Childcare Guidance

This guidance has recently been updated – any text in red is new and these requirements are not yet ready to be rolled out to the community.

Childcare Ratios

As a rule of thumb, there must always be at least two checked adults for all activities with children, and organisers should plan for this. In addition, ensure that you keep to the recommended minimum ratio of adult to children, which is:

For children 0 – 2 years: 1 adult to 3 children
For children 2 – 3 years: 1 adult to 4 children
For children 4 – 8 years: 1 adult to 6 children
For children 9 – 12 years: 1 adult to 8 children
For children 13 – 18 years: 1 adult to 10 children

(All under 18-year-olds are considered children in these ratios regardless of their role)

These ratios can be exceeded for a single class (in the event of the unexpected) but must be reported to a Safeguarding Lead afterwards so plans can be made for future classes.

Childcare Arrangements

Day-based activities: Under 18s attending day-based activities do not need to have a guardian as the facilitators of the activity (who are ‘checked’ adults) will remain responsible for them at all times. If under 18s will be mixing with adults without criminal record checks, one or more ‘point of contact’ ‘checked’ adults need to be appointed to support them during any unstructured times. These individuals could be the under 18s animator / facilitator as long as they are practically available to them.

Overnight-based activities: Organisers of activities planning for children to sleep over require an Overnight Stays Permit. Under 18s attending an overnight activity need to have one of the following arrangements. This would need to be decided in advance by the organisers of the activity.

1. ‘Carer’ – an individual appointed by the parent of a child, does not need a criminal record check, and is a private arrangement between the parent and another person. It is still recommended that a single adult ‘carer’ can be responsible for up to three children (including their own children), and if overnight and sharing the same bedroom should be of the same gender. Examples include summer schools and National Convention.

Organisers will need to ask an additional question on the event booking form, such as, “I give my consent for my child to attend with _______ who will act as named carer for my child for the duration of the event. This is an informal arrangement between myself and the carer”.

2. ‘Guardian’ – an individual appointed by an Institution to care for a child, requires a criminal record check, and should be of the same gender as the child. A single adult ‘guardian’ can be responsible for up to three children (including their own children). Guardians can take on other tasks at events as long as their primary role is as a guardian, and they can leave at a moment’s notice to attend to a child. Examples include summer schools and summer projects.

The Guardianship Form (see Forms) will need to be completed in addition to the parental consent form.

3. ‘Care Team’ – a team of people known as ‘group guardians’ oversee the pastoral care of children at the Bahá’í Training Centre or in a hired venue. All members need completed criminal record checks and is led by someone with an ‘overnight stays’ permit (see Forms). Examples include youth conferences and junior youth camps.

Parental Consent & Temporary Guardianship Forms

To avoid multiple versions of consent forms being circulated, event organisers requiring additional information or consent can add to on-line registration forms. For example, a summer school registration form could request consent to be ticked that the child is attending without a parent and the parent is consenting for that child to share a bedroom with the child’s ‘carer’ (as defined above in Overnight-Based Activities).

There is no need for duplicate registration and consent forms for events. For example, children attending a summer school do not need additional signed consent forms in addition to the parent’s on-line booking and consent. Teachers can be provided with a spreadsheet of essential information of the children in their class. However, Temporary Guardianship Forms would still need to be brought by the ‘carer’ and shared with the Registrar / Safeguarding Lead.

A new Consent Form may be needed if the activity changes. In neighbourhood activities, it is preferred that consent forms are paper-based and kept by those leading the activity. In projects and residential events, consent forms can be electronic and available to those who need the information (e.g. class teachers). Consent Forms can be destroyed one year after the activity has ended (three years if there has been an incident with the child in which case the form has to be sent to National Office to be kept). Safeguarding Leads are requested to remind organisers to destroy the forms or send them to National Office as appropriate.

Youth Consent Forms & Criminal Records Checks

Youth aged under 18 years require Parental Consent Forms completed as volunteer teachers, animators, and facilitators.

Bahá’í children’s classes and junior youth groups are ‘regulated activities’ in law (defined as “teaching, training or instruction of children”) that require adults to have a criminal records check.

