Independent advice - neutral tests - recognised certification

RUF Jugendreisen are "OK for Kids"

Essen/Hannover/Hamburg: RUF Jugendreisen in Bielefeld is one of the first tour operators to be granted the "OK for Kids" seal of quality. The test criteria on which the seal is based were developed by the German society for the protection of children, Deutscher Kinderschutzbund, and by parents and children themselves. Among others, the RUF holiday centres on the Island of Föhr, at Bad Oldesloe, Walsrode and Glörsee reservoir were assessed by the TÜV inspectors. The certificate was presented in Lemgo on the occasion of the RUF end-of-summer party, which was attended by around 4,000 young people.
"Our test mark confirms that 'if the child-friendly seal is outside, it is child-friendly inside' " emphasised Ulf Theike, Chief Executive of TÜV NORD CERT. Theike and Friedhelm Güthoff from Deutscher Kinderschutzbund presented the "OK for Kids" certificate to the Chief Executives of RUF Jugendreisen, Thomas Korbus and Burkhard Schmidt-Schönefeldt.
And what is really special is that parents and children themselves played a part in establishing the criteria for the new certificate: in special workshops it became clear that above all, children want to have fun and the opportunity to play sports and games when they take holidays away from their parents. But they do not feel that television is in any way essential, and mobile phones should only be used in emergencies. The most important thing for parents is that they know their children are safe and well looked after. 
Only trained personnel are used by tour operators certified by TÜV NORD CERT, and there are regular checks to ensure that they fulfil their duty of care towards the children.
RUF Jugendreisen meets these criteria and is the first tour operator to have its children's holidays certified according to "OK for Kids". Their personnel are systematically trained and prepared for their work at the company's own training academy.

About the TÜV NORD Group
With over 10,000 employees TÜV NORD Group is one of the largest technical service providers in Germany. It also operates in over 70 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The Group owes its leading market position to its technical competence and a broad range of advisory, service, and testing services in the Mobility, Industrial Services, International, Natural Resources and Training and Human Resources fields. TÜV NORD Group is firmly committed to its guiding principle and watchword: "Making our world safer".
www.tuv-nord.com

TÜV NORD CERT
TÜV NORD CERT is a provider of comprehensive inspection and certification services based on national and international standards. The work of the company is not limited to the traditional industrial sectors but extends to service organisations and institutions in all areas of our modern industrial and service society. The company holds around 120 national and international accreditations and supports more than 28,000 customers worldwide in all matters relating to certification.
www.tuev-nord.de/en/CERTIFICATION_412.htm

About Deutscher Kinderschutzbund Landesverband NRW e.V.
The Regional Association of Deutscher Kinderschutzbund in North Rhine-Westphalia - the Landesverband NRW e.V. (DKSB LV NRW e.V.) - is responsible for the  DKSB criteria. In cooperation with TÜV NORD CERT, it develops and updates the criteria for the "OK for Kids" Service Check along with the assessment procedure that is used. The German Association for the Protection of Children (Kinderschutzbund) in NRW (DKSB-NRW) is currently the largest regional organisation of the Association in Germany, and 540 salaried specialists together with around 3,000 volunteers work in the various locations. It offers help to children and families in many situations, takes part in political discussions and provides impetus to the informed public. DKSB-NRW holds the DZI (German Central Institute for Social Matters) seal awarded to trustworthy charitable and social causes.
www.dksb-nrw.de
Child Protection Blog: www.fair-quer.de

Contact for this press release:
TÜV NORD Group
Rainer Camen Telephone +49 (0)201 825-2331, Fax -2559
media@tuv-nord.com
Web: www.tuev-nord.de/en/PRESS_569.htm
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