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Your Teen Journey
Safeguarding Policy
Your Teen Journey is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and that creating a safe, respectful, and supportive environment is fundamental to the integrity of our work with families.
This policy outlines the principles, responsibilities, and procedures that underpin safeguarding within Your Teen Journey retreats and related activities.
Scope and Purpose
​This policy applies to all retreats, activities, facilitators, guides, contractors, and volunteers involved in Your Teen Journey. It covers safeguarding responsibilities in relation to children and young people under the age of 18.
The purpose of this policy is to:
Protect children and young people from harm
Provide clear guidance on safeguarding roles and responsibilities
Ensure concerns are recognised, responded to, and recorded appropriately
Promote a culture of safety, respect, and transparency
Safeguarding Principles
Our safeguarding approach is guided by the following principles:
The welfare of the child is paramount
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
Parents and carers retain responsibility for their child at all times during retreats
Children and young people are treated with dignity, respect, and care
Concerns are taken seriously and acted upon appropriately
Nature of the Retreat
Your Teen Journey retreats are relational, experiential retreats designed to support connection between parents and teens.
They are not therapeutic interventions, clinical programmes, or assessment-based services. Parental presence is central to the model, and responsibility for the child remains with the parent or legal guardian at all times.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Safeguarding Lead for Your Teen Journey is responsible for:
Overseeing safeguarding arrangements
Ensuring appropriate policies and procedures are in place
Acting as the point of contact for safeguarding concerns
All facilitators and guides are responsible for:
Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
Being alert to safeguarding concerns
Following this policy and escalation procedures
Safer Recruitment and Training
All facilitators and guides involved in retreats:
Are appropriately vetted
Hold relevant safeguarding training, refreshed regularly
Hold appropriate background checks where required
Safeguarding expectations are clearly communicated prior to involvement.
Code of Conduct
All adults involved in Your Teen Journey must:
Treat children and young people with respect
Avoid being alone with a child without parental presence
Use appropriate language and behaviour at all times
Avoid physical contact unless appropriate and consented to
Maintain confidentiality within safeguarding limits
Safeguarding Concerns and Reporting
Any safeguarding concern, disclosure, or observation must be taken seriously.
Concerns should be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Where a child is at immediate risk of harm, emergency services will be contacted.
Concerns will be recorded factually and securely, in line with data protection requirements.
Health and Safety
Risk assessments are completed for retreat activities and environments.
Our comprehensive insurance and health and safety procedures are in place to minimise risk and support wellbeing. Please review our separate Health and Safety Policy and for further guidance.
Parental responsibility and consent
Parents or legal guardians retain responsibility for their child throughout the retreat.
Written consent is obtained prior to participation, including information sharing and medical needs.
Parents are expected to supervise and support their child appropriately during the retreat.
Escalation and External Referrals
Your Teen Journey will follow local safeguarding procedures and refer concerns to appropriate statutory agencies where required.
Information will be shared on a need-to-know basis, and confidentiality will not be promised where safeguarding duties apply.
Records and confidentiality
Safeguarding records are kept securely and confidentially.
Records are factual, dated, and stored in accordance with data protection legislation.
Review and Monitoring
This policy is reviewed annually or sooner if legislation or guidance changes.
Safeguarding practices are continually monitored and improved.
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