Three organisations carry out criminal background checks within the UK: Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Disclosure Scotland (DS) and Access Northern Ireland (ANI). The National Assembly expects the basic principle of vetting through the appropriate official body to be followed in all parts of the UK. It is a criminal offence to allow a person (including volunteers) to engage in a regulated activity without the required checks.

Youth are not eligible for a criminal records check until their 16th birthday. 16 & 17 year olds require the appropriate criminal records check when working in the above regulated activities. 16 & 17 year olds have to work alongside a suitably checked adult, and cannot be counted as part of the responsible adult-to-child ratios.

Taking Photos & Video Recordings of Children

It is not illegal to take a picture of a child/ren in a public place (e.g. a junior youth taking a photo of other junior youth during a social activity). It would however be polite and considerate to ask a child before taking any pictures, and a child’s wish to not be included should be respected (this includes any non-verbal reactions e.g. a child hiding their face). Organisers could mention this to participants at the start of an activity. There may be legal or safeguarding reasons why the child cannot have their picture taken.

It would be inappropriate to take a picture of a child/ren in a place of privacy (e.g. in a bedroom or bathroom), or while wearing minimal clothing (e.g. a swimming costume).
It could be a criminal offence to take a photo of a child/ren with minimal or no clothing (e.g. a child taking a ‘selfie’ of themself and sharing this picture with others).
Context is everything. A participant taking pictures of other participants is normal and expected, and the Bahá’í Institutions cannot be responsible for how participants use these pictures. A teacher, facilitator, organiser, etc. should explain the reason they are taking pictures and follow the guidance in points 1, 2 and 3 above.
Photographs and recordings of identifiable people come under GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and is considered 'personal data', meaning they should be stored securely.
Parental Consent Forms ask parents to consent to any photos taken to be used by activity organisers or Bahá’í Institutions in any reports, social media pages, websites, and other publications as part of GDPR. The consent form is intended to be kept as brief as possible but may require conversation with children and parents as to what this means based on this guidance and the activity taking place.
Organisers of larger activities may consider putting notices up explaining that the activity may be photographed or recorded, and individuals not wishing to appear in these should inform the organisers.

Attendance Registers

Organisers need to know where the children are at all times. Please consider keeping a register appropriate to the activity. A children’s class might include parents signing their children in and out. Youth at the Bahá’í Training Centre should be expected to sign out if they are leaving the venue for a period of time (e.g. to play in the park). Children being transported by others should also be recorded (e.g. a child being dropped off at a train station should sign out with the name of the person driving them to the train station).

Criminal Records Checks

All adults working in a regulated activity or who have substantial access to children require a criminal records check. Please see Organisers and Safeguarding Leads page for adults without such a check.

Safeguarding Leads

The Safeguarding Lead serves as a local and available point of contact to answer questions on Safeguarding and is the appropriate person to go to for advice on Safeguarding concerns. Their role is also to raise awareness and to ensure compliance within their assigned area. These individuals need to have some practical experience of the educational processes, a good working understanding of safeguarding, and access to the Office for Safeguarding Children for further guidance if they need it.

Transport Provided for Children

If under 18s need transport to or from a venue, organisers should consider public transport first if safe and practical to do so (e.g. a group of animators could accompany their junior youth on a train). If this is not viable, under 18s being transported in a private car on behalf of a Bahá’í Institution must comply with all legal requirements (i.e. driving licence, appropriate insurance, road worthy, wearing of seatbelts and car seats, etc.). Breakdown cover may be advisable.

Unless a private arrangement is made between the child’s parent and the driver, drivers acting on behalf of a Bahá’í Institution require a criminal record check and this should be coordinated by the organisers of the event. It is preferred that there should be at least two ‘checked’ adults in a vehicle when transporting children (child-to-adult ratios would still apply). Consideration should be given to the gender of the driver and the children in the car, and where people sit in the car (e.g. female youth should be given the choice of sitting in the back instead of sitting next to an adult male).

Please also see the Lone Working Policy at the end of this section.

Safeguarding Children Training Levels

We have graded Safeguarding Children training in three levels depending on need.

