Management of Behaviour Policy

Policy Statement

All children and young people have the right to relax, play and enjoy their time at The Kids’ Club, without fear of intimidation, harassment, physical or verbal abuse.

The Kids’ Club recognises the importance of positive and effective behaviour management strategies in promoting all children and young people’s welfare and enjoyment.

All staff including volunteers are committed to establishing positive behaviour management, with all children, young people and their families. Ensuring all children and young people are treated with the same respect and empathy.

The aims of our Behaviour Management Policy are to help all children and young people to:

Develop a sense of caring and respect for one another
Build caring and co-operative relationships with other children, young people and adults
Develop a range of social skills and help them learn what constitutes as acceptable behaviour
Develop confidence, self-discipline and self-esteem in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement.

How we promote Positive Behaviour:

Encourage relationships based on respect and understanding of the needs of others.

By providing an environment where all children and young people feel that they can express themselves freely.

Encourage all children and young people to listen to each other, to talk and discuss their feelings.

Support and guide all children and young people to manage their own behaviour, to take ‘ownership’; establish their own ‘rules’.

All staff including volunteers, children and young people will work together to establish a clear set of ‘ground rules’ governing all behaviour in Club. These will be continually reviewed so that new children/young people have a say in how the rules of the Club operate.

Emphasise the importance of being valued as an individual.

Encourage all children and young people to reflect on their behaviour, the consequences and the feelings of others.

Encourage all children and young people to take responsibility for their own actions.

We understand that children/young people may not have developed the appropriate strategies to express emotions due to their age/stage of development.

Promote play and behaviour limits that guide all children and young people’s safety and security rather than curb their play experiences.

The Club’s aims will apply equally to all children, young people, staff including volunteers and parents/carers.

All staff including volunteers and parents/carers will make every effort to set a positive example to all children and young people by behaving in a friendly and tolerant manner themselves, promoting an atmosphere where children and adults respect and value one another equally.

We have regular discussions and meetings with all children, young people and staff together and discuss how we promote the above statements.

How we address Challenging Behaviour

Challenging behaviour will be addressed in a calm but assertive manner. In the first instance, staff will try to re-direct children/young people’s energies by offering them alternative and positive options. Staff will be open and clear in stating and explaining non-negotiable issues
When dealing with challenging behaviour, staff including volunteers will always communicate in a clear, calm and positive manner.

We will provide all children and young people with opportunities and support to develop self-regulatory skills.

Staff will facilitate regular and open discussions with children about their behaviour. This will help children to understand the unacceptable aspects of their behaviour and enable children to have their say and be helped to think through the causes and effects of their actions.
Staff including volunteers will work as a team by discussing incidents and resolving to act collectively and consistently.
The Management team will endeavour to discuss concerns confidentially with parents/ carers at the earliest possible opportunity in an attempt to help identify the causes of the unacceptable behaviour and share strategies for dealing with it.
Children/young people who experience bullying, racism or other unacceptable behaviour will be actively encouraged to speak to a member of staff.
Staff including volunteers will encourage and facilitate mediation between children to try to resolve conflicts through discussion and negotiation.

When an incident of unacceptable behaviour occurs, staff including volunteers will listen to the child/young person or children/young people concerned and hear their reasons for their actions. Staff will then explain to the child/young person or children/young people what was unacceptable about their behaviour and that such actions have consequences for both themselves and for other people.

Staff will make every attempt to ensure that children/young people understand what is being said to them. Children/young people will always be given the opportunity to make amends for their behaviour and, if appropriate, be able to re-join the activity. Consideration will be given to the child or young person’s individual needs. Every effort will be made to communicate in the most appropriate manner in order to assist in an improvement in behaviours.

Children/young people who need help in order to behave in an acceptable manner will be given support.

A child/young person or children/young people may be asked to sit down and take some time out in order to calm down and reflect on their behaviour and also to remove them from the situation. The area in which the child/young person is asked to sit will depend on the situation at hand. This may be the kitchen, or to the side in the multi-purpose hall, where an adult can supervise them. In more serious situations the office may be used so that the child/young person can be spoken with in private, away from the other children/young people. In cases where the office is used, we will always aim to have at least two adults present in order to account for any safeguarding issues.

