Manager’s guide to managing and supporting young people March 2016
.................................................................................................................................................................... 2 ..................................... 2 Young workers’ checklist........................................................................................................................................... 2 Managing children’s hours ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Applying for a work permit ........................................................................................................................................ 2 ......................... 3 ....................................... 3 ........................................................................................................................................... 3 ............................................ 3 ............................................................... 4 ................................................................................................................................................... 5 A young person tells me about a safeguarding issue ........................................................................................... 5 A young person is involved in an aggressive or violent incident at work ........................................................... 5 A young person is struggling emotionally but it is not a safeguarding issue as yet. ........................................ 5 I have made some notes about an issue?.............................................................................................................. 5
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Every manager should be aware of their particular responsibility to keep our young people safe from harm by ensuring that the young person works safely, and within the legal hours specified for their age group. It also means that you look out for signs that might indicate the young person is struggling physically or emotionally, and if so, knowing how to support them and how to get help. This guide outlines what is expected of you, as a young person’s manager, and also when and how to escalate an issue to another person or external agency, if you have concerns about their welfare.
Find out which of your colleagues in your team are under the age of 18, and then ensure that they don’t work more hours than they should legally. You can find these in the Child and Young Workers’ policy. You’re responsible for making sure that the colleague finishes work on time, and that they are lawfully allowed to work any overtime you may offer. You also need to make sure they have the required breaks. Periodically, reports are run centrally which highlight if a young worker has breached their hours’ restriction – both through their contracted hours and overtime hours. As a manager you could be disciplined if you have failed to manage their hours properly. The most common breach is allowing young workers to work overtime after 22:00 and before 06:00, (although they can work until 23:00 if they are contracted to work between 22:00 and 23:00, but must then not work on any day before 07:00). Colleagues will appear on the report if they clock after 22:00 or before 06:00 even if they have not actually worked during these times. For this reason, young workers should be scheduled to finish work at 21:45 and to start no earlier than 06:15. Young workers’ checklist So that our young people know what hours they can’t work, and what their break entitlements are, make sure you hold a meeting with them to go through their working hours’ restrictions, and to sign a copy of the checklist. You can find a copy of the checklist by clicking here. Managing children’s hours We can employ children once they have reached the age of 15 if you obtain a work permit for them from your Local Authority. They also need to have a National Insurance number. You must then only allow them to work the exact hours described in that work permit. (This means that if you ever want to change the child’s working hours and/or shift pattern you must discuss it with the People Manager who will need to notify the Local Authority.) The Local Authority may just follow national guidelines (as laid out in the Child and Young Workers policy), but there could be local by-laws which are even more restrictive. To find your Local Authority follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-council Applying for a work permit This is the responsibility of the People Manager. Once you’ve found your Local Authority, contact them online and download a copy of the work permit form, complete the details of the job you are proposing the child will do, along with the exact hours, work location, line manager’s name, and contact details. You should then send the work permit application to the child’s parent along with the Child Safety letter (please click here for a copy). They have to sign to say they are in agreement with their child’s employment, and then give the form back to you.
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Once you have the completed application form you can send it to the Local Authority. Provided the hours are within the allowed times of day they will usually return a work permit to you within 2-3 weeks. Please then:
Give a copy of the work permit to the child; Scan the work permit to the central Employment Compliance team on:
[email protected] File the original work permit on the child’s personnel file.
Employers are liable to prosecution if they:
don’t register their school age colleagues before they begin working; employ school age children in a forbidden occupation; allow school age children to work outside the hours allowed by the by-laws (please note that if the child holds two jobs, then the hours worked with both employers must not exceed the working limits).
Young people under the age of 18 have to participate in a minimum number of hours of training or education each week during term-time. The young person is accountable for ensuring that they undertake this training/education and not you, but you need to make sure that you give them time off work for their training or education needs. If you have employed a young person and they don’t have a recognised level 2 qualification, and are not in fulltime education, they may request paid time off in order to attend their training/education. Please refer to the Training & Education policy for more information about how the young person can apply. Our Apprenticeship programme qualifies as relevant training and so if a young person is under 18 and is registered on the apprenticeship programme, they do not need to be given additional time off.
As a company we’re required to carry out risk assessments, and to ensure young people don’t carry out certain work if the assessment identifies a significant risk to their safety. The departments where children and young people cannot work are listed in the Child and Young Workers policy. All of the company’s risk assessments take account of young workers and the necessary controls are written into department guides, routines, and training.
Safeguarding is the action we take to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm – specifically physical, mental and sexual abuse. Every adult in Tesco has a responsibility towards safeguarding our young people and to take action where appropriate to protect them from bad treatment. However, as a manager you have a particular responsibility to pay closer attention to your young workers than older workers, as they’re impressionable, less aware of their emotions, and more vulnerable. There is more detail around safeguarding in the main Child and Young workers policy, so you should make sure you are familiar with it.
