For DSLs and operations managers
Questions to ask before outsourcing your duty phone
Use these questions to compare the service behind the phone number, from scope and authority to handover.
What exactly will you cover?
Ask for the proposed hours, term-time and holiday arrangements, types of incident included and exclusions. Clarify whether the service offers remote coordination, physical attendance or both. Ask how simultaneous calls, missed calls and unexpected demand are handled, and what happens outside contracted cover.
Who answers, and how are they prepared?
Ask how responders learn your student context, accommodation arrangements and escalation procedures. Request an explanation of training, supervision and how updates reach the person on duty. A useful scenario is a student calling with incomplete information: ask the provider to describe the first response and the point at which the school becomes involved.
Where does your authority end?
Establish who can authorise transport, accommodation changes or spending, and what happens when authorisation is unavailable. Ask the provider to explain how safeguarding concerns reach your designated lead. Document the responsibilities your school retains and the activities you are asking the provider to perform.
What will we receive after an incident?
Request an anonymised or illustrative handover. Look for a timeline, actions, decisions, unresolved issues and an owner for each next step. Ask when urgent updates are sent, how the morning record is delivered and how your team confirms receipt. Agree how errors or missing information are corrected.
How is information handled, and what if the service fails?
Ask what information the provider needs, who can access it, how it is transferred and how retention and deletion are agreed. Ask about outages, staff absence and an orderly return of the service to your team. Before signing, run a scenario together and record any assumptions that need to become explicit service terms.