Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to start a new group?
There are lots of things to consider when starting up a youth project or Early Years group. But if you take your time in the planning stages, and build on a good foundation, you should be able to address many issues before they arise.
The Momentum Youth Kit is an informative and useful free resource that helps you develop your idea. It contains everything that you will need to get going, including a range of documents - constitution, policies, membership forms, etc., that can be used in template form to personalise to meet your needs. There is also guidance on committees, fundraising, finances, child protection, recruitment of volunteers, health and safety and much more. The Momentum Early Years Kit also has a wealth of information and guidance for the committees of Early Years groups.
Who needs CRBs?
Anyone applying for a job or voluntary position that includes working with children, young people and/or vulnerable adults, could be asked for a check. Any position working with children or young people requires you to undergo an ENHANCED CRB check.
I already have a CRB for my job - do I need to do another one for my group?
Yes it is best to do so and are only valid of the day of issue. Due diligence would mean having a new CRB done for your new role. CRB certificates are not transferable at present.
We have a lot of new trustees - how can I help them get up to speed quickly?
The Early Years Kit is designed to give support to the committees of voluntary playgroups with charitable status. It gives an overview of their role and their responsibilities and gives guidance on a range of relevant subjects. It includes samples of a variety of useful documents and includes a section on sources of information and further support.
Committee workshops are free of charge to Momentum members and held regularly throughout the year or can be delivered in-house at your setting. Information for charity trustees is also available from the Charity Commission at www.charitycommision.gov.uk
Momentum's training programme also includes training for trustees, please visit the Training Hub section of this website.
What type of First Aid training do we need?
Early years settings require paediatric First Aid as detailed in EYFS Statutory Welfare requirements. It is good practice for anyone working with children or young people to have an Emergency Life Support Certificate. It is good practice for those in a working environment to have at least one First Aider who has attended the Emergency Life Support at Work course.
How many of us need to be trained in First Aid?
Check any legal requirements pertaining to your group first, this may answer your question. Best practice suggests that you should ensure that you have at least one qualified first aider present whenever you are open for business. Working towards increasing this is good practise too as it will allow for sickness and holiday cover and general flexibility within your team of workers.
Do I need a Food Hygiene Certificate to do food for our group?
Check the legal requirements for your type of setting. If you are preparing /handling of food, it is good practise to obtain a Food Hygiene Certificate.
We want to start a group, but have no money for initial costs of room hire, training and CRBs etc. Where can I go?
Momentum can help with a start-up grant providing that you have certain things in place - Constitution, organisation bank account, etc. Your Parish Council may be able to help too as there may have been a project in your area in the past who left money with them to be used by a group like yours. Information about other funding sources may be found in the Youth Kit or look at the Funding page of this website.
What type of insurance do I need?
If your youth group meets in the same venue regularly, it is standard legal practice to acquire liability insurance for the building, the individual members of the group, and the staff. This means that everything is covered in the event of a mishap, whether it is an accident with paint or an injury sustained while playing a particularly active game. Hopefully, of course, you will never have to use the policy, but it makes good legal sense to have it there just in case. Childcare insurance specialists Morton Michael, provide insurance for younger aged children's groups as well as youth Projects. Momentum members can access insurance through BJK insurers who can provide an insurance shame suitable for our member clubs and projects.
We need to recruit more volunteers - how do we find people?
Word of mouth is by far the best way of recruiting new helpers, ask around your village or neighbourhood or at the school gate. A card in the school or on the Parish notice board or in the local shop window can produce a good response. Also local publications, Parish magazines or village newsletters, are good places to place a carefully worded advertisement. Make sure you have a sounded recruitment process - ask for two references and have all helpers CRB checked before they begin their work.
What is the Equality Act?
From 1st October 2010, the Equality Act replaced most of the Disability Discrimination Act. The Act is in place to protect the legal rights of people with disabilities and to stop them from being discriminated against due to their disability in the areas of:
- employment
- education
- access to goods, services and facilities including larger private clubs and land based transport services
- buying and renting land or property
- functions of public bodies, for example the issuing of licences
I want to make my group available to everyone who wants to use it. What do I need to think about?
You'll need to check that the group is accessible for people with disabilities, for those from different backgrounds and cultures and people whose first language is not English. Momentum's Inclusion Kit has an access checklist for you to work through to check if people with disabilities can get in to your building, use the facilities, get involved with activities etc. You can then use the resources in the Kit to help you make any changes necessary to ensure everyone can access your group. We can help you with this and help you make sure your policies, procedures and information include everyone. We can also signpost you to organisations who can help you welcome people from different backgrounds and cultures.
I want to run a little club just for people like me. Am I discriminating if I do that?
The Equality Act does make it against the law for clubs which are for everyone to treat some members and guests unfairly. But they do recognise that it's good for some groups of people to have their own places where they can meet and enjoy themselves. That is why the Equality Act does not stop women-only and men-only clubs, or clubs for people who share a characteristic like their age or their religion or belief, like an over-60s club.
Does it cost a lot to make our venue accessible?
Often you only need to make small changes to make your venue more accessible. These might be buying a ramp, changing door handles or putting up more signs. For slightly bigger alterations, you may need more substantial funding and grants are sometimes available to help you with this. Check out the funding section on this website or contact us at the office for more information. If you rent your venue, you'll need to talk to the landlord about making it more accessible. If you own the building, it is your responsibility to make it as accessible as possible.
I want to make sure my group is offering what the young people want. How can I do this?
Ask them! There's all sorts of different ways of finding out if the young people are having a positive experience when they come to your group, such as asking them face to face, by email, video, post it notes, opinion cards, games etc. It'll help you find out if they enjoy their time at your group and if they think the day or time is suitable, activities are appropriate for their age etc. The Activity and Inclusion Kits have ideas to help you ask the people using your group what they want.
How can I promote my group to more people?
Think about who you want to come along to your group and then ask yourself where you can find those people. There's loads of ways of getting the message out there - website, posters, radio, presentations, open days, information events etc. You can also tell all the local groups in your area about what you offer and ask them to pass it on. Be positive and creative!
Where can I find out more about disability?
The Inclusion Kit has some information about disability and contact details of local groups supporting people with disabilities. You can also look at http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pages/hub.aspx
Where can I get some training to help me understand more about disability and access?
Check out our events and training calendar under the Our Services section of our website. Contact us if there's something you need that isn't listed.
