Child Behaviour Policy

Due to the number and age diversity of MOOSCC members, certain types of behaviour are unacceptable as they disrupt the harmony of the club and prevent the majority of the children enjoying their club experience.  

These are

  • Swearing
  • Bullying
  • Fighting
  • Vandalism
  • Rudeness
  • Shouting
  • Pushing/shoving/hitting
  • Running away from staff or group
  • Ignoring instructions
  • Arguing with staff or other children
  • Inappropriate behaviour or actions which make others feel uncomfortable, including teasing and name calling 

It should be noted that Bullying is a form of abuse. MOOSCC would take any such report very seriously. It may be seen as particularly hurtful behaviour which is usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves.

Bullying can be physical, mental or psychological and is a conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten individuals. It can be difficult to identify because it often happens away from others and the affected do not often tell. There can be signs which indicate a child is being bullied. 

The child may:

  • Hesitate to come to the group or is reluctant to be with particular individuals.
  • Often be the last one picked for a team or gets picked on.
  • Have clothing or personal possessions go missing or damaged.
  • Have bruising or some other injury, become uncharacteristically nervous, withdrawn or aggressive.
  • Exhibit unusual changes in nature and behaviour.

The Child’s Role

Children should respect others and refrain from bullying behaviour.

  • Any bullying incidents should be reported promptly to staff.
  • Children should state clear facts when reporting to staff.
  • Children should not be afraid to report incidents of unacceptable behaviour.
  • Children should know that their concerns will be dealt with sensitively and sympathetically.
  • Staff will support and work with children through unacceptable behaviour incidents.

The Role of Parents

Parents should be aware of this Policy and support its implementation.

  • Parents should look for possible signs of bullying. 
  • In order to support their child, parents should be prepared to make time to:
    • ask questions but not interrogate;
    • contact the Club for support;
    • state the facts and be prepared for another interpretation of the particular incident; 
    • be patient.
  • Parents should work with the Club to resolve unacceptable behaviour incidents.

The Role of Monifieth Out of School Care Club

The Club will work in partnership with children and parents to create a safe environment.

  • The Club will aim to prevent unacceptable behaviour by promoting a positive ethos. This may be achieved through a range of activities such as specially themed sessions promoting good and acceptable behaviour.
  • Staff will take all incidents seriously.
  • Staff will aim to deal with incidents promptly, effectively and sensitively.
  • Staff will help the child and ensure the child is safe and feels safe in our environment.
  • Encourage all children to speak and share their concerns.
  • Reassure the affected child that we can be trusted and will help, although we cannot promise not to tell anyone else.
  • Record any incidents on Magic Booking including what is said, what happened, by whom and when. Where multiple children are involved anonymised reports will be sent to parents informing them of the details of the incident.
  • Try to help the intimidator to understand the consequences of his/her behaviour and seek an apology from them. 
  • Inform their parents/guardians and impose sanctions as necessary.
  • Liaise with the school to inform and monitor incidents where necessary.
  • Encourage and support the intimidator to change their behaviour.
  • Implement the Behaviour Policy when necessary.

Monifieth Out of School Care Club says ‘NO’ to unacceptable behaviour and bullying

Actions deemed unacceptable or inappropriate for MOOSCC will be dealt with using the following sanctions, applied in a stepwise manner.

  • The child will be spoken to about their actions and a conversation will be had about making good choices. 
  • Staff will try where possible to provide a distraction for the child, and try to de-escalate the situation using the child’s individual care plan.
  • If the behaviour continues, they will be asked to stop and be warned that they would be moved away if the unacceptable behaviour continues, especially if their behaviour is dangerous to themselves or others in the nearby vicinity. The Staff will encourage the child to come to a separate area and they will be advised of the consequences if the unacceptable behaviour continues. If the child refuses to move to a safe area and the dangerous behaviour continues staff will need to contact a parent/carer immediately to maintain the safety of everyone at club.
  • Staff will talk with the parent/guardian to advise them of the situation with the child’s behaviour.  If the child has to be collected from the session, then this must be done immediately.
  • Following any incident all behaviour will be closely monitored.  If there is improvement in behaviour, continued support will be discussed and agreed.  The situation will be continuously monitored.  However, if there is no improvement and repeated similar incidents still occur, the parent will be advised that unless their child’s behaviour improves considerably, an immediate exclusion period will be imposed, the length of which will be dependent on the nature of the incident. 
  • Incidents of unacceptable behaviour will be recorded on MagicBooking, with full details of the incident/s and any actions taken communicated to parents.
  • On the third recorded incident within a single term or holiday period, immediate suspension will be mandatory.
  • In the event of threatening behaviour, bad language, physical contact or any other serious or dangerous incident, then suspension or exclusion will be immediate and at the Manager or Senior Practitioner’s discretion.  We will contact the parent/guardian and ask that the child be collected immediately. 
  • We will only suspend or exclude a child from the Club as a last resort when all other behaviour management and de-escalation strategies have failed or if we feel that children or the staff are at risk.  Suspensions and exclusions will be fair, consistent, and appropriate to the behaviour concerned, and will take account of the child’s age and maturity as well as any other factors relevant to the child’s situation. If appropriate, we will seek advice from other agencies.
  • Before the child can be allowed to return to the club, following any exclusion, the Manager/Management Committee will meet with the parents/guardians and where appropriate the child. This will allow for conversation where further strategies can be discussed (any strategies/adaptations must be in keeping with the clubs’ limitations) any additional monitoring period can be agreed if necessary. An agreement will be drawn up between the club, the parent/guardian and where appropriate the child, detailing the club’s behaviour policy and our expectations. 
  • If your child exceeds the 3 recorded incidents per term, or if we feel that their behaviour is so significant that the staff and other children are put at risk, or if we have tried all strategies’ and feel our setting is not meeting your child’s needs, we reserve the right to terminate your child’s registration. The Management Committee has the right to revoke membership of the club at any time as stated in both the Club Constitution and our Terms and Conditions.
  • The Management Committee will be kept fully informed of the circumstances to maintain its duty of care to all children and staff.

Evacuation procedure

In situations where a child’s behaviour becomes excessively aggressive or destructive, posing a potential risk to themselves or others, the safety of all individuals must be prioritized. If the situation is serious enough that an evacuation of the area is required, the senior staff member on duty will instruct the following. 

  • All other children are to be calmly and quickly moved to a safe area away from where the incident is occurring.
  • This process should be managed with minimal disruption, staff should remain calm and use authoritative tone where required to avoid escalating the situation.
  • While the area is being evacuated, senior staff with appropriate understanding of the child’s needs should remain to provide support. Strategies used should align with the child’s individual care plan, with the goal to de-escalate the situation and help the child to return to a calm and safe state.
  • Once the child has de-escalated and the environment is deemed safe, staff may return the other children to the original area if appropriate.

In the event of any situation resulting in an evacuation the senior team will discuss the events leading up to the incident, review what went well and identify any areas for improvement.

The incident will be communicated to the staff team, including key information and observations, and be further discussed at the next monthly staff meeting.