The Halcon Youth Club in Taunton has achieved Somerset County Council’s ‘Safe and Welcoming’ award.
The ‘Safe and Welcoming’ benchmark scheme accredits the club’s safe practice and appeal to young people. To achieve the award the club had to build a portfolio of statements, policies, health and safety practice and building safety details.
Cllr Frances Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Children and Families at Somerset County Council, said: “I am really pleased that Halcon Youth Club has gained the ‘Safe and Welcoming’ award. It is reassuring for parents and carers to know that their local youth club is safe, sustainable and young people friendly. Once a youth club has gained this award, it becomes instantly recognisable to young people and their families as a great resource for their community.”
Reverend David Fayle, Vicar of All Saints Church, Halcon said: “We are very proud to have achieved Safe and Welcoming. It’s so important to have a youth club for young people in Halcon that can be recognised as a good place to go. The community really values the club and will be pleased with this recognition.”
Valid for three years, the award is a condition of Somerset County Council youth club funding. The award is split into sections looking at what young people can expect to experience at the club, the people who contribute to or work in the club, and policies, procedures and paperwork.
The Halcon Youth Club is the thirty-third club in Somerset to achieve the award.