At NYC we want all of our Young Carers to be able to join in activities and have fun. As part of this, we have certain expectations around Young Carers and staff behaviours. (For more information you can request to see our Behaviour policy.) Having rules might seem a bit boring but we have to do our best to make sure that everyone is kept safe, knows what is expected of them regarding their behaviour and that there are very clear consequences for different types of behaviour.

The groups of Young Carers and staff will work together to produce and regularly review their own group rules to make sure that everyone has a say about the types of behaviours that are and are not okay. We know that sometimes people have different ideas and as such, we work together as a team to make sure that the rules we have are acceptable and reasonable for all. At the service, we want to do our best to encourage positive behaviour and will do our best to tell you when something has gone well, or you have been particularly kind or helpful. Sometimes things can go a bit wrong and the behaviour you choose may not be something we want at a group this can happen to everyone. Staff are there to help you with this and look at what happened and how you can make a better choice next time. We have a plan to do this which means that everyone is treated fairly.

 Step 1 – We will talk to you about what happened

A member of staff will take you to one side, talk about what went wrong and why. They will remind you of the rules that the group have chosen and help you to understand why your behaviour has broken that rule. They will help you to think of a different way to act should the same situation happen again, you can talk to the staff at any time about things you might be finding hard or are struggling with. The staff will also talk to anyone else involved in what happened if they made a poor behaviour choice as well.

Step 2  – We will remind you

If you make a poor behaviour choice again a staff member will take you to one side remind you of the rules and the previous conversation and ask you not to use the behaviour again, they will discuss different ways in which you can behave.  They will talk to you about what will happen should you make another poor choice about your behaviour again which would mean us having to let your parent or carer know what has happened.

Step 3 – We will make it clear the behaviour is not acceptable

Staff will take you to one side, identify unwanted behaviour, and remind you that we have already spoken to you twice about the behaviour and that we need to let your parents/carer what has happened. You and they will also be told what will happen if it happens again which will be that they will need to come and collect you from the group.

Step 4 – You will have to leave the session

If the behaviour happens again, we will have to ask you to leave the session. We do not want it to get to this point, however, we need to think about what is best for the whole group and if you haven’t or don’t want to listen to the staff we will have no other choice than to ask you to leave. We will call your parent/carer and ask them to come and collect you.

Should this happen repeatedly during other sessions then staff will contact your family to discuss the consequences of this behaviour which may include missing groups or other options. The consequences will be dependent upon the behaviour you have displayed. We doubt very much if this will happen but if you are violent or threaten another Young Carer or member of staff we will immediately be calling your parents or carers to come and collect you as this is not behaviour that will be acceptable at the group. We haven’t written this to put you off coming but it is really important to us that you know what we expect from you, other Young Carers and what you can expect from us at the group. Please ask us if you have any questions about behaviour and the consequences of it. If you ever find yourself struggling at a group with other Young Carers or staff, then please speak to one of us about it. We want you to come to the group and enjoy yourself.