Youth Service Child Guarding Statement 2025-2027
1. Our Purpose, Services and Principles to Safeguard Children and Young People From Harm
SWICN Clubhouse is a youth project that runs programs for young people aged between 10 and 24 years, living within the South West Inner City area of Dublin. Our programmes are educational and developmental with a focus on technology and creativity. We provide group work and 1 to 1 work both on site and off site.
SWICN Youth Service has completed an assessment of the potential for harm to the young people that are engaged in this organisation and a Risk Register in relation to this. Harm in this context is related to assault, ill-treatment or neglect of the child or young person that seriously affects or is likely to seriously affect the child or young person’s health, development, welfare or sexual abuse of the child or young person. This register identifies all risks of harm and lists the procedures, policies, programmes and practices that help reduce or eliminate these risks.
2. Risk Assessment
| Risk Identified* | Control in place | |
| 1 | Risk of harm to a child by staff/ volunteers. | Staff / Volunteers / Facilitators are vetted and have relevant up to date child safeguarding training / Children’s First training. There are always 2 staff present with young people. Our ratio to young people and staff is 7:1. |
| 2 | Risk of harm to a child from a service user (adult or child), visitor or member of the public |
Young people are supervised at all times. Members of the public are not permitted to be in care/supervision of young people. Young people are aware of relevant people(s) to address concern with when in SWICN. |
| 3 | Risk of harm to a child due to a child protection or welfare concern not being recognised or reported by a staff member. |
Staff/volunteer check-ins are held after every program. Staff/volunteers are given a copy of the Child Safeguarding Statement. Staff/volunteers are trained to recognise and report child protection or welfare concerns. All concerns are brought to the attention of the Designated Liaison Person. |
| 4 | Risk of harm to a child on outings/overnights or at SWICN events by staff/volunteer/stranger or other young people. | Risk Assessments are done before every event/outing in SWICN.Staff planning and adequate adult supervision/gender balance for trips where possible. Young people are regularly reminded to raise issues and concerns with staff. Staff check in with young people regularly. |
| 5 | Risk of harm to a child from another Young Person |
All spaces are facilitated by youth workers and young people are accompanied. When and where there is an area where a young person has to use a facility for the use of toilet or changing room youth workers will be vigilant outside that facility and will listen and monitor the situation. |
| 6 | Risk of Harm through access to ICT (social media or web access, electronic contact) | IT policy for staff and young people. We also have appropriate level of staff supervision, internet use is supervised by staff; appropriate Internet filters, inappropriate sites are blocked. All paid youth workers are provided with work phones which are subject to inspection by management. No staff/volunteer to share personal contact information with young people. |
| *All above risks include risk where youth work is done online or by phone | ||
3. Procedures
Our Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with the requirements of the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 and Tusla Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice.
In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following SWICN procedures support our intention to safeguard children and young people while they are availing of our services: All procedures listed are available on request.
- Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct, against staff or volunteers, of a child or young person availing of our services.
- Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers to work with children, including Garda Vetting and reference checks.
- Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm
- Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla
- Procedure for maintaining a list of persons (if any) in the relevant service who are mandated persons.
- Procedure for appointing a relevant person
4. Implementation
SWICN Youth Service, through its staff and volunteers, is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service.
Designated Liaison Person: Katie Lyons – Contact details: Katie.Lyons@swicn.ie – 0896141031
Deputy Designated Liaison Person: Amy Cawley – Contact Details: Amy.cawley@swicn.ie – 0868315822