Courthouse Kids code of conduct

1. Be yourself, and make everyone welcome.
2. Be kind. Never bully anyone, in person, online or in a group chat.
3. Listen to the session leaders and chaperones, and do what they ask.
4. Try your best, and support each other.
5. Stay quiet while others are performing.
6. Sign in when you arrive and sign out when you leave.
7. Never leave the building without telling a chaperone.
8. Only take photos or videos when a session leader says you can. Never post photos of other children.
9. Look after the Old Courthouse, the props and the costumes.
10. If anything worries you, tell an adult you trust. That could be your parent, a session leader, a chaperone, or the society’s safeguarding lead. You can also call Childline on 0800 1111.

If things aren’t going to plan

We want Courthouse Kids to be a fun, friendly and welcoming place where everyone feels comfortable, included and able to enjoy drama. Sometimes things go wrong, and that’s okay. We’ll try to work through them together.

• A quiet reminder: If something isn’t working, a leader will have a friendly chat with you and give you a chance to put things right.
• A little more support: If the problem continues, or something more serious happens, a leader may speak with you and your parent or carer to work out what’s going on and how we can help.
• Working it out together: If things are still difficult, we’ll talk with you and your parent or carer about what needs to change and what support might help. In some circumstances, you may need to take a short break from an activity while we work out the best way forward.
• Keeping everyone safe: If a leader is worried that you or someone else may be at risk of harm, they will follow the society’s safeguarding policy to make sure everyone gets the support and protection they need.

What you can expect from the adults

The adults follow their own code, in section 5 of the society’s child protection and safeguarding policy.

For parents and carers

We try to be fair to every child, all the time. That includes who plays which part, and how the leaders share their time and attention.

The leaders and the producer decide how to use each rehearsal. They work with the children who are there that day, and with what each scene needs. So a child with a smaller part sometimes gets more time than a child with a bigger part, and sometimes less. They do their best for every child.

When your child takes part in a show, we’ll ask you to sign a form for that show.

We ask parents and carers to:

1. Support your child, and every other child in the group.
2. Trust the leaders’ decisions about parts and rehearsals. They think about every child, and they try to be fair to all of them.
3. Once you’ve signed the form for a show, help your child keep that commitment. Help them come to the rehearsals and performances they’re called for, and tell a session leader early if they can’t.
4. If you’re unhappy about something, talk to a session leader in private. Please don’t raise it in front of the children, in a WhatsApp group or on social media.
5. Be kind and respectful to the leaders, the chaperones, other parents and every child.
6. Only take photos or videos of your own child.
7. If anything worries you about a child’s safety, tell the society’s safeguarding lead.