Safe as houses? What next for the future of home-based youth work

As a young teen growing up in the 1980s Sunday evenings were one of the highlights of my week.  A group of around 10 young people from our church would pile round the home of our church youth leader after the evening service. We’d feast on bags of cheese and onion crisps and mugs of hot chocolate. We’d laugh together, forgetting the stresses of the coming week, and talk about issues of life and faith. The sense of safety, belonging and acceptance fostered in that home and the wisdom and guidance gained from more experienced peers and mentors was integral to my growing understanding of life, faith, and spirituality. Looking back, I’m so grateful for those informal evenings, for the genuine hospitality shown and the formative conversations had.

Reflecting on these experiences, I’m struck by how much it mirrors what we read in the Bible about hospitality. Much of Jesus' own ministry we see unfolding in people's homes. The early church itself found a sanctuary and a foundation in the setting of the home. Today, through Youth Bible studies and home groups, summer barbecues, movie nights and craft groups, the home continues to be a place that plays a key role not just in church activities but for many groups, in nurturing wellbeing and spiritual growth, and contributing significantly to the pastoral care and development of young people. But does new safeguarding guidance on the use of the home as a setting for youth work require us to rethink?

What are the risks?

Most of us would like to think of our homes as safe places. However, how aware are we to the potential risks of harm occurring, be it in our own home or someone else’s? As with any setting there are risks. These can include: the blurring of relational boundaries, issues around governance and the supervision of people and activities, the presence of other family members on the premises, and even issues with health and safety and insurance cover. With the pastoral responsibility there comes a need, as with any activity involving young people, to have comprehensive safeguarding measures in place. The challenge here is in striking the right balance between creating warm, welcoming, inviting spaces, and ensuring a safe and secure environment for all.

Understanding the guidance

There have been two significant pieces of guidance published or updated recently which relate to youth work in the home which it is important to be aware of. These are: the Department for Education’s (DfE) recently updated safeguarding guidance for the provision of after-school clubs, community activities, and tuition providers(i); and the new guidance published by the National Youth Agency (NYA) last autumn entitled Youth Work in Private Dwellings: Safety first – no compromises(ii) (where ‘Private dwelling’ refers to the home of a youth worker, organisation or another adult, or the home of a young person).

The Department for Education's (DfE) guidance provides a framework for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in various out-of-school settings, including those organised by churches, charities, and community groups. Home-based youth activities would fall within this. It underscores the importance of safeguarding practices and includes advice for parents who use these settings to help them be clear on what safeguarding arrangements they should expect to be in place.

The National Youth Agency (NYA) guidance focuses specifically on what it calls ‘private dwellings’ and has potentially a more significant impact on activities such as faith-based youth work.

This guidance has been produced in response to a recognition that safeguarding in private dwellings has been inconsistent across the sector, especially during the pandemic, placing young people at potential risk and leaving youth workers open to criticism. It expresses caution about conducting youth work in private dwellings, citing potential risks associated with varying home environments and in maintaining consistent safeguarding standards across them.

The guidance strongly recommends that youth work should not take place in private dwellings, whilst at the same time recognising that it does occur, for a variety of reasons, including due to limited resources. The guidance therefore offers recommendations for safer practices in circumstances where youth work does occur in the home setting, aiming to make youth work as safe as possible in locations that it sees as not ideal.

The guidance strongly suggests exploring alternative venues for youth work, such as community centres, to mitigate the challenges posed.

How can we make home-based youth work safer?

There are several ways that activities held in the home setting can be made safer.  Here’s ten things to consider:

• Risk assessments. A full risk assessment should be done for each property to be used and of the activities to be carried out. Careful consideration should be given to the potential risks, the layout of the home, potential hazards, and the overall safety measures in place.
• Criminal record checks. As with any activity, anyone doing youth work needs to have an appropriate level of DBS/PVG/Access NI check and this applies regardless of the location of the provision.
• Consent forms. Specific consent to conduct youth activities in someone’s home should be sought from the parent/guardian beforehand, and emergency contact details should be collected and kept on hand for the duration of any activity.
• Clear travel arrangements. You should make it clear that a youth worker would not be permitted to transport young people without parental permission and that of the Safeguarding Lead so own transport to and from the home would need to be arranged with clear drop off and pick up times.
• Safeguarding information. You should provide clear information about safeguarding measures and how people may address any concerns.
• Close collaboration with homeowners. The active involvement of the homeowner in setting up any activity is vital to ensure the homes meet safety standards.
• Additional supervision. Extra supervision of the young people in attendance may be required and specific training may need to be given to ensure a safe environment without compromising the unique benefits of home gatherings.
• Keeping a register. A register of attendees should be kept along with records of any adults present.
• No other adults permitted. Other adults should not be permitted on the premises or in the same space that the activity is happening.
• Seek young people’s views. You should seek the view of how comfortable the young people are with the setting. Listen to their voices and give choice where possible.

In addition, you could consider holding a session with the young people to help them understand boundaries, be clear on relationships with youth leaders, and what to do if they feel unsafe or want to report a concern. You could include agreeing a set of ground rules, irrespective of where the activity is taking place.

A balanced approached

The guidance cautioning against youth work in private dwellings prompts a thoughtful consideration about how we balance the need for a secure environment with the benefits of more informal settings such as the home. Organisations that currently run youth activities in the home should ensure they consider the risks involved and take action to mitigate these, whilst following the recommendation for considering alternative venues.

(i) www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-out-of-school-settings-code-of-practice
(ii) www.nya.org.uk/safeguarding-asset/youth-work-in-private-dwellings-safety-first-no-compromises

For more advice and guidance visit our Member's Knowledge Hub or call our helpline on 0303 003 1111.