Parents and Carers

You can see our Anti Bullying and Behaviour Policy here.

At Durham Area Youth, the safety and wellbeing of every young person is our highest priority. We provide a welcoming, inclusive space where young people can build confidence, develop positive relationships and take part in activities that support their personal and social development.

Our experienced and qualified staff team are approachable and always happy to talk. We value strong relationships with parents and carers and encourage you to share any information that helps us support your child in the best possible way.

Staffing and supervision

We work to clear staffing ratios to ensure young people are safe and well supported:

• Centre-based sessions: 1 qualified worker to 12 young people
• Out-of-centre activities and trips: 1 adult to 10 young people

All staff and volunteers are appropriately trained, DBS checked and supported in their roles.

Working in partnership with families

We believe the best outcomes for young people happen when we work together. Parents and carers are:

• encouraged to speak to staff about any worries or additional needs
• welcome to share feedback and ideas for activities
• invited to get involved in fundraising and community events where possible

Safeguarding

We have a legal and moral duty to safeguard all young people who attend our provision.

Our safeguarding approach focuses on three key areas:

Prevention – creating a positive, supportive environment with trusted adults and clear boundaries
Protection – following agreed procedures and ensuring staff are trained to respond appropriately to concerns
Support – for young people, families and staff where safeguarding issues arise

If we have concerns about a young person’s safety or wellbeing, we will follow County Durham safeguarding procedures and work with the appropriate services. We will always handle this sensitively and in the best interests of the child.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Emily Burns (CEO).
If you would like to see our full safeguarding policy, please contact us.

 Policies and risk assessments

We follow robust policies and procedures that meet all legal requirements for youth organisations. These include behaviour, anti-bullying, health and safety and safeguarding.

Risk assessments are carried out for:

• all buildings and venues
• outreach locations
• every trip and off-site activity

Copies of our policies are available on request.

Communication and confidentiality

You can expect our team to:

• treat your child with respect and support their individual development
• communicate with you if there are concerns about their wellbeing
• handle personal information sensitively and confidentially

We will only share information with other services if we believe a young person or the wider community may be at risk, and we will always follow safeguarding procedures.

Sensitive topics

Any sessions covering topics such as health, relationships or risk-taking behaviours are:

• age appropriate
• delivered by trained staff
• based on factual, approved guidance
• shared with parents in advance where consent is required

Find out more

If you would like to view our policies, talk to a member of staff or discuss how we can support your child, please get in touch — we are always happy to help.

Contact us: info@durhamareayouth.org.uk
Follow us on social media for the latest updates Facebook@DurhamAreaYouth