Young Carers Behaviour Code

Carers MK enjoy getting our young carers together. These opportunities should be an enjoyable respite for all young carers where acceptable behaviour should be adhered to at all times.

The behaviour code is there to make sure everyone who takes part in Carers MK activities knows what is expected of them and feels safe, respected and valued.

This code of behaviour aims to:

  • identify unacceptable behaviour
  • encourage cooperation, honesty, fairness and respect
  • create an environment where your self-esteem, self-respect and self-confidence will grow
  • encourage you to recognise and respect the rights of others
  • encourage you to take responsibility for your own behaviour
  • help resolve conflicts and make it clear what will happen if you decide not to follow the code

Carers MK must make sure that everyone taking part in our activities has seen, understood and agreed to follow the code of behaviour, and that they understand the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

We expect young carers who take part in our services to display appropriate behaviour at all times. This includes behaviour that takes place outside our organisation and behaviour that takes place online.

Unacceptable behaviour includes but is not limited to the following:

  • being disrespectful to staff or other young carers
  • hurting another young carer or staff
  • being unkind or rude to other young carers or staff
  • swearing or abusive language
  • persistently ignoring instructions from staff
  • vandalising property

What happens if I do not to follow the code of behaviour?

The behaviour code is part of our process for making sure that all young carers who take part in our activities are provided with the correct support who takes part in our activities gets the support they need.

First-time incident
If you behave in a way that doesn’t follow our behaviour code, our staff or volunteers will remind you about it and ask you to change your behaviour.

This gives you the chance to think and to plan how you could behave differently, with support from staff and/or volunteers.

Formal warning
If you continue not to follow the code of behaviour after your first reminder, or if your behaviour is more serious, you will be given a formal warning in writing by a member of the team.

They will make a record about what happened and inform your parents or carers. They will also talk with you about what happened and agree what support you need to improve your behaviour in the future.

Final warning
If the support we have put in place isn’t helping you to change your behaviour, we might need to give you a final warning. Again, this will be recorded and we will inform your parents or carers as appropriate.

At this point, we might need to talk with you and your parents or carers about permanent exclusion from our activities and discuss other services that might be able to provide you with additional support that is tailored to your needs.