Code of Conduct

Volunteers & Employees

• Should be aware that their personal behaviour may impact upon their work with children or young people and so should agree not to behave in a manner which would lead any reasonable person to question their suitability to work with children or to act as a role model.

• Should be sensitive to the needs of children; care must be taken to ensure nothing is done to make a child feel uncomfortable or cause them to misinterpret our actions.

• Should monitor one another – particularly in the area of physical contact. They should be free to help each other by pointing out anything that could be misconstrued.

You should:

• Treat all children and young people with respect and dignity befitting their age

• Ensure that your own language, tone of voice and body language is appropriate and respectful

• Avoid any form of behaviour which represents, or could be construed as, emotional or psychological abuse - any form of bullying (including coercive control/leadership) is unacceptable

• Avoid situations where you are one to one with a child – work within sight of another adult

• Ensure another adult is informed if a child needs to be taken to the toilet

• Respond warmly to a child who needs comforting, but make sure there are other adults around

• Avoid doing anything which is likely to result in injury to a child, yourself or others, even in play

• Administer any necessary first aid with others around whenever possible

• Always share concerns about a child’s welfare (including if you become aware of possible Domestic Abuse) with the Safeguarding Coordinator

• Always share concerns about the behaviour of another worker with your group leader and/or the Safeguarding Coordinator

• Discipline out of love, NEVER anger. (Call on support from other leaders if you feel you may deal with a situation unwisely in your anger)

• Only ever use physical restraint as a last resort to prevent injury – in such circumstances it must always be the minimal force necessary to safeguard the child and others

• Call for a child’s parent/ carer If a child's behaviour causes concern or he/she is distressed

You should not:

• Initiate physical contact. Any necessary contact, e.g. for comfort, should be:

  • • Initiated by the child

    • In public

    • Appropriate to the situation and to the age, gender and culture of the child

    • In response to the needs of the child, not the adult

    • Respectful of the child's privacy, feelings and dignity

• Touch a child inappropriately or obtrusively

• Invade a child’s privacy while they are in the toilet. (Children of Sunday school age should be able to take themselves to the toilet.  Where we meet on shared premises you should escort them to the door and ensure they come straight back again)

• Play rough, physical or sexually provocative games

• Be sexually suggestive about or to a child even in fun

• Use any form of physical punishment

• Scapegoat, ridicule or reject a child, group or adult

• Show favouritism to any one child or group to the exclusion of others

• Allow unknown adults to have access to children

• Promise to keep something secret if it is about a child being harmed or at risk of harm, but only tell those who need to know

I agree to abide by the above code of conduct while working with children at Grace Church Beckenham

Name  ……………………………………………………….. Signed: ………………………………..………. 

Date: ………………..…………