As part of Headliners (UK)'s response to COVID-19, a number of our services have innovated and transferred to online delivery of our projects.

In order to safeguard the young people that we are supporting, Headliners (UK) has published its Safeguarding Policy for Online Delivery.

The policy can be viewed and downloaded here:

General

Online delivery will follow the same safeguarding principles as face to face delivery and that concerns about a young person should be reported in the same way as team members would any concern raised, observed or disclosed in a face to face or group session.

Team members should continue to look out for signs a young person may be at risk and report any concerns to your line manager or Headliners (UK) Designated Safeguarding Lead. Be mindful that the issues you may discuss online may cause distress to certain young people so ensure they have a way of communicating this to you.

Prior to any online activity taking place, the charity will ensure that we have received consent from a parent/guardian for the young people to engage in the online forum even if they have previously consented to take part in the programme.

All young people will be provided with the online learning guide so they know the outline of what to expect and also how to get online or telephone help if they need it.

Particular considerations for online delivery:

• Only use the Headliners registered accounts – not a personal one. Only use Googlemeet/Googleclassroom through the Headliners account.
• Consider the benefits of young people not using their cameras – but we show our camera. This may be the more comfortable option for a lot of young people.
• Do not hold 1-1 sessions online, group sessions only. Always have 2 members of staff on the group session and let the group know there is another member of staff on-line even if they do not take part in delivery of the session.
• If a young person says they want to speak to a member of staff online privately, arrange it so another staff member is online at the same time with the young person’s knowledge. If they are absolutely insistent that they will not allow another person on the line, follow the same procedure as staff would if a young person asked to speak to a staff member face to face.

Guidance to follow:

- Tell them that you may not be able to keep the conversation confidential if you think they may be at risk or come to harm. 

- Tell them that you are recording the online call.

- Ensure you tell your Manager or another member of staff that the on-line conversation is going to take place and the date & time.

- If you become uncomfortable about the content of the conversation bring it to a close and call your Manager.

- Make notes of any conversation immediately after the online meeting and log it with your Manager.

General conduct

• Staff and young people must wear suitable clothing.
• Any computers or phones/tablets used should be in an appropriate area, not in bedrooms.
• Young people and staff should take part in a quiet but general area of their home. If the young person’s setting is noisy, they kept getting interrupted by siblings or adults, speak to parents to see if you can get their support to carve out some time with the young person to join the session
• The session should be recorded and let the group know it is being recorded.
• Language should be professional and appropriate.
• Staff should record the attendance at the session and the length of the session (and length of attendance if that is different, they log out half-way through).
• Ground rules. At the beginning of a project come up with the ground rules for the project. Remind the young people of the ground rules at the start of each session.

Headliners (UK) Staff Code of Conduct

• Make sure you’re in a suitable setting, not a bedroom, and with the background neutral
• Ensure you are dressed appropriately
• Make sure your session and conversations with young people can’t be overheard by the rest of your household
• Make sure there are two staff on the call (one can be from a partner organisation working with the young people on the call) and if not, that your manager or another staff colleague knows the time and date of the call and that it is in your calendar and you record it. If it is a telephone call, ensure you do the same as above and make notes of the conversation immediately.  If any concerns about the content of the call let your Manager or DSO know immediately.

Young People Code of Conduct

• Please dress appropriately.
• Try to find a quiet place, but not a bedroom, where you can hear the session and that doesn’t have anything inappropriate in the background.
• Mind your language, you can cause offence even if you don’t mean to.
• Be careful about revealing sensitive information - remember that other young people are on the call, even if you can’t see them, once you say something, you can’t unsay it
• Try not to speak over each other and let everyone have their say
• If you need help or want to talk to a staff member just let them know and they’ll arrange a time to speak to you
• Please be on time when you join the session

Created 14.04.20