Aggressive Behaviour Policy

At Camp 4 Champs we simply will not accept any form of aggressive behaviour from anybody, this includes children, parents, carers, volunteers, or visitors. Our camp is a safe place where children and staff need to feel secure and comfortable in a non-violent environment.

Aggressive behaviour is any of the following:

Physical violence e.g., hitting, pulling hair, kicking, pushing
Using racist, sexist or any other abusive or derogatory language
Shouting at staff members and/or volunteers (either face to face or over the telephone)
Abusive or rude emails
Physical intimidation
Spitting
Physically disruptive behaviour e.g., smashing, damaging, or defacing objects, throwing objects, physically annoying other children,
Socially disruptive behaviour e.g., screaming, running away, temper tantrums
Authority-challenging behaviour e.g., refusing to carry out requests

How do we deal with it?

At Camp 4 Champs we have a procedure to follow if any child or staff member is experiencing aggressive behaviour.

If the aggressive behaviour is child on child the following steps will be taken:

The coach in charge of the session will deal with the incident by putting the child who has demonstrated aggressive behaviour in a time out and reporting the incident to a senior member of staff at the end of the session
If the aggressive behaviour continues, is deemed severe, or is demonstrated again, the child will be passed onto a senior member of staff
The senior member of staff will assess the seriousness of the incident and contact the parents/carer of the child. Depending again on the seriousness of the incident, the child will be asked to sit out of the next session or parents/carer will be asked to come and collect the child from camp
If the parents/carer are asked to come and collect the child from camp, the most senior member of staff will make a decision on the return of the child and will inform the parent/carer of the decision in writing

If the aggressive behaviour is aimed at a child or staff member by a parent, carer or a member of the public, the following steps will be taken:

If a child is present, or the abuse is aimed at a child, the child (if possible) will be removed from the situation. This is to keep them safe and to reduce exposure to the hostile environment
The most senior member of staff will attempt, through composed discussion, to defuse the situation
If the individual refuses to calm down they will be asked to leave the premises and follow the complaints procedure
If the individual refuses to leave the site, the police will be called
Once the situation is calm and under control, the most senior member of staff will record the incident and report it by the end of the day to a director – Helen Moreira (Essex) or Alison Read (Surrey)
The director will assess the incident and decide if a ban needs to be enforced. If a ban is to be enforced, the director will write to the individual telling them the reason and the length of the ban

Monitoring

The policy will be reviewed a year after development and then every 12 months, or in the following circumstances:

Changes in legislation and/or government guidance
As a result of any other significant change or event

Date: October 2021

Last Reviewed: October 2022

To Be Reviewed: September 2023