All people working with children need Level 1 (will take less than an hour, in local communities, ideally face-to-face, and delivered by local Safeguarding Leads).
Safeguarding Leads need Levels 1 & 2.
Those leading overnight stays need Levels 1, 2 and 3.

Risk Assessment

Organisers should risk assess all activities and write down the outcome of this. Risk assessment will vary depending on the activity. It might be quite simple as listed on the Orientation Sheet or more complex as shown in the Sample Risk Assessment document. Completed paperwork should be kept by the organiser for 5 years. See in Forms.

Prescribed Medication Consent

Children attending Bahá'í activities may have prescribed medication. A Prescribed Medication Consent Form is available to download in Forms if parents / carers request that organisers supervise and dispense this medication to their children.

Organisers of overnight activities will need to consider these requests in advance of an activity taking place. They will need to identify at least two mature individuals to act as a designated competent person to oversee these consent forms, the medication, and the dispensing of the medication during the activity. A competent person does not need to be medically trained, but a first aider would be ideal (it would not be appropriate to as a first aider employed by a hired venue to undertake this role). This person will need to be meticulous with reading what has been requested, double checking this request against the pharmacy label on the medication and recording this on the back of the Medication Consent Form. They will need to make contact with the child to arrange how they will meet up for dispense the medication, and be confident contacting parents / carers for advice if needed.

Organisers will need to identify a suitably secure and locked room or space to store medication and the Medication Consent Forms. This should be known as the medical room. This should ideally be at a central location to the event, such as near the dining room.

Incident Reporting

All incidents and near misses must be recorded on the appropriate online form. This information is reviewed by the Office for Safeguarding Children and shared with the National Spiritual Assembly.

Click here to fill out the Incident Report form.

Neighbourhood & Teaching Activities

Communities should link in with the wider community work so people know what is taking place (e.g. informing the local Police, Neighbourhood Watch, Community Centre, etc.).
Under 18s who are part of teaching teams should be in a smaller adult:child ratio (e.g. 1-4).
Under 18s visiting homes should be accompanied by an adult with a criminal record check.
Children under 11 years old should only be approached if they are with an adult (e.g. their parent). If over 11 years old, children should be in a group before approaching. It would not be appropriate to approach individual children or youth, either in public or in their own home. Every effort should be made to contact the children’s parents the same day or leave information explaining the purpose of the contact.
Effort is needed to consider how situations might be wrongly perceived (e.g. an adult male talking to a young female).
Organisers should consider carrying official identification of the training institute.

Those involved in these activities are encouraged to think their plans in advance to ensure that their efforts are transparent and that their motives are understood by local people and especially parents.

One to One & Safe Touch with Children

It is good practice to avoid situations where, as an adult, you are left alone with a child.
Physical touch is part of normal human relationships and is sometimes used to comfort or calm a person in need. However, touch must never become coercive, intrusive, or abusive to meet an adult’s needs.
Adults should never initiate a hug, pick up a child, or sit a child on their lap. Comfort can be given in other ways, such as sitting beside them, or putting a hand on a shoulder.
Some children will have other comforters, such as hugging a soft toy.
When a child of any age initiates a hug with you, you can briefly respond in a friendly manner.

Contact with Children via Technology

Organisers to check that a parent / guardian has consented to their child being contacted via social media or a mobile phone.
Only those with completed criminal record checks can have children’s telephone numbers and communicate with children via social media apps.
Group messages are preferred with at least two adult members (e.g. the two animators who run a junior youth group). Private messages to children should include a second adult. This mirrors what happens in face-to-face sessions where adults are generally not on their own with children, or in private 1-1 situations.
Text based communications are kept simple and factual, and community members are mindful of the language they use.
Messages should be saved where possible (i.e. avoiding disappearing messages) to allow for an audit trail should there be a problem.
Technology-based communications are not restricted by the time of day or night. Community members should explain to children that they are not available at all times and discourage chatting at inappropriate times such as overnight.

Entering Children’s Bedrooms

If children need to be checked on in their bedroom, a minimum of two checked adults should always carry out such checks together.
Ideally the genders of those checking on the children should match those of the children being checked.
Where necessary, mixed sex pairings may attend but the person of the opposite sex should only hold the door open and should not enter the bedroom.
During free time, bedroom doors should be left open or locked.
There should never be a need for children to enter adult’s bedrooms.

