February half-term brings a surge of activity providers offering camps, clubs, and programmes for children. Whether you're running sports camps, arts activities, or holiday clubs, the compressed timeframe and temporary nature of provision create unique safeguarding challenges.
How do you ensure robust child protection when scaling staff rapidly, using temporary venues, managing mixed-age groups, and operating short-term programmes?
The Half-Term Challenge
What Makes Holiday Provision Different?
Unique pressures include:
Rapid staff scaling:
- Hiring temporary staff quickly
- Limited time for thorough vetting
- Staff unfamiliar with your organisation
- Mix of experienced and inexperienced workers
Temporary venues:
- Unfamiliar spaces with different risks
- Shared facilities with other users
- Limited control over environment
- Varied safety standards
Mixed-age groups:
- Wider age ranges than term-time provision requires greater staff experience
- Different developmental needs and vulnerabilities with limited experience on how to manage them
- Peer dynamics and safeguarding risks associated with different schools coming together
- Supervision complexity less formal than school settings
Short-term operations:
- Compressed planning timeframes
- High-intensity delivery
- Limited relationship-building time
- Pressure to "just get through the week" which can lead to corner cutting
Parental expectations:
- Childcare necessity during school holidays
- Assumption of safety, especially by association with the school, without verification
- Limited engagement and regulations with safeguarding procedures
Pre-Programme Safeguarding Essentials
Staff Vetting and Recruitment
Non-negotiable requirements:
Every staff member must have:
- Enhanced DBS check with barring list check
- Verified identity and right to work
- At least two professional references
- Safeguarding training completion
- Clear understanding of reporting procedures
Timeline challenges:
DBS checks can take weeks. Plan ahead:
- Recruit early (ideally 6-8 weeks before)
- Use staff with existing, recent DBS certificates or use the DBS update service
- Consider digital safeguarding platforms for faster verification
- Never allow unvetted staff unsupervised access to children
Volunteers and parent helpers:
Even short-term volunteers need:
- DBS checks if unsupervised
- Safeguarding briefing
- Clear supervision arrangements
- Understanding of boundaries and conduct
- Keep their records in the Single Central Register
Venue Risk Assessment
Before using any venue, assess:
Physical safety:
- Emergency exits and evacuation routes
- First aid facilities and equipment
- Toilet and changing facilities
- Secure boundaries preventing unauthorised access
- Hazards specific to activities (pools, equipment, outdoor spaces)
Safeguarding considerations:
- Supervision sight lines
- Private spaces and blind spots
- Changing room arrangements
- Access control and visitor management
- Proximity to other venue users
Emergency procedures:
- Fire alarm and assembly points
- Lockdown procedures if needed
- Emergency contact systems
- Nearest hospital and emergency services access
Document everything and brief all staff before day one.
Safeguarding Induction for Temporary Staff
What Staff Must Know Before They Start
Compressed induction must cover:
Day one essentials:
- Who the designated safeguarding lead is
- How to recognise abuse and neglect
- Reporting procedures and timescales
- Confidentiality and information sharing
- Code of conduct and professional boundaries
- Emergency procedures
Role-specific guidance:
- Supervision responsibilities for different team members
- Activity-specific risks that need to be mitigated
- Behaviour management expectations
- Communication with parents do's and don'ts
- Record-keeping requirements of these individuals
Practical information:
- Daily schedules and routines regarding security for example drop-off and pick-up rules.
- Key contacts and escalation routes for all staff to follow
- Venue layout and facilities such as first aid rooms
- Equipment and resources available, especially safety equipment.
- Child-specific needs and vulnerabilities of each child.
Delivering Effective Quick Inductions
Time-efficient approaches:
Pre-programme online training:
- Send learning modules in advance
- Require completion before day one
- Test knowledge with quizzes
- Provide certificates of completion so they can have these for future, speeding up on-boarding
Face-to-face briefing:
- Focus on setting-specific information - be concise
- Use scenarios and role-play - bring it to life, make it real
- Clarify questions and concerns - respond later if you don't know there and then but do respond
- Reinforce key messages - get pithy and to the point on key messages
Written materials:
- One-page safeguarding summary for all staff and volunteers to keep on them at all times
- Emergency contact card
- Code of conduct agreement to show they're committed
- Venue map with key locations
Managing Mixed-Age Groups Safely
Age-Appropriate Supervision
Different ages need different approaches:
Under 5s:
- Higher staff ratios (1:4 or 1:8 depending on age)
- Constant visual supervision
- Toilet and changing support
- Close proximity at all times
5-8 years:
- Staff ratios around 1:8
- Frequent visual checks
- Supervised transitions
- Age-appropriate independence
9-12 years:
- Staff ratios around 1:10-12
- Regular check-ins
- Monitored free time
- Developing responsibility
13+ years:
- Staff ratios around 1:12-15
- Appropriate autonomy with oversight
- Peer relationship monitoring
- Clear boundaries and expectations
Preventing Child-on-Child Harm
Mixed-age groups increase risks:
- Older children exerting power over younger
- Inappropriate behaviour or language
- Physical or sexual harassment
- Exclusion and bullying
Protective strategies:
- Age-appropriate grouping for activities
- Clear behaviour expectations
- Active supervision during transitions
- Safe reporting channels
- Swift response to concerns
