IMPORTANT CHECKLIST & SAFETY ADVICE TO
KEEP YOU SAFE!

We want you to have fun and enjoy safe activities, so here's some really important advice you really need to read BEFORE you go any further...

To help you in finding suitable & safe activities event organisers have been asked to include as much detail as possible about their venues. YouFind.me.uk makes it clear to the people offering you activities that they must check their staff are safe to work with you and they have to tell us they have child protection rules and plans in place before they can advertise their activity on this website.

Disclaimer...

The YouFind team have tried hard to include information about safe activities, events and links on www.youfind.me.uk to make it easy for you to find something to do - but just because an activity, event or link is on the YouFind website is no guarantee that it is safe for you. It still needs you or your parents/carers to take responsibility for you being safe. So by using this service you are accepting that responsibility (see our Terms of Service for more details). If you come across any problems with activities on YouFind please tell us straight away.

Safety Checklist
The good news is that you can take actions to make sure that you fully enjoy your chosen activity. Here's some useful tips to keep you safe.

	Online Safety
	Never disclose your personal details online - name, home address, phone number. If you do have to provide personal details to book tickets or a place online it may be best to ask a parent or other trusted adult to give their details instead of yours. Use an anonymous email address - like Hotmail, Yahoo or Google. Use a nickname when posting comments. Never get involved in arguments online, always walk away. If something does seem to be a bit suspect then be wary. Don't ignore your common sense or gut instinct.
	Personal Safety
	Make sure your parents / carers know about the activity and are OK about it. Discuss with them how you will get there and what time you will arrive home. Never go to an event for the first time on your own - arrange to go with a family member or friends. Ensure that the organisers have 'CRB certificates' - this indicates that they do not have a record of child abuse
	Be wary if the people who run the activity:-

	Don't allow Parents or Carers to stay during the activity. Show favouritism to you or other young people. Invite you or other young people to spend time with them alone. Encourage racist, sexist or homophobic behaviour. Encourage inappropriate physical contact. Take your photograph without your permission.


Activity Checklist
	Is the activity right for you?
	Are you old enough? Do you need your parents' or carers' permission? How much does it cost? Check the start and finish time. How will you get there? Check the transport links. Do you need to 'book' your place in advance? Contact the organiser to check that the activity / event is taking place. Will you need special equipment? Can you hire it? Are the facilities at the venue adequate for your needs?

Don't let anyone spoil the fun!

Making sure that children and young people are safe, healthy and happy is everyone's responsibility but sometimes children and young people may be hurt by other people such as a parent or carer, a friend, relative, someone who works with them, by a stranger or sometimes by other children or young people.

For a few young people the fun is spoilt by adults and other young people who do and say things during activities that worry, hurt or frighten them. What these are experiencing may be abuse. They may feel that they have no-one to talk to about it, or that no-one will listen to them or believe what they say.

Child Exploitation And Online Protection Centre

Note: All external links on the site will open in a new window.

If you are worried or upset about anything please talk to an adult you know well and trust. You won't get in trouble,
just tell someone you can trust.

Remember - abuse is wrong and it is never your fault and all children and young people have the right to be safe from
being harmed in any way.

What is harm?

Harm is ill treatment or child abuse. Here are some examples:-

Emotional Abuse

You may be feeling unloved, undervalued or that your parents or carers are constantly picking on you. It may involve seeing someone else in your family being hurt.
This may have been happening for a very long time and make you feel sad, unhappy, and that you do not like yourself very much.

Neglect

You may be young and left alone for a long time.
You may not have enough food to eat or proper clothes to wear.
You may not be taken to the doctor when you are unwell.
You may be left with people who you do not feel safe with.

Physical Abuse

Punched.
Bitten.
Hit.
Thrown.
Burnt.
Beaten (for example, with a stick or a belt).
Hurt in other ways.

Sexual Abuse

Some one may ask you to look at rude pictures, videos or computer games.
Someone may ask you to touch their or someone else's private parts.
Someone may touch your private parts.

Bullying and Discrimination

Bullying and discrimination are also forms of abuse, whether the bully is another child or young person or an adult. Bullying includes:

Hitting.
Taking someone's personal things.
Name calling.
Racist bullying.
Being bullied because of being gay.
Being bullied via the Internet or by mobile phone.

Abuse creates all kinds of emotions, including feeling frightened, confused, alone, guilty, unloved, and ashamed. What should I do if I think I am being abused or may have been abused?

If something is worrying you, it is important to talk to someone you trust. This could be a friend, parent or someone else in your family, teacher or social worker.

It may be very difficult to talk about some of the things that have happened. You may feel frightened or be worried that you may get someone into trouble, but please do not let this stop you from talking to someone about it.

Contact one of the child protection help lines listed below. They will know who can help you in your area.

Your activity or sports team will have a child protection officer and you can ask to meet with them or for their phone number to tell them about your worries (if this is the person you have worries about please use the phone numbers listed below instead).

Make sure you are not alone again with the person who has tried to harm you. By taking the following simple precautions you can avoid many potential problems.



	If you live in Staffordshire you can phone the First Response Team (Children's Social Care Service) on 0800 1313 126 and speak to someone who will listen and be able to give you advice and support or Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 44 55.

	If you live in Stoke-on-Trent you can call the Children's Social Care Services on 01782 235100.

	You can contact Child-Line on 0800 1111 which is free, confidential and open 24 hours or go to www.achance2talk.com. You could also phone the Child Protection in Sport Unit on 0116 234 7278 or e-mail cpsu@nspcc.org.uk for further information.

	If it is an emergency and you feel that you are in danger please call the police on any phone by pressing 999.

Don't keep it to yourself!

If you think you are being abused, or have been in the past, it's really important to tell an adult you trust. This isn't easy. You may feel worried about what will happen if you do. Here are some other reasons why you may not want to tell anyone:

The abuser may have told you to keep quiet and not to talk to anybody.
They may have threatened you about what might happen to you or your place in the team if you tell.
They may have made threats about your friends or family.
They may have said 'No-one will believe you' or 'No-one will do anything if you tell'.
You may feel guilty that you didn't stop the abuse.
The person may be someone who everyone in your sport looks up to - perhaps including your parents.
You may not want to let your parents down.
You may even think the problem will go away if you ignore it.

Don't let any of these things stop you getting help - by telling someone you can stop the abuse. You'll also be helping to protect other children from the abuser.

Remember Your Rights!

The NSPCC and the Sport Across Staffordshire partnership believes that children have the right to enjoy sporting activities in safety. The work of the Child Protection in Sport Unit is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Convention spells out how people should treat you. If you would like to know more, see what the Convention says about your rights on the following website www.thecpu.org.uk.

If you do have any concerns when using the YouFind site please let us know on the Feedback link. Likewise if you find an event on our site that you think is inappropriate, inaccurate or misleading please let us have the details by contacting youfind@staffordshire.gov.uk.