Home Visits

It is a culture of the Bahá’í community to undertake home visits and it useful to home visit families before their children take part in community activities so that they understand the nature of the activities and the expectations of participation. Children under the age of 18 years also need to be accompanied by a suitable ‘checked’ adult if they are taking part in home visits.

Lone Working Policy

It is accepted that from time to time, volunteers and paid staff will be in lone working positions with children. A lone working situation is defined as one adult (criminal records checked) being on their own with a child / children while transporting them in a car or on foot, or while using public transport. The following policy outlines principles and guidance to be followed in these situations as it would be impractical to cover every individual situation across the UK. For this reason, the policy empowers Safeguarding Leads to apply these principles and guidance to the activities taking place in their communities.

This policy does not automatically apply to members of the Bahá’í community who have entered into a private arrangement with a child’s parents to transport them in a private car (e.g. to a summer school). However, individuals are still encouraged to consider the principles and guidance as these would still apply.

Principle 1:

The safety of children, volunteers and paid staff, and others must come first.

Activities which come under the responsibility of Bahá’í Institutions should be risk assessed to determine that the activity can be done safely, and that people are not exposed to unacceptable risks.
In an unavoidable lone working situation, where a child could be at more risk by leaving them, an individual can act to keep them safe provided they inform the parent / carer and the Safeguarding Lead (e.g. a child is planning to walk home alone in the dark, a person is unable to get hold of the parent / carer, and the lone worker makes a decision to walk with or transport the child home as the safer option).
Drivers must ensure that they are safe to drive (e.g. if they are on a long journey, they should stop and rest after 2 hours of driving), have consideration of dynamics in the car (e.g. if the children should sit in the back or next to the driver, the gender of the driver and child if sat in the front), and consider the safety of all (e.g. driver and passengers wear seatbelts, and younger children have the appropriate booster seats).
The maximum adult to child ratio for lone working is one adult to three children. A second suitably checked adult is needed for larger cars.

Principle 2:

Those in a lone working situation must have a mobile phone and a ‘buddy’.

Those working in a lone working situation must have a ‘buddy’ who is available to help if needed and in an emergency (e.g. a car breakdown).
The ‘buddy’ should be physically close to the lone worker (e.g. a few miles away).
Both lone worker and ‘buddy’ must have mobile phones (charged and on) for the duration of the activity, with the lone worker confirming with the ‘buddy’ when the activity has ended.
Both lone worker and ‘buddy’ should be aware of the planned activity, such as details of the journey (the route being taken, expected start and finish times, any potential stops, and copy of the details of the Parental Consent Forms).

Principle 3:

A parent / carer should be made aware of a lone working situation and should consent to this.

A parental consent form is needed which includes the consent for accepting lifts off organisers.

Principle 4:

Know when a lone working situation should be avoided.

It is not appropriate to be in a lone working situation when either child or adult is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
It is not appropriate to be in a lone working situation with a child if they are known to behave or are behaving in inappropriate ways.
It is never appropriate to home visit a child on their own, without a parent / carer present.
In the event of concern for a child’s safety and an unavoidable lone working situation, the adult should contact the emergency services and if possible, request a second adult to join them. The child's welfare is paramount.

Principle 5:

Safeguarding Leads must be made aware of lone working situations.

Safeguarding Leads are best placed oversee this policy as they are on the ground in communities and at events, and able to provide advice to community members.
Safeguarding Leads should be informed of both planned and unavoidable lone working situations in their communities.
Safeguarding Leads should be aware of activities taking place, including activities that have perhaps started organically and informally outside of the formal activities of the Bahá’í community, which have since grown and perhaps should now fall within formal activities.
Safeguarding Leads should consult with the Office for Safeguarding Children if they have any concerns with individuals or lone working arrangements, to risk assess any situations to determine if they are safe.
Safeguarding Leads must use the national reporting and recording system to inform the National Assembly of any incidents.

This policy has been informed by the guidance for Lone Working for Youth Workers by the National Youth Agency (11/23).