Parental Communication
Information Parents Must Receive
Before the programme:
- Staff vetting and safeguarding procedures
- Designated safeguarding lead contact
- Code of conduct expectations
- Behaviour management approach
- Emergency contact procedures
- Collection and late pick-up policies
- Medical and dietary information requirements
- SEND requirements relevant to the activities they'll be doing or care they require
During the programme:
- Daily updates on activities
- Incident communication (injuries, behaviour concerns)
- Accessible contact for questions
- Transparency about any safeguarding issues
After the programme:
- Feedback opportunities
- Incident summaries if relevant
- Safeguarding concern follow-up
Collection and Handover Procedures
Safe collection protocols:
- Verify identity of collecting adult
- Pre-authorised collector list from parents
- Photo ID check if unfamiliar
- Never release children to unauthorised persons
- Clear late collection procedures
- Safeguarding response if child not collected
Emergency Procedures for Short-Term Provision
Preparing for Incidents
Every programme needs:
Medical emergencies:
- Qualified first aiders on site, with qualifications captured and recorded
- First aid kits and equipment
- Emergency services contact procedures
- Parent notification protocols
- Accident recording systems
Safeguarding concerns:
- Immediate DSL contact
- Deputy DSL backup
- External agency contact details
- Disclosure response procedures
- Secure record-keeping
Missing child procedures:
- Immediate search protocols
- Police notification thresholds
- Parent communication approach
- Staff roles and responsibilities
Venue emergencies:
- Evacuation procedures or in some instances lockdown and invacuation procedures
- Assembly points and roll calls
- Communication systems
- Alternative venue arrangements
Activity-Specific Safeguarding
Sports Camps
Particular considerations:
- Changing room supervision and privacy
- Physical contact during coaching and if medical treatment is required
- Injury management and reporting
- Hazing and initiation prevention
- Appropriate use of photography and consent captured
Arts and Creative Activities
Safeguarding considerations:
- One-to-one teaching arrangements
- Online content and image sharing
- Appropriate themes and materials
Outdoor Activities
Additional risks:
- Remote location supervision and head count ratios
- Weather and environmental hazards with alternative backup options
- Transport safety, particularly if there are multiple sites
- Activity-specific risks (water, heights, equipment)
Technology and Online Safety
Digital Safeguarding During Programmes
Policies must cover:
Staff use of technology:
- No personal contact with children via digital channels
- Appropriate use of photography and if parents consent.
- Social media boundaries regarding children following coaches, staff etc
- Device security and privacy for children
Children's device use:
- Acceptable use policies, where, when, what for etc
- Supervised internet access if part of activities
- Gaming and social media monitoring
- Cyberbullying prevention
Photography and consent:
- Parental consent for images captured and stored
- Secure storage and usage of content clearly stated
- No tagging or identifying children publicly
- Staff personal device restrictions - is there a designated photographer?
Record-Keeping for Temporary Provision
Essential Documentation
Maintain records of:
- Staff vetting and training completion
- Daily attendance registers
- Incident and accident reports
- Safeguarding concerns and actions
- Parent communications
- Risk assessments
- Emergency drills and procedures
Records must be:
- Accurate and contemporaneous
- Securely stored
- Accessible to authorised personnel only
- Retained appropriately post-programme
- GDPR compliant
Quality Assurance and Monitoring
Ensuring Standards During Delivery
Daily checks should include:
- Staff supervision effectiveness
- Child wellbeing and engagement
- Incident patterns or concerns
- Venue safety maintenance
- Adherence to procedures
DSL responsibilities:
- Visible presence and accessibility
- Regular staff check-ins
- Prompt response to concerns
- Parent communication management
Post-Programme Review
Learning and Improvement
After each programme, review:
- Safeguarding incidents and responses that occurred, what went well or could have been dealt with better
- Staff performance and training needs, were their obvious gaps you can fix for next time?
- Venue suitability and risks, did it meet your needs or have you out grown the venue?
- Parental feedback is crucial as they're you're advocates to help you grow your programme or business
- Child feedback (age-appropriate) to help you improve your programme
- Improvements for future provision
Document lessons learned and update procedures accordingly.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Don't:
- Rush staff vetting due to time pressure
- Assume temporary staff understand safeguarding
- Overlook venue risks in unfamiliar spaces
- Neglect parental communication
- Fail to document incidents properly
- Ignore concerning behaviour as "just for the week"
Do:
- Plan and recruit early
- Provide thorough induction
- Conduct comprehensive risk assessments
- Communicate clearly and transparently with parents
- Maintain rigorous record-keeping
- Respond to all concerns appropriately
Conclusion
February half-term programmes can be delivered safely with proper planning, robust vetting, thorough induction, appropriate supervision, and clear procedures. The temporary nature of provision doesn't reduce safeguarding responsibilities—it increases the need for meticulous preparation and vigilant oversight.
Children deserve the same protection during holiday clubs as they receive in term-time provision. Invest time in getting safeguarding right, and you'll create programmes that are not only fun and engaging but genuinely safe.
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