Kirstie Allsopp reported to Social Services

[Eastie77Returns]

I know she’s worshipped on MN so will don by hard hat now😅 I think reporting her was absolutely ridiculous but I do question the wisdom of letting her 15 year old son travel across Europe on his own (well with friends). She mentioned lots of kids do this after their GCSEs. I think it’s usually after A Levels?

I'm sure she knows her own son and can decide whether or not to let him travel on his own. Social services need to concentrate on people that really do need their help.

@supersue, for insurance, if the girls are covered under the NHS they can use EHIC or GHIC in Spain - double check, but I think that if they were covered by EHIC before Brexit (which they might have been if the family previously went abroad in the EU) they can use the existing card if not expired and renew as needed, and if not they can apply for GHIC. This can take months though so check it out now and suggest that the parents follow up if you have time before the trip.

I'm not sure about the parental letter/authorisation - it depends entirely on the country you're visiting. I don't think Spain formally requires a letter (I know Portugal does), but I have not been there since Brexit so worth checking. Sites with a url ending gob.es will be the official Spanish government sites and will have the official information - this one should be good (although it's attached to the Spanish embassy in Washington - I couldn't find a London equivalent - it has the general information). If the other families are willing, it may be worth having the letters just for peace of mind, simply stating the girls' names and yours, the names and contact info for the parents at home, and that permission is given for the trip from x to y date with their signatures. They're mainly trying to avoid kidnapping a trafficking, but innocent as your trip looks and is it may fall afoul of whatever rules they have in place.

They will do.

An hour or so with KA and her son and a conclusion of no further action is neither here nor there.

Doing nothing is not an option.