Safeguarding & Behaviour Policy
- Sexual abuse.
- Grooming
- Physical and emotional abuse and neglect.
- Domestic violence.
- Inappropriate supervision by staff or volunteers.
- Bullying, cyber bullying, acts of violence and aggression.
- Victimisation
- Self-harm.
- Unsafe environments and activities.
- Crime; and
- Exploitation
- The welfare of the child is paramount.
- All children regardless of race, gender, religious belief, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity have a right to equal protection from harm.
- Some children are more vulnerable to harm as a result of their circumstances, prior experience, communication needs or level of dependency; and
- Working with children, young people, their parents and/or guardians, carers or other agencies is essential to protecting their wellbeing.
- Identifying specific safeguarding concerns that need to be raised with a senior manager within the responsible provider and/or authority.
- Responding to specific child protection concerns about children at risk of significant harm that are likely to need to be referred through to social care services and possibly the police.
- Give the highest priority to their safety and welfare.
- Recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people.
- Respond appropriately to disclosure by a child, or young person, of abuse. Respond appropriately to allegations against staff, other adults and against themselves.
- Contribute, as necessary, to all stages of PESSPA Education & Play safeguarding and protection processes.
Off-Site Trips Policy:
At our holiday club settings, we understand the importance of providing enriching experiences for children, and occasionally, we may organise off-site trips to various attractions. These trips are designed to offer children the opportunity to explore, learn, and enjoy a range of activities beyond the club’s premises. The following policy outlines our approach to off-site trips:
1. Safety and Visibility: During off-site trips, the safety of the children is our top priority. All participating children will be required to wear a fluorescent jacket, making them easily identifiable and ensuring their visibility to our staff at all times.
2. Risk Assessment: Prior to any off-site trip, our location leads will conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify and address potential hazards. We take proactive measures to ensure the safety of the children and staff during these excursions.
3. Child:Teacher Ratio: We strictly adhere to our child:teacher ratio protocols during off-site trips. This ensures that each child receives appropriate supervision and attention, contributing to a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
4. Parental Consent: We understand that parents may have concerns about off-site trips. Parents who wish for their children not to participate in off-site activities are encouraged to discuss their concerns with our team. We value open communication and may consider making alternative arrangements for the child’s care on those specific days.
5. Advance Notice: Whenever off-site trips are planned, we will inform parents in advance, allowing them to make informed decisions about their child’s participation. In some cases, we may encourage parents not to book on certain days when off-site visits are scheduled.
Our off-site trips are carefully planned to offer diverse experiences that align with our commitment to child development and enjoyment. With the safety and well-being of the children as our utmost priority, we aim to create memorable and educational experiences for all participants.
- Identify acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
- Encourage cooperation, honest, fairness and respect.
- Create an environment where your self-esteem, self-respect and self- confidence will grow.
- Encourage you to recognise and respect the rights of others.
- Encourage you to take responsibility for your own behaviour.
- Help resolve conflicts and make it clear what will happen if you decide not to follow the code.
- Cooperate with others.
- Be friendly.
- Listen to Others.
- Be helpful.
- Have good manners.
- Treat everyone with respect.
- Take responsibility for your own behaviour.
- Talk to a responsible adult about anything that worries or concerns you.
- Follow this code of behaviour and other rules (including the law).
- Join in and have fun.
- Be disrespectful to anyone else.
- Bully other people (online or offline).
- Behave in a way that could be intimidating.
- Be abusive towards anyone.
- Consistent and firm, but fair and kind.
• Will agree the above values with the children at the start of each session.
• The Behaviour values will be regularly discussed with the children.
• They will be explained to all newcomers (staff and children).
- Neither physical punishments nor the threat of physical punishments will ever be used. This includes, but is not limited to – shaking, smacking, pushing or pulling.
- Children will never be sent out of the coaching area alone.
- Children will first be told that such behaviour (bad language, activities causing possible danger etc.) is unacceptable.
- Children are expected to apologise for hurting or upsetting another person, even if it was an accident.
- It will always be made clear to the child that it is the behaviour that is unwelcome, not the child.
- Staff will never shout, except to warn of a danger.
- Staff will make themselves aware of and respect a range of cultural expectations regarding interpersonal interactions.
- Staff will deal with inappropriate behaviour in a way that encourages the child’s development in a positive way.
- Recurring problems will be tackled by a variety of means, using positive reinforcement, rewards for good behaviour, such as chart Team rewards etc.
- Recurring problems will be tackled in partnership with the family and the whole club, possibly resulting in a short-term suspension in order to discuss the situation.
- At this point the situation will be discussed with the parent or carer and a mutually acceptable solution found. Permission for targeted observations may be sought.
- Every effort will be made to help the child adjust his/ her behaviour.
- Should problems persist, unbiased observation records may be kept and countersigned by a witness. Parents will have access to these records.
- A review of the observation records will be held, the family may attend but results outlining any support or strategy we can offer will be outlined.
- Hopefully, as a result of this some improvement will be noticed and noted.
- Should there still be problems, suspension may will be deemed necessary, and will be written on an incident form.
- Parents should note that refunds will not be given in such cases, that should they wish the place to be held during the exclusion, it must be paid for.
- The child will be allowed to return if he/she shows willing to alter their behaviour.
- Their return is on a trial basis.
- Should any incidents occur during this time, exclusion will be immediate and permanent.
- Should a child need to be suspended twice, there will be no offer of return.