Safeguarding Kit for After-School Clubs

Overview

After-school clubs provide valuable care and enrichment for children between the end of the school day and when parents collect them. These settings involve transitions between school and club, mixed age groups, and often a more relaxed environment than the classroom. This kit helps after-school providers establish clear safeguarding standards, manage handover procedures, and create a safe, enjoyable space for every child.

Key Risks

• •Gaps in supervision during handover from school to the after-school setting.
• •Unauthorised collection of children by adults not on the approved list.
• •Peer-on-peer bullying or inappropriate behaviour in less structured environments.
• •Staff or volunteers without appropriate vetting having unsupervised access to children.
• •Children leaving the premises unaccompanied or without permission.

Policies

• •A safeguarding and child protection policy aligned with the host school's procedures, reviewed annually.
• •A clear collection and handover policy with photo identification checks for unfamiliar adults and a password system for emergency collections.
• •A behaviour management policy that sets expectations for children and outlines how incidents are handled without physical intervention.

Adult Conduct Boundaries

• •Staff must never be alone with a single child in a closed room — maintain open-door visibility at all times.
• •Physical comfort such as hugging should only be initiated by the child and kept brief, appropriate, and visible to other staff.
• •Personal mobile phones should not be used around children — use club devices for any necessary photography or communication.
• •Staff should not exchange personal contact details, social media profiles, or gifts with children or their families.

Communication Boundaries

• •All communication with parents should go through official club email addresses or booking platforms, not personal numbers.
• •Any concerns about a child should be recorded in writing and shared with the Designated Safeguarding Lead, not discussed informally among staff.
• •Children should not be contacted directly by staff outside of club hours for any reason.
• •Notices and updates for parents should be shared through official channels with appropriate data protection.

Image Guidance

• •Parental consent must be obtained at registration before any photographs or videos of children are taken.
• •Images should only be captured on club-owned devices and stored securely, never on personal phones.
• •Children's images must not be shared on social media without explicit, specific parental consent.

Emergency Escalation

Safeguarding Checklist

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