RUSH 2The DEN

RUSH 2The DEN believes in 'inspiring young people to achieve'.

Our Policies

We have a number of different policies in place to ensure every child is safe with us.

Anti-Bullying

At RUSH 2The DEN, we aim to provide a safe and welcoming place for ALL children and young people in the community. All staff are expected to challenge behaviour and attitudes which make individuals or groups of children feel unsafe or unwelcome at the RUSH 2The DEN.

This includes all forms of bullying, such as:

  • physical aggression
  • threats
  • name calling
  • spreading rumours
  • purposely leaving people out

When dealing with bullying behaviour, staff will use a number of strategies.

Working with people who are bullies.

RUSH 2The DEN’s policy is to ‘condemn the behaviour, not the person’. We will continue to provide services to children/young people who bully. Where appropriate, we may be able to offer individual or small-group support to address their behaviour and any issues that contribute to it. Wherever possible, we will support their return to the open youth club, provided this is not detrimental to the safety and well-being of other club members.

At the RUSH 2The DEN, we recognise that bullying is often the result of individuals and groups being picked on for being seen as different in some way. As well as tackling bullying behaviour, all staff are responsible for challenging the discriminatory attitudes towards race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, and appearance, which lead to bullying. This includes creating and taking opportunities to discuss issues of discrimination with young people and children in the clubs. In this way, we aim to promote an ‘inclusive culture’ in which bullying is challenged by other children and young people, as well as by staff.

At the RUSH 2The DEN, we believe that rewarding positive behaviour is generally more effective than punishing negative behaviour. To this end, all staff encourage and reward behaviour which promotes an ‘inclusive culture’, such as children and young people being friendly to new members or ‘sticking up’ for someone who is getting bullied.

Finally, we recognise that bullying behaviour can also be perpetrated by adults. At the RUSH 2The DEN, we expect relationships between the staff and children/young people to be based on mutual respect. We aim to promote a culture in which children and young people, as well as other members of staff, feel able to object if a member of staff is using their authority unfairly to target particular individuals or groups.

Child Protection

RUSH 2The DEN is firmly committed to the belief that all children and young people have a fundamental right to be protected from harm, and fully recognises its responsibility for child protection. The safety and protection of all children and young people that Rush 2The DEN supports are paramount and take priority over all other interests.

The purpose of this Child Protection Policy is to ensure, at all times, the maximum protection from any form of harm for all young people involved in any way with RUSH2The DEN. For the purposes of this policy, RUSH2The DEN has defined harm as:

• neglect
• physical abuse
• emotional abuse
• sexual abuse

RUSH 2The DEN should provide an environment in which there are caring and safe relationships between adults and young people. For such relationships to develop, informed common sense and sound professional practice must be evident.

The key principles are:

  • Treat everyone with respect.
  • Where it is important and appropriate for staff to be alone with a young person, never have the door locked and, where possible, maintain a gap/barrier between you and a young person.
  • Empower young persons to feel comfortable and confident to point out to staff attitudes or behaviour they do not like.
  • ‘Hands-on’ educational instructions/support should only be used when verbal or self-modelling is inappropriate, or it is necessary for health and safety reasons. Whenever necessary and where possible, it should be done within earshot and preferably within others’ vision.
  • The use of physical restraint on a young person should involve the absolute minimum force necessary and is only permissible when staff are certain that a young person is at imminent risk of endangering themselves, others or property. Where possible, they will summon a colleague to witness the situation and give support. Any such incident will be recorded.
  • Time is dedicated to staff meetings/planned activity time to discuss the topic of keeping young people safe and minimising risk to staff.

Confidentiality

When talking to a RUSH 2The DEN member of staff, you have a right to expect that anything you say will not be spoken about or passed on to anyone outside the RUSH 2The DEN Team without your permission

Unless…. The RUSH 2The DEN Safeguarding team member feels that something you have said means you are in a dangerous situation or could be hurt in some way and they are concerned about your safety.

In this case…. The safeguarding team member will first ask your permission to tell someone else. If, after this, you still do not want the worker to tell anyone else, but the RUSH 2The DEN safeguarding believes you need to be protected, they may then decide they have a responsibility to go against your wishes and talk to someone else (e.g. teacher, doctor or social worker) outside the RUSH 2The DEN.

At all times, RUSH 2The DEN will act in your best interest.

If you do not understand any of this, please ask a RUSH 2The DEN team member to explain this to you.