If you notice or become aware of any of the following issues it may mean that the young person is at risk and you should take action: -
Emotional issues such as fear, anger, anxiety, sadness or low self-esteem; Mental health problems such as depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm or suicidal thoughts; Problems with drugs and alcohol; Signs of sexual exploitation; Internal, Manager’s Guide to managing and supporting young people Page 3 of 5 March 2016
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Disturbing thoughts, emotions and memories that cause distress or confusion; Struggling with relationships and the ability to communicate; Behavioural problems including anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour; Indications of radicalisation; Signs of honour based crimes, forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM); Clothes are smelly, dirty, un-ironed, incomplete uniform, indicating they may be sleeping rough or suffering neglect; Groups of young people congregating on the premises (e.g. the car-park).
Whilst some of these things may seem to be common problems for teenagers, and in isolation not something to worry about, the key is being aware of trends over a period of time. If you as their manager are concerned for their welfare in and outside of work and know what to look for, you will naturally become more aware of things that do not look right. You may be told about an issue with a young person by another colleague. Whilst you should be mindful that people do sometimes make false allegations, you should always take the concern seriously. Please be aware that car-park safety can be an issue. These can be used by gangs as hubs, meeting points, or to recruit young people into drugs or prostitution, so it is important that all managers are on the look-out for potential issues.
If you feel you can talk to the young person about your suspicions then you may want to do so. They may deny that there is a problem, or confide in you. Either way you should assure them that you are only concerned for their welfare, and they can talk to you at any time. If you can’t talk to them about your concerns you must tell your People Manager or Store Manager so that they can take action instead. If you have spoken to your young person and you are still concerned, you should escalate the issue to your People Manager or Store Manager in Express sites. If you have been talking to the young person you may feel you are breaching confidentiality, but where you have serious concerns for their welfare, you must act. This is a legal requirement as the protection of a child or young person is the most important consideration. The People Manager (Store Manager in Express) acts as the designated local safeguarding lead and is responsible for escalating the concern outside of the site and to the appropriate source of help (see below). While issues should not be reported to an external body unless you have a strong concern that the young person is at risk of harm, neither should there be an unnecessary delay. It is a tricky balance to strike, as it is natural to fear your suspicions are wrong and that you may make the situation worse. However, external agencies are skilled at making these judgements and do not have to disclose who reported an issue to them. The People Manager (or Store Manager in Express) should contact their Group People Manager to discuss the situation, or alternatively, they can contact
[email protected] should not stop you from referring a serious issue to the authorities immediately though, if you are unable to make contact with your Group People Manager/office. Referral agencies: If you think a young colleague is:
In danger of injury, crime or death - ring 999. Being abused - ring the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, which are a specialist team working within the police with countrywide responsibility for undertaking child protection investigations: 01707 354000. Being neglected, or there are general welfare issues - to discuss the support you could offer, please contact the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children): 0808 800 5000 For young people themselves who want to discuss an issue confidentially, or for concerned adults, please ring Childline on: 0800 1111
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A young person tells me about a safeguarding issue This is termed an act of disclosure, and you should always believe them. Talk to the young person, establish what is happening, and reassure them that it is right to tell and that you will get help. You must then escalate the issue to your People Manager (Store Manager in Express) who will then contact an external agency. If the young person discloses an allegation against anyone in the workplace, you must take immediate action. You should investigate and if necessary contact the police if you think a crime has taken place. A young person is involved in an aggressive or violent incident at work Regardless of whether the incident was physical or mental, whether it was with another colleague or customer, and whether the young person was the instigator or not, there may be a bigger impact on the colleague’s mental and emotional well-being than for an older person. For this reason you should take particular care to ensure that: -
the young person understands what is happening and what will happen next; the situation is not being ignored and will be dealt with; they have the option at all times of another colleague to act as their companion/representative; their parent will be contacted (where appropriate); they can go home.
Even once the incident appears to be resolved you should check in with the young person regularly to see if they are ok, or whether they need any further support to help them deal with what has happened. In most cases, simply asking them how they are and offering your help and support, will be enough in itself. However, if the young person is struggling, such as experiencing flashbacks or being fearful in certain situations, they may need more help. You should discuss the situation with your People Manager who will talk to Occupational Health to see what can be offered. In some cases, counselling may be an option. Remember that if the colleague is seriously injured or off work for more than 7 days it may trigger RIDDOR reporting requirements to the Local Authority. RIDDOR stands for Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations and your People Manager has responsibility for doing this. A young person is struggling emotionally but it is not a safeguarding issue as yet. Keep checking in with them to see how they are, and to keep the lines of communication open. Let them know that they can always talk to you and that you care about their welfare. Be guided by them in terms of the support that they would like you to offer. At all times ensure that you reassure them that you will keep things confidential between you, unless you become concerned that they are in danger at which point you will have to report it. If you feel that they need more help than you are able to offer within the workplace, then talk to your People Manager who may be able to offer some support through Occupational Health. Let the young person know that you want to talk to the People Manager so you don’t lose their trust. We also have access to Grocery Aid (08088 021122) which offers a free counselling service to all our colleagues. Alternatively you can find out more about it on the following link: https://www.ourtesco.com/working-at-tesco/ourhealth-matters/groceryaid/ I have made some notes about an issue? The People Manager should file any notes that have been made in a sealed envelope in the young person’s personnel file. The envelope should be marked Private & Confidential and marked with a throw away date that corresponds with the young person’s 18th birthday. If the young person has disclosed something that meets the definition of a criminal act, these notes could be used in court as a legal document, so it is important to store them carefully.
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