Catholic Youth Care  -    Child Protection Arrangements and Procedures for CYC Summer Projects Catholic Youth Care is committed to the protection and welfare of young people in our care. We operate a comprehensive child protection strategy which includes training provision, recruitment and selection procedures and policy and protocol. As an adult leader involved in a summer project supported by CYC, you should be very familiar with the child protection guidelines for the youth work sector ‘Child Protection, Code of Good Practice for the Youth Work Sector’ and the ‘CYC Code of Good Practice’ and the ‘Summer Project Affiliation Manual’. Please note form the 1st May 2007 every person over 18 years of age and who is working as a CYC summer project volunteer will be designated as an adult leader. This means that parents, guardians, carers etc. will be known as adult leaders and as such the summer project committee must apply the CYC recruitment and selection procedure. If you are in the process of recruiting volunteers you must provide the CYC Volunteer application pack which is available form your CYC Youth Development Officer. Child protection is an area of concern and responsibility for us all. We have a moral responsibility to ensure that every child in our care is safeguarded against any harm. It is CYC policy that any adult who has access to children on a summer project must comply with the CYC child protection policy and procedures. The summer project management committee has overall responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of the CYC child protection procedures for summer projects and ensuring that all child protection requirements are being met. An adult leader, in this case is defined as someone who is over 18 years of age and who has access to children/young people through their involvement in a CYC summer project. This means that whether an adult is volunteering for one day or the whole week the CYC recruitment and selection procedures must be applied. Please note that failure to comply with the CYC child protection measures will result in a preliminary investigation which can lead to non affiliation for your project. The summer project management committee is responsible for compliance. It would be helpful to you to designate roles within the committee in relation to taking responsibility for child protection. New adult leaders involved in summer projects and who have access to children are required to: •    Complete a volunteer application form(in volunteer application pack) •    Two character and personal reference forms (in pack) •    A Garda Vetting form. (in pack) •    Attend CYC summer project training which includes training in the area of child protection. Family Day trips Catholic Youth Care has a strict recruitment and selection policy for adult volunteers involved in summer projects. The family day trip is very beneficial to you and your children; however due to the nature of the trip all adults travelling on the family day trip will not have completed the CYC recruitment and selection process and will not have received Garda Clearance. CYC is therefore NOT in a position to take responsibility for your children on this trip. As a parent, guardian, carer you are required to take full responsibility for the children in your care for the duration of this trip. The Summer Project Management Committee is responsible for booking safe venues and transport for Family Day Trips. They do NOT take responsibility for the supervision of children on the day. The safety and welfare of children in your care on Family Day Trips is completely your responsibility. You are therefore required to provide your consent to this arrangement and comply with any procedures that the management committee put in place for the safe completion of the family day trip. Please do not presume that your child is safe in the company of any adult; if your child was travelling with an adult you know, be sure that you are fully aware of what is involved in the family day trip. In public areas e.g. swimming, all adults must be especially vigilant. The children in your care are your primary responsibility and as such you must ensure to take full responsibility on the day. The family trip can be an extremely enjoyable event for everyone involved. We hope that you and the children in your company benefit form and enjoy the day. Practical Considerations Before the summer project begins CYC insists on the completion of consent forms by a parent or guardian which includes information in relation to medical needs, food needs, procedures about accidents and contact details of 1. Parent/guardian and 2. Second contact number incase the parent/guardian cannot be reached. Each summer project group leader is required to have the contact information of the following; •    Emergency numbers •    CYC Child Protection Officer •    Local Guardia Station •    Doctor •    Hospital •    And is required to have an active mobile phone in case of emergencies. Field Trips The recommended supervision ration of one adult to eight young people must be observed, there must be a minimum of two adults in attendance at all times, this arrangement complies with the CYC Code of Good Practice. An adult is not allowed to accompany a group of young people on their own (this is from the point of view of child protection and protecting adults form false allegation). Record Keeping, Incidents and Accidents •    Each group leader must keep an accurate list of adults and young people involved in the summer project. This list must include contact details for parent/ guardian •    If an accident should occur, a report must be made in the accident and incident book outlining what took place, who was present and what treatment was given •    In the event of an incident the details must be recorded in the accident / incident book, these details will include names of those present and details of the incident. •    In the case of a serious incident or accident Parents/Guardians and Child Protection Officer must be informed without delay. •    The record of attendance and accident and incident book must be stored securely on return for information purposes •    In the event of a child protection concern/issue the adult leader must report without delay to the CYC Child Protection Officer of An Garda Siochana in observance with the CYC reporting procedures. Confidentiality must be observed as outlined in the ‘CYC Code of Good Practice’. The welfare of the child is paramount in all circumstances. Procedures in relation to accommodation should you consider a residential trip as part of your activities •    Adults must sleep in separate rooms •    Adults are not allowed to enter a room unaccompanied •    If for some reason e.g. medical, an adult has to enter a room the incident must be recorded and reported •    CYC health and safety requirements must be adhered to (affiliation book) Gender Issues •    On arrival toilets and showers are allocated male and female •    Young people are accommodated in rooms on an age appropriate basis •    No one over the age of 18 is allowed to share accommodation with a minor. Further information and training is available form CYC please contact you Youth Development Officer for details.