Children's club behaviour policy and participation guidelines
Children's club behaviour policy
Who is responsible for managing behaviours in the children’s clubs?
It’s the role of the Youth team to support the well-being of every child and team member in the children’s clubs. The Youth team communicate in a way that is fair, consistent and appropriate for a child’s age, understanding, and stage of development.
The Youth Manager is responsible for providing Youth team members with support and direction about children’s care and behaviour management. They regularly observe staff and child interactions, monitor the content of the daily communications book and review any recurrent concerns about a child’s behaviour.
If the team has any concerns about a child’s behaviour, they will take appropriate steps to ensure they’re fully discussed and managed in a fair and consistent way. Steps may include:
A discussion with the child’s parent(s)/guardian(s)
A discussion with their on-board Line Manager or the Youth Operations Manager
Advice from the Designated Safeguarding Person on board.
Youth Managers reserve the right to review children’s access prior to and while attending our children’s clubs. This is to ensure the children’s club is suitable based on the level of support we can provide in a group session.
How does the Youth team manage behaviour?
In a warm and supportive environment, children will typically have a fun, happy and enjoyable time. Our Youth team are trained to manage behaviours in a positive, decisive and consistent way.
The team adheres to the below key principles when managing behaviours:
Develop high-quality relationships between staff and children
Develop an agreed, consistent approach to behaviour management
Communicate effectively with parents/guardians
Record any incidents/accidents
Promote reflective practices.
There will be times when children may behave in challenging or unacceptable ways. There can be many reasons for this type of behaviour – this could be due to the club’s size, group dynamics, differing personalities, or the stage of a child’s holiday (for example, a child may be very excitable initially, become more comfortable once settled in, and then unhappy about the holiday ending).
The Youth team are trained to use a range of de-escalation techniques wherever possible so that any challenging situations can be defused at an early stage.
What is considered challenging or unacceptable behaviour?
Challenging or unacceptable behaviours in the children’s clubs may include (but aren’t limited to):
Bullying of other children and/or staff (e.g., intimidation, teasing, humiliation, coercing a child to misbehave, alienation, isolation, or making threats to harm another)
Behaviours that are deemed dangerous to the child, other children and/or members of the Youth team (e.g., children hitting other children)
Lack of respect for the Youth team and a challenge to the rules of the room
Intolerance of difference (e.g., race, sex/gender, religion, ability)
Loss of self-control (e.g., tantrums or verbal abuse)
Spreading harmful rumours or gossip
Damage to property
Sexually inappropriate behaviour between children
Physical aggression (e.g., biting or punching)
Infatuation with members of the Youth team
Persistent use of inappropriate language, including swearing.
Does the Youth team keep a record of incidents and challenging behaviours?
Yes. It’s important that the Youth team record any instances of behaviour management or concerns. The children’s club has a daily communications book and behaviour management file which contains a behaviour log and behaviour incident forms.
The behaviour log is completed by the Youth team when there has been a minor behavioural issue or to reference that a more serious issue has been documented in a behaviour incident form. A behaviour incident form is completed when behaviour is of a more serious nature (e.g., behaviour that’s dangerous, persistently disruptive or inappropriate; when parents/guardians have needed to be spoken to; and/or when sanctions such as ‘time out’ or exclusion have been used).
This allows the Youth Manager to have a clear overview and identify any recurrent behaviour patterns, supports communication with parents/guardians and children, and aids transparency and accountability.
Children with additional needs
Children’s well-being and happiness in our clubs is our top priority. If a child has any physical and/or learning disabilities, impairments and/or health conditions, this information should be provided by the parent(s)/guardian(s) when completing the Registration Form. This is so we can assess whether we’re able to offer an appropriate level of care in our children’s clubs.
In line with our standard staff-to-child ratios, our children’s clubs are unable to provide dedicated one-to-one care or additional or specialised support. If a child has a disability, impairment and/or health condition, the Youth Manager will consider if they need to speak with the parent(s)/guardian(s) about whether the children’s club is a suitable environment for them.
Several factors may influence a Youth manager’s decision as to agree whether the children’s club is a suitable environment for a child. This may include (but isn’t limited to):
An inability to manage their personal care needs (when older than pre-school age)
A need for specialised medical or personal care that can’t be met through our standard supervision (e.g., feeding or mobility assistance)
Displaying behaviours that could place themselves and/or others at risk (e.g., aggressive behaviour like biting, hitting or damage to facilities)
Repeated failure or inability to follow instructions by the Youth team.
We understand our children’s clubs won’t suit every child’s and family’s needs, which is why our ships offer a wide variety of activities for everyone to choose from and explore.
Children's club participation guidelines
We want every child to have a great time in our children’s clubs, in an environment where everyone is supported and cared for. Our participation guidelines help parents and guardians assess whether the children’s club setting is suitable for their child, based on the level of support we can safely provide in a group session.
Our Youth team will use these guidelines when discussing your child’s needs with you and will make the final decision on whether the club setting is appropriate at that time.
Participation & independence
Able to participate in the session independently without needing one-to-one supervision, continuous additional or specialist support, and within our standard staff-to-child ratios
Joins group activities and follows session routines with only minimal encouragement or behaviour management from the Youth team.
Safety & supervision
Stays within the designated venue and doesn’t attempt to leave (for ages 2-12 years, who must be checked in and out of sessions by a trusted carer)
Demonstrates an understanding of risk and responds to staff instructions around safety.
Social & emotional skills
Shows behaviour in line with our children’s club behaviour policy, engaging with peers and playing independently without requiring continuous individual supervision or causing risk or harm to themselves and/or others
Recovers from being emotionally dysregulated within a reasonable time with simple staff support and doesn’t become persistently distressed in a way that disrupts the group or requires exclusive staff attention.
Routines & self-management
Manages personal care needs with minimal support
Doesn’t interact with other children in a way that disrupts the group or requires exclusive staff attention.
Important note about younger children
Younger children may not meet all elements of these participation guidelines in the same way as older children, as developmental needs and abilities naturally vary. Our team recognises this and will take age-appropriate expectations into account when considering suitability for sessions, while still ensuring the safety and well-being of every child in the group.