Parents/ carers will be informed of the unacceptable behaviour if we feel it necessary, when picking up their child/young person. The parents/ carers will be informed of the incident, how it was dealt with and how the child responded.

Open communication and co-operation between staff including volunteers and parents/ carers.

At all times, children/young people will have explained to them the potential consequences of their actions.

Staff will use physical interventions only as a last resort and only then if they have reasonable grounds for believing that immediate action is necessary to prevent a child/young person from significantly injuring themselves or others or to prevent serious damage to property.

Before reaching this stage, staff will have used all possible non-physical actions, such as dialogue and diversion, to deal with the behaviour. The child/young person or children/young people concerned will be warned verbally that physical intervention will be used if they do not stop.

A dialogue will be maintained with the child/young person or children/young people at all times, so that the member of staff can explain what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Staff will use physical intervention as an act of care and control and never punishment.

The force of the physical intervention will be always appropriate to the age, size and strength of the child/young person involved.

Where a member of staff has had to intervene physically to restrain a child/young person, the Management team and CEYS will be notified and the incident will be logged.

The incident will be discussed with the parents/ carers at the earliest possible opportunity and wherever applicable the parents/ carers will be asked to read and sign incident logs.

Should regular incidents of unacceptable behaviour occur, the parents/ carer and the child/young person will be asked to attend a meeting to discuss the behaviours and how they could be rectified. Outcomes of the meeting will be discussed with the staff and any actions put into place. An individual Safe Handling Agreement may be created and will be agreed with the parents/carers before implementing.

Suspensions and Exclusions of Children and Young People

Every effort will be made to support our challenging behaviour strategies necessary to promote a positive outcome, however persistent unacceptable behaviour from a child/young person will result in the following steps:

Formal warning

Staff will explain to the child/young person why their behaviour is unacceptable and the consequences of any further such incidents.

Children/Young people will be encouraged to discuss their behaviour, to explain their actions, and helped to develop strategies to avoid repeat incidents. Details of all warnings, suspensions and exclusions will be recorded and kept on the child’s/young person’s records.

Each warning will be discussed with the child/young person concerned and their parents/carers, and wherever possible agreements made between all parties that are fair and reasonable to the situation.

Such agreements can include removal of privileges e.g. participation in certain activities/off-site trips.

Any agreements should reflect the circumstances and be appropriate to the individual concerned, as this can afford the child/young person opportunity to display positive behaviour whilst serving as a motivator to reinforce such.

Staff including volunteers will be made aware of any warnings given to a child/young person, and the implications of any agreements made.

Staff will keep parents/ carers informed about behaviour management issues relating to their child/young person and attempt to work with them to tackle the causes of disruptive or unacceptable behaviour.

The Kids’ Club has the right to temporarily suspend; this includes informing parents/ carers their child/young person must be collected immediately if the Club feels it necessary.

Suspensions should be consistent, fair and proportionate to the behaviour concerned. In setting such a sanction, consideration is given to the child’s/young person’s age and maturity. Any other relevant information about the child/young person and their situation will also be considered. If appropriate, help and advice will be sought from concerned professionals in order to plan for the child’s/young person’s return.

After an immediate suspension has taken place, the Management team will arrange a meeting with the child/young person concerned and their parents/ carers to discuss the incident and decide if/when it will be possible for them to return to Club.

When a suspension is over and before a child/young person is allowed to return to Club, there will be a discussion between the Management team, the child/young person and their parents/ carers, setting out the conditions of their return.

Exclusion

In an extreme situation whereby all strategies and other attempts to address persistent unacceptable behaviour have been unsuccessful, The Kids’ Club has the right to permanently exclude a child/young person. This right will only be exercised where absolutely necessary, but will be done so whereby the duty of care provided to other children/young people and users of Club is unduly compromised by irresolvable unacceptable behaviour.

(Reviewed April 2020)