Freedom Youth Group: Adult Lead
Make space for young people to lead. Keep the adult responsibilities with adults.
Hold the safe structure
Confirm the group sits within an appropriate school, sixth-form, youth or other recognised setting. Agree the scope, supervision and safeguarding route before activity begins. Make sure young people know who the responsible adults are and how to raise a concern. Check permissions, venue, travel, online activity, photography, speakers and fundraising as required.
Different ages, different responsibility
11–14: prioritise learning, creativity, discussion, youth testing and supervised awareness.
15–17: allow more planning, presenting and campaigning where the task, maturity, consent and setting make it appropriate. Older does not automatically mean ready for every role.
Prepare before the first meeting
- Confirm which safeguarding policy and reporting route governs the activity.
- Decide who receives concerns and who covers if that person is unavailable.
- Explain the disclosure boundary in plain language.
- Keep the help route visible without turning the group into a help service.
- Agree how you will handle digital contact, photographs and external speakers.
- Assess any DBS eligibility from the actual role and current guidance.
Core response: listen. Do not investigate. Do not promise secrecy. Do not contact family members or alleged perpetrators. Follow the agreed safeguarding route. If somebody is in immediate danger, call 999.
Before an activity goes public
Check that the aim is clear, information is current and sourced, the route to help is visible, nobody is pressured to disclose or perform, the language does not stereotype, approvals are in place, and there is a plan if somebody discloses a concern.