Nature of the Service

Dizzy Heights operates an open-access youth work provision. Our youth clubs are voluntary attendance settings and are not intended to provide a custodial, school-style or continuous childcare service.

Subject to parental authorisation, individual safeguarding considerations and any agreed alternative arrangements, young people may arrive at and leave our open-access sessions independently.

Independent Arrival and Departure

By providing express consent for their child to attend under our Open Door Policy, parents and carers acknowledge and agree that:

• Their child is authorised to travel independently to and from the youth club, without being accompanied or collected by a parent, carer or member of Dizzy Heights staff.
• Their child may leave the youth club at any time during a session, including before the advertised finishing time, without obtaining separate parental permission for each departure.
• Attendance at an open-access youth club does not guarantee that their child will remain at the venue for the full duration of the session.
• Dizzy Heights does not ordinarily provide supervision, transport, escorting or monitoring of young people during their independent journeys to or from the youth club.
• Parents and carers are responsible for assessing whether their child has the maturity, independence and ability to travel safely, and for establishing appropriate travel arrangements, boundaries and expectations with their child.
• Parents and carers remain responsible for providing guidance and setting expectations concerning their child’s behaviour and conduct outside the youth club, including while travelling to and from sessions.

Behaviour and Conduct Outside the Youth Club

Dizzy Heights does not ordinarily supervise young people in the wider community before their arrival or following their departure from an open-access youth club.

Parents and carers acknowledge that they are responsible for addressing their child’s behaviour and conduct during independent travel, including interactions with members of the public, use of public transport, compliance with road safety rules and behaviour in public places.

Dizzy Heights is not ordinarily responsible for independently undertaken activities, journeys or conduct outside its organised provision where such matters are not caused by a breach of duty on the part of Dizzy Heights.

Where behaviour outside the youth club is brought to our attention and raises safeguarding concerns, threatens the welfare of others or affects the safe operation of our service, Dizzy Heights may take appropriate action in accordance with its safeguarding and behaviour policies.

Supervision and Safeguarding

Dizzy Heights provides appropriate supervision during a young person’s participation in activities delivered by the organisation, in accordance with the nature of the provision and applicable safeguarding responsibilities.

Routine supervision under the open-access arrangement normally ends when the young person leaves the youth club and is no longer participating in a Dizzy Heights-organised activity.

However, Dizzy Heights retains its applicable legal duties, including safeguarding responsibilities and duties arising from its own acts or omissions. Staff will respond appropriately where they know or reasonably suspect that a young person is at risk of harm.

Parental Consent and Acknowledgement

Parents and carers must provide explicit consent to the Open Door Policy before their child is permitted to attend under independent arrival and departure arrangements. This is obtained through sign-uo EEQU.

By giving consent, the parent or carer confirms that they:

• Have read and understood the Open Door Policy.
• Authorise their child to arrive and leave independently, including before the scheduled end of a session.
• Understand that Dizzy Heights is not a collection or supervised transport service.
• Accept responsibility for establishing appropriate travel arrangements and behavioural expectations outside organised youth club activities.
• Understand that Dizzy Heights will not ordinarily notify them every time their child chooses to leave.
• Agree to inform Dizzy Heights of any relevant safeguarding needs or changes to their child’s independent travel arrangements.