1. Purpose & Scope

1.1 About Jesus Youth

Jesus Youth is an international Catholic Youth Movement. It has its beginnings in India in 1985, but is now active in 25 different countries around the world.

Jesus Youth is an initiative of young people themselves, who, filled with the Holy Spirit try to reach out to other young people. The strength of the movement is its special focus on a life centred on the Lord Jesus Christ: beginning with an experience of God nourished by prayer, the Word of God, the sacraments and fellowship, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others.

Jesus Youth is a network of small but vibrant groups of young people and families. In their own life situations, they strive to give time to the Lord, responding to the challenges of today’s world in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Pontifical Council for Laity recognised Jesus Youth as an ‘International Private Association of the Faithful with Juridical Personality’ in May 2016.

Jesus Youth started in the United Kingdom in the year 2001 and since then has been active in most of the dioceses in England, Wales and in some of the dioceses in Scotland. The head office of Jesus Youth UK is based in Sheffield. The address is St. Charles Presbytery, St. Charles Street Sheffield, S9 3WU.

Registered Charity Number: 1120415

1.2 National Safeguarding Board Contact Information

1.3 Statement of Commitment

The Jesus Youth Movement is committed to:

• The care, nurture of, and respectful ministry to all, especially children and vulnerable adults.
• The safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults from all forms of abuse.
• The establishment of safe, caring communities which provide a loving environment where there is an informed vigilance as to the dangers of abuse.
• A zero-tolerance policy in relation to any abuse of children and vulnerable adults and to prompt action.
• Empowering and educating young people to keep themselves safe from all harm and abuse.

1.4 Scope of This Policy

The scope of this policy applies to all persons who have or may be expected to have contact with children and vulnerable adults in the course of any Jesus Youth activities and in Jesus Youth Locations. This includes all volunteers, trustees, staff, clergy and any other members of Jesus Youth. This policy is not intended to cover those activities where the child or vulnerable adult is under the direct care/supervision of the parent or guardian.

The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate the strong commitment of the Jesus Youth Movement to the care, safety and wellbeing of all children and vulnerable adults in Jesus Youth Locations. It provides an outline of the policies, procedures and strategies developed to keep children and vulnerable adults safe from harm, including all forms of abuse in Jesus Youth Locations. This policy applies to all Jesus Youth members, programme participants, employees, volunteers, contractors, religious and clergy.

Following this policy is also part of our commitment to UK statutory bodies, the local Catholic diocese, to the Charity Commission, insurers and to other organisations which, quite rightly, require us to be diligent in safeguarding children.

This policy has a number of Appendices at the end. This is to reduce detail in the main part of the policy but they are integral to the policy.

This handbook sets out how Jesus Youth (UK) meets its safeguarding responsibilities across all events and programmes. It applies to:

• Adult-only events (18+)
• Children & young people events (under-18, with parental consent)
• Mixed/family events (parents accompanying their own children)
• Online programmes and small groups
• Residentials, retreats, conferences, and travel

It covers safer recruitment of volunteers, event consent and conduct, response to concerns, and the records we keep.

1.5 Key Terminology

Child — A child in this document refers to anyone under the age of 18 years.

Vulnerable adult — A vulnerable adult is a person over 18 years who is unable to look after themselves, protect themselves from harm or exploitation or are unable to report abuse.

Jesus Youth Location — A Jesus Youth Location includes the programmes, groups, travels, gatherings and establishments, whether on site or virtual, related to the association.

Abuse — Abuse can be categorised into 5 different types: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, financial abuse and spiritual abuse. A child may be subject to one or more of these at any given time.

Types of abuse

• Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a child.

• Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.

• Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

• Sexual abuse could be physical, psychological, emotional or verbal with sexual overtones. It includes any act or interaction whether it involves genital or physical contact, with or without consent, even if initiated by the minor. Sexual abuse can involve sexual contact, molestation or sexual exploitation of a child by any person, whether physical injuries are sustained or not.

• Financial abuse is a form of mistreatment and exploitation involving the unauthorised or improper use of an individual’s financial resources for another person’s benefit. It can include a range of behaviours such as theft, fraud, exploitation, or the use of undue influence to gain control over a person’s money or property.

• Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse in which a person’s religious beliefs are used to harm, coerce, control, manipulate, or exploit them.

Detailed definitions, possible signs, and NSPCC guidance for each type of abuse are provided in Appendix 2 of the Safeguarding Policy.