters which otherwise may be considered to prejudice my application have been withheld. I understand that any false or misleading statement given in, or associated with, this declaration is sufficient grounds to terminate any homestay placement made by the School, without prejudice or remedy. Date this Day of 201 Signed by applicant/s: Signed by witness: Name and address of witness:

7 HOMESTAY PARENT CONTRACT: I/We, (and) (Please print) (Please print) of (address) Qld agree to the following conditions as a Homestay parent: A. I will notify the School of any concerns over the welfare or study habits of my student/s, and in the case of any of the following: Drug usage or alcohol abuse Unlawful action Severe medical problem Failure to follow School rules Non-attendance B. I agree that I will notify St Paul s School before accepting any students from other Institutions while this student is living in my home. C. English must be the main language spoken in my home. D. I understand that St Paul s School aims to ensure that students of opposite genders are not placed in the same home, or students that speak the same language (other than English) are not placed in the same home. E. I agree to refund the balance of any Homestay fees paid in advance in the event of a termination (including a change) of Homestay placement. In most cases I will expect two weeks notice of the termination of a placement, but I understand that exceptional circumstances may warrant the School to effect a termination of Homestay placement at its discretion. F. I agree to allow St Paul s School to send my personal details to agents and families of children I will host. Information will include but not be limited to names, address, phone number/s and address. Signed Date Signed Date Version 2 July 2015

8 Homestay Payment Account Details Father Surname Mother Surname Address: Given Name Given Name Home No: (07) Work: (07) Mobile/s: Name of Account: Name of Bank or Institution: Branch location: BSB Number: Account Number: PLEASE NOTE: When funds are deposited electronically into your account the computer recognizes the account numbers and not the name the account is held in. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT THAT YOU CHECK THESE NUMBERS VERY CAREFULLY. Any change to account details should be advised to the St Paul s School Homestay Co-ordinator as soon as possible to ensure future payments are received. St Paul s School will not be responsible for any errors with information provided to us by the Homestay Provider, or when change of bank details are not provided in time for the payments to be processed. I / We have checked the above account details and confirm that they are correct. / / (Homestay parent s signature/s) (Date)

9 Blue Card System Information Sheet Rights and obligations of blue card holders The Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 places obligations on card holders. Failure to comply with these obligations may attract penalties. Can I use my blue card across regulated child-related categories? Paid employees and business operators Paid employees and business operators are able to use their blue cards for all regulated child-related categories, including volunteer work. Paid employees and business operators must advise Blue Card Services of all regulated childrelated work for which they are using their blue card. This is done by submitting the Authorisation to confirm a valid card/application form. Volunteers Volunteers are able to use their volunteer (V) blue card across all unpaid regulated childrelated work categories. Volunteers must advise Blue Card Services of all regulated child-related work for which they are using their blue card. This is done by submitting the Authorisation to confirm a valid card/application form. If you hold a volunteer blue card and propose to undertake paid work, you must submit a Volunteer to paid employment transfer form and pay the prescribed fee. You will be issued with a new paid (P) blue card with an additional three years validity. What if my card is lost or stolen? You must advise Blue Card Services by completing a Card/notice letter lost or stolen form within 14 days if your blue card is lost or stolen and pay the prescribed fee for a replacement card. What if my police information changes? Your police information is constantly monitored and if a relevant change occurs that might affect your eligibility to work with children, then your application or status as a card holder will be reassessed. You must immediately notify your employer if there is a change in your police information. Please note that you do not have to provide the details of any offence/s to your employer, only that a change has occurred. What if my card is suspended or cancelled? If your blue card is suspended or cancelled you must: not apply for, start or continue in regulated child-related work not apply for, start or continue to carry on a regulated child-related business return your positive notice letter and blue card to Blue Card Services immediately. If your card is suspended, once the charge is finalised in court and your eligibility to hold a card is re-assessed, you and your employer/volunteer organisation/education provider (if applicable) will be notified of the outcome of the re-assessment (i.e. whether your card is continued or the suspended card is cancelled and a negative notice is issued).

10 When should I renew my blue card? Paid employees may continue in regulated child-related work as long as they submit an application form to Blue Card Services prior to their blue card expiring. Volunteers, students and business operators who submit their application form at least 30 days prior to their blue card expiring may continue in regulated child-related work after the expiry of their blue card, unless it is suspended or cancelled earlier. If your blue card expires and you have not submitted your renewal application at least 30 days prior to the expiry date, you cannot continue in regulated child-related work until after you have received a new blue card. Blue Card Services will send card holders a reminder to renew their blue card 10 weeks before their card expires. What are my other obligations as a blue card holder? You must notify Blue Card Services if any of the following change: postal address employment circumstances (such a starting a new job) personal information (such as a name change due to marriage/divorce), if you stop working in regulated child-related employment.