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    30 Questions to Ask Before Your Child Volunteers Abroad

    A copy-paste-ready list of specific written questions to send any volunteer abroad provider before a deposit is paid. Insist on written answers. Vagueness on any of these is your warning sign.

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    How to use this list

    Don't ask all 30 in one email — group them by section and send 2-3 separate emails. This forces the provider to give thorough answers rather than rushing one long reply. If you get marketing language back instead of specifics, push for specifics.

    Safeguarding

    1. What is your written child safeguarding policy? May we read it?
    2. Do you require a background check from my child's country of residence?
    3. Will my child ever have unsupervised one-to-one contact with a child or vulnerable person?
    4. Who are the qualified local staff who supervise volunteers day to day?
    5. What's the named, in-writing process for reporting a safeguarding concern?
    6. What's your policy on volunteers photographing identifiable children?
    7. Are volunteers permitted to share photos of the children or community on social media?
    8. What happens if a safeguarding concern is raised about a volunteer?

    Role boundaries

    1. What specifically will my child do day-by-day? Be precise.
    2. What tasks are explicitly out of scope for volunteers?
    3. If this is a medical role, what clinical tasks are/aren't permitted for an unlicensed volunteer?
    4. Will my child be the sole adult responsible for any child or vulnerable person? (Should be 'no'.)

    Safety and emergency

    1. What's your 24/7 in-country emergency contact? Who answers it?
    2. What's the medical evacuation procedure? Which hospital? What insurance pays for it?
    3. What's the current government travel advisory for this destination?
    4. What's your protocol if there's political unrest, natural disaster, or a security incident?
    5. What's the protocol if my child needs to leave the placement early?

    Money and refunds

    1. Show me a percentage breakdown of where the program fee goes.
    2. What share of the fee reaches the local partner organisation?
    3. What's NOT included in the fee?
    4. What's the refund and cancellation policy in writing?
    5. If the program is cancelled by you, what's the refund process?
    6. Is the deposit paid to a registered organisation account, not a personal account?

    Provider track record

    1. Can you connect us with 2-3 recent volunteers from this specific placement?
    2. Where can we read independent reviews?
    3. How long have you worked with the local partner organisation?
    4. What has the program changed in the last 12 months in response to volunteer feedback?
    5. What's your single biggest piece of advice for a parent in our position?

    Insurance and legal

    1. What insurance does the program require, and what does it cover?
    2. Is the role permitted on a tourist visa, or does it require a specific visa class?
    3. What's the consequence if a volunteer overstays or violates visa terms?

    What "good" answers look like

    • Specific and verifiable — names, percentages, dates, documents.
    • In writing — saved in email, not "we'll discuss on a call."
    • Same answer twice — ask the same thing of two different team members and see if you get consistent answers.
    • Open about limits — "We don't yet have a medical evacuation contract in this region — here's our workaround" is more reassuring than vague reassurance.

    If they refuse or get defensive

    That's an answer too. A reputable program has these answers ready. If your child still wants to go ahead, push them to use our red flag checker and seriously consider a different operator. There are good ones out there.