Hope for Belper

Young people can do wonderful things!

Dreamscheme is a national and international social enterprise scheme engaging young people in community life.  The story began in Sheffield with a dream. The first Dreamscheme was devised and developed on Sheffield’s Flower Estate by Geoff and Kate King between 1995 and 1998.

Dreamscheme enables young people to become part of the solution to shared problems that urban life so often presents to many housing estates. The scheme provides a new sense of belonging and enables the young people to serve their community.

The main idea behind Dreamscheme is that “young people can do wonderful things”.  It gives young people an opportunity to have fun together in a safe and supervised context doing things that benefit the community.  They learn new skills, achieve new goals and build their confidence and self-esteem.

Hope for Belper has adopted the Dreamscheme method as a way of engaging with young people in Belper, and due to the success of the pilot project in 2008, we have big plans for this summer.

We ran our first Dreamscheme Project last summer from 11-15 August for young people aged 11-14, and the area we chose was the Gregorys Way / Whitemoor Lane end of town. 

Adult volunteers helped supervise young people, acting as mentors and role models.  All our adult volunteers have a passion for the potential and value of young people. We believe that positive relationships with adults help young people care about their communities.

More about Dreamscheme HERE.

So what’s it all about?

WHAT?  Dreamscheme is a community youth project based on a simple concept of WORK, POINTS and TRIPS.   Young people carry out community based WORK for which they earn POINTS. These can be exchanged for a TRIP of their choice from a selection of options made available to them.

WHEN?  For one week from Monday 11th to Friday 15th August  2008, 1pm to 7pm.  Young people need to commit for  the whole week.

WHERE?  We will be based at the Whitemoor Centre on John O’Gaunts Way, where we will be doing some community work.  We will also be doing some  conservation work in the Whitemoor Marshes off Gregory’s Way with the Groundwork Trust.  There will be with lots of fun in between!

WHO?   The project is for 11-14 year olds who live on the Whitemoor Estates.

HOW?   Young people book their place by completing a booking form which must be returned to us by 18th July. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Parents / Carers will need to sign a Consent Form.

COST?  Nothing! Young people earn everything through their WORK.  On the Friday we go off on our TRIP, all free.   You see why it’s so popular?! 

The nuts and bolts

Hope for Belper is a group of Christians working in partnership with some local churches, the Police, Amber Valley Borough Council, The Groundwork Trust, Derwent Living, Spirita and Amber Valley Housing Ltd, with the support of Belper Town Council.

The project is financially supported through donations received from individuals and local businesses, and grant awards.

All adult volunteers receive training to participate in the Dreamscheme project, and all have current Enhanced CRB certificates as required by law.  A copy of the Hope for Belper Child Protection Policy is available on request.

As we will be working with and preparing food, several adult volunteers hold a Food Hygiene Certificate.

A typical Dreamscheme day begins at 1pm, with regular refreshment and comfort breaks throughout, ending at 7pm.  Young people are asked to bring a healthy “packed lunch” for tea.

A video diary may be made by the young people to record their achievements, and photographs taken.  The local media may be present from time to time.  Parents / Carers must indicate their consent on the Consent Form.

For further information relating to the 2009 Dreamscheme, please contact the Management Committee via Mrs Helen Greenwood on 01773 823418 or email ggandhg@aol.com.
 

Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

This section should be read and understood by all adult volunteers.

Hope for Belper recognises the unique status of children and young people, and seeks to ensure that they are respectfully treated as individuals. All Adult Volunteers must accept that the welfare of the child is paramount. The highest standards towards children and young people will be maintained in all circumstances. All Adult Volunteers may have contact with children and young people; and so all will be asked whether they have been subject to criminal or civil proceedings, and whether they have caused harm to children or put them at risk.

Clear recruitment procedures, training and supervision are essential for achieving a high quality service, to children and young people participating in Hope for Belper activities. It is the duty of all people working with children and young people to prevent abuse and unsafe situations from occurring. All Adult Volunteers are also required to report any abuse disclosed, discovered or suspected, in line with these procedures.

Hope for Belper will collaborate fully with the statutory and voluntary authorities concerned with investigating abuse. It is important to note that it is the responsibility of the Police, Social Services and NSPCC (not Hope For Belper) to investigate the truth of any allegation of abuse.

Good Practice Guidelines

• It is essential that any child abuse issues are not trivialized or exaggerated, and that the proper steps are followed.
• Please be aware that your words and actions may be open to misinterpretation, and therefore you should take great care to avoid situations in which they could be misunderstood.
• You should never pray with, or meet with, a child or young person outside the organized activity.
• You will be responsible for ensuring that abusive peer activities (such as bullying, etc.) do not occur.
• All steps must be taken to ensure that the site is safe for children, young people and Adult Volunteers. Any concerns that you may have should be reported to the Management Team.

Dealing with an allegation

For all workers, the most important consideration is to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children and young people with whom they come into contact. Any allegations of abuse must be taken seriously.

Hope for Belper has a duty and a legal obligation to report all allegations of abuse to the relevant statutory and voluntary authorities. Allegations may come directly from a child or young person, or from a fellow team-worker, or from an adult. Allegations may refer to a family member, or to someone outside the family such as a teacher, youth leader, or pastor etc. No groups of people are exempt from being abusers or from being abused.

Abuse falls into four broad categories, which can be defined as follows:

• Physical Injury. Any injury to a child or young person caused by a parent or family member, or another person who is responsible for their care, or in loco parentis.
• Neglect. A failure to meet a child or young persons basic needs for food, warmth, protection and care.
• Emotional Abuse. The persistent, severe emotional ill-treatment or rejection that severely affects the emotional and/or behavioural development of a child or young person.
• Sexual Abuse. The use of a child or young person to meet an adult’s sexual needs.

If a child or young person begins to tell you about abuse it is vital that you do the following:

• Listen carefully but do not ask leading questions or place your own interpretation upon what they have said.
• Reassure the child or young person that, they have done the right thing in telling you. Tell them what you intend to do next.
• Do not ‘promise not to tell anyone’ or say ‘you will keep it a secret’.
• Report the child or young person’s disclosure to a member of the Management Team immediately.
• As soon as possible, write down what you were told by the child or young person, using their own words to describe the abuse, and pass this report to  a member of the Management Team.

Hope for Belper has procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse:

Please report all allegations of abuse to a member of the Management Team. They will inform the St Peter’s Church, Belper, Child Protection Co-ordinator who will take up the matter with the relevant statutory and voluntary authorities (Police, Social Services or NSPCC etc.) which are responsible for investigating allegations of abuse. The first person to be told of the abuse may be asked to give a statement to the Police. It is important to remember that what has been disclosed is confidential and should only be shared with others on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.

After telling of abuse, a child or young person can be distressed, and concerned about what will happen next. They should be reassured that they have done the right thing, and someone should stay with them within the supervised team situation, and pray with them if it is appropriate to do so. It is important to remember that the best interests of the child or young person – and the need for the abuse to stop – come before the interests of Hope for Belper or the abuser.

We also recommend that, if abuse is disclosed to you, you seek the comfort and support of prayer ministry for yourself.