Behaviour Management Policy

Change history

Version numberDate of releasePolicy ownerAuthorised by
1.027/05/2022Katherine Benson, Quality and Impact ManagerExecutive Team

Policy statement

At Central YMCA (‘the Charity’), we are committed to our values of Equity, Nurture, Brave, and Creative and hope to demonstrate these in all that we do. In line with these values, we believe that clear boundaries are necessary for all areas of our work to ensure the safety and wellbeing of individuals in our care, as well as all those providing services.

This purpose of this policy is to: 

  • Provide a consistent approach to behaviour management
  • Outline how we expect children, young people and all service users to behave
  • Summarise the roles of different people in across the Charity with regards to behaviour management
  • Define what we consider to be unacceptable behaviour, including bullying and discrimination
  • Outline our system of rewards and sanctions

 

Scope 

This policy applies to all employees, self-employed contractors, volunteers and all other third parties engaged in the Charity’s work with children, young people and service users on the following programmes:

  • Pre-16 
  • Study Programme (including Traineeships)
  • Apprenticeships
  • YMCAfit 
  • Children and young people programmes at Central YMCA Club

Related Legislation 

  • Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) 
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education (2021) 
  • Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act (2021)
  • Care Act (2014) 
  • Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) 
  • Children’s Act (2004)
  • Equalities Act (2010)

Related Policies, Procedures, and Templates

  • Safeguarding Policy 
  • Child Protection Policy
  • Feedback and Complaints Policy
  • Bulling & Harassment Policy
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy 
  • Disciplinary Procedures
  • Learner Handbook

Responsibilities

Board of Trustees
Overall responsibility for the policies and procedures that govern the work at Central YMCA. 

Chief Executive
Overall responsibility for ensuring Central YMCA’s resources are used effectively and appropriately. 

Policy Owner
Responsible for ensuring guidelines are in place and that policies and procedures reflect our charitable ethos and commitment to equality and diversity. 

All Line Managers
Responsible for ensuring all employees are aware of and follow this policy. 

All Employees and Volunteers
To follow policies and procedures, promoting best practice throughout the organisation.

Policy Review

Review of impact against the aims of policy:

This policy has been drafted for approval by Katherine Benson, Quality and Impact Manager and has been approved by the Executive Team. All related procedures have been designed to match the contents of this policy.

The policy has been communicated successfully to the Charity’s staff and external stakeholders and has been made available on the Charity’s intranet and website.

Do there appear to be any patterns of equality, diversity and inclusion related issues: No

If yes, please provide an Equalities Impact Assessment (if relevant): N/A

Reviewed by: Executive Team
Date: 27 May 2022

This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Policy Owner and signed off by the Executive Team if any changes are made.

Next review date: May 2023

Policy

1. Our Principles

Through this policy we aim to promote the following principles: 

  • Honesty 
  • Respect
  • Acting considerately towards others
  • Taking personal responsibility for one's actions
  • Self-discipline

2. Our Aims

The aims of this policy and our approach to behaviour management are to: 

  • Improve self-esteem and resilience
  • Improve behaviour and relationships
  • Promote equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Promote positive mental health and well being
  • Promote British Values
  • Enhance moral development
  • Develop children and young people as global citizens

3. Roles and responsibilities

  • The Quality and Impact Manager will ensure that Behaviour Management Policy is in place for all provisions and that these are relevant to the provision being delivered and are of sufficient quality to safeguard children, young people, staff and the general public. 
  • The Quality and Impact Manager will ensure that the Behaviour Management Policy meets the needs of the service users, and includes any requirements set by the regulatory bodies or commissioners, is in place and reviewed at least annually.
  • Each Head of Department is responsible for the effective day-to-day management of this policy. This includes the deployment of the policy, procedures and standards of good practice and the dissemination to staff through training and awareness raising.
  • Managers are responsible for ensuring that procedures and systems within their teams conform to this policy and to the procedures and standards of good practice in the area of customer service.
  • Staff must maintain the following expected standards:
    • Be on time for sessions
    • End sessions at agreed times
    • Respect participant contributions and opinions
    • Enable participants to express opinions about the programme
    • Discuss personal work confidentially
    • Explain any relevant rules
    • Provide help and support 
    • Comply with the Charity’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
    • Promote positive behaviour (see next section)

4. Promoting Positive Behaviour

At Central YMCA we are committed to behaving in line with the Charity’s values and expect the following behaviours from our employees and any individuals we work with who deliver our services:

  • We do not use any physical punishment or practices to humiliate participants
  • We praise and encourage all positive aspects of the individual's behaviour e.g., politeness, consideration, sharing and turn talking 
  • We reward positive behaviour with time and attention
  • We aim to act as positive role models
  • We ensure each individual is cared for in a safe and secure environment
  • We consider the impact of our behaviour on individuals’ confidence and self-esteem
  • In structured activities, we ensure activities are at the right level for the individual and wherever possible give them opportunities to make their own choices
  • We give clear boundaries and consistently apply these. We encourage all individuals to adhere to these boundaries in a calm and respectful manner
  • We work in partnership with parents/guardians where appropriate, through regular contact to help improve behaviour
  • We discuss issues and make time to reflect as a team. Procedures for dealing with unacceptable behaviour will be agreed with the team, taking into account the individuals age, level of understanding and individual needs

5. Unacceptable Behaviour

We consider the following behaviours to be unacceptable:

  • Any form of bullying and harassment including threatening behaviour towards staff or peers
  • Physical violence
  • Sexual violence and harassment
  • Vandalism
  • Theft
  • Fighting and aggressive behaviour
  • Smoking in undesignated areas
  • Racist, sexist, homophobic or discriminatory behaviour
  • Bringing drugs or alcohol into the learning environment, being under, or suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • Inappropriate use of IT devices, mobile devices or social media
  • Poor attendance and punctuality
  • Lack of engagement in sessions
  • Plagiarism
  • Failure to follow instruction or assessment guidance

6. Sanctions

  • In cases where children, young people and service users behave in ways we consider unacceptable we will follow relevant disciplinary procedures.
  • Disciplinary sanctions have three main purposes namely to:
    • Make it clear that the behaviour is unacceptable
    • Deter the individual from repeating that behaviour
    • Signal to others that the behaviour is unacceptable and deter them from copying it.
  • Central YMCA reserves the right to exclude anyone from our programmes on the grounds of unacceptable behaviour, although this is always a last resort. Other disciplinary measures include:
    • A verbal reprimand
    • Temporary removal from the class or programme
    • Time out
    • Letters or phone calls home to parents, where applicable
  • The Charity has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying, harassment, discrimination, physical and sexual violence. Children, young people and service users are encouraged to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, no matter how ‘small’ they feel it might be. We will take the following approach in line with other charity policies:
    • Proportionate
    • Considered
    • Supportive
    • Decided on a case-by-case basis
  • The Charity has procedures in place to respond to any allegations or concerns regarding a child, young person or service user’s safety or wellbeing. These include clear processes for:
    • Information gathering and documenting allegations or concerns
    • Responding to a report
    • Carrying out a risk assessment, where appropriate, to help determine whether to manage the incident internally or refer to external agencies or the police. Please refer to the Charity’s Child Protection Policy for more information.