NCS Sheffield - More information for parents and guardians Covid-19 Information Element Society takes coronavirus guidance from the Local Authority (Sheffield City Council), the National Youth Agency (NYA) and the central Government. We take health and safety seriously, and all staff are trained in the measures put in place for our programmes. We keep our measures up to date in order to keep young people and staff safe, so we will always operate under the most up to date guidance. If you have any further questions about Covid-19, please call us on 0114 2999 211 and speak to a member of our team. How do I get my teen involved? There are 3 quick and easy ways to book a young person onto one of our programmes. You can call us anytime Monday to Friday 10 am – 5 pm by calling our office on 0114 2999 211 (please leave a voicemail if there is no answer as our team are sometimes delivering sessions with young people). You can email us at [email protected] and one of our team will get back to you. Register for a place online - simply fill in the form and pay the contribution all in one place. Once registration is complete: You will receive a 'Joiner Form' to complete (this contains important information to keep participants safe on the programme) - please send this back to us as soon as possible Access to the 'MyNCS' page where you can find all of the details for the programme you have booked, including the Welcome Pack Invitations to FREE NCS Socials in the run-up to Summer What happens at the Parent and Guardian Evening? Parent and Guardian information evenings are an opportunity for parents/guardians to gain more information about NCS Sheffield and to ask any questions about the programme. It is an informative event for you to meet us and make sure that your teen will be in safe hands. We run a number of evenings throughout the year, so if you cannot make the first one, please lookout for the next available date. We recommend that you attend as previous parents and guardians have found it very useful. Book your tickets here. How long is NCS Sheffield? Our Summer 2022 programme is two weeks long. The first five days (week 1) are away from home on residential, then participants go home for the weekend. The last five days (week 2) are back in Sheffield working from Element HQ. The programme includes meeting new friends, navigating fun exciting new challenges together, and learning life skills that’ll help smash future goals. Participants will also find out more about our local community and work together as a team to turn their passion into action, delivering a social action project that tackles an issue that’s important to their team. Where do programmes take place? Week 1 - Kingswood Dearne Valley (away residential) Week 2 - local-based and will be based from Element HQ in Sheffield City Centre. Will my child be forced to do an activity? No. They can absolutely sit out if they really do not want to do something without feeling any pressure. Our staff will never force them to do anything, but we do try to challenge individuals to step out of their comfort zone and overcome challenges! Where will young people sleep during the residential phases? For Summer 2022 residential, participants will be staying in either dormitory style blocks, an adventure lodge or eco pods. The accommodation is maintained by a vetted outdoor activity centre, and there are security features in place there to keep residents safe. Male and female participants are separated into single-gender accommodation and are not allowed to enter each others’ rooms. The accommodation comes with the necessary amenities including access to showers and power sockets. Some accommodation, including bathrooms, may be shared with other young people but it will only be with participants of the same gender. We can cater for individual circumstances such as medical equipment, or transgender young people wishing to stay in their own rooms, please inform us as soon as possible so we have time to plan this with the activity centre. Is there a curfew on residential? There is a ‘lights out' time across the site. This will make sure participants feel totally refreshed and energised for each action-packed day and can make the most of their experience. My child has additional requirements (disabilities, dietary requirements, specific medical needs etc.), can they take part? Yes. We’re committed to making NCS open to everyone and will accommodate any young people with disabilities wherever possible. Our team are trained to a high standard to be able to assess individual needs and help everyone enjoy their NCS experience. Any dietary requirements can be catered for, please provide the details in the Joiner Form that you will be sent after paying your contribution fee. For specific medical needs, please speak to us as soon as possible about what would be required. We have a variety of experience in catering for specific needs, from emergency EpiPens to overnight ventilation equipment, so we are confident everyone can take part. If needed, we have the option to apply for 1:1 funding depending on individual needs. Can my child continue to practice their faith during the programme? Yes. Element has a dedicated multi-faith room at our building to pray, quietly reflect or meditate. On residential, a multi-faith space will be identified for this purpose. How much does NCS cost? A single place on NCS is worth £1,200, but the government subsidies this massively, meaning the maximum we’ll ask you to contribute is £50. We have a bursary scheme available that’s 100% confidential. Bursaries include: Eligible for Free School Meals Have a Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) Left care of the Local Authority Young Carers If you’re not sure you can afford it, get in touch and Element will ensure that money is not a barrier to your teen taking part in NCS. Will my child need extra money for residential? In short, no. Your contribution covers EVERYTHING on the programme (all activities, travel to residential, equipment hire, 3 meals a day in week one). Some people bring a small amount of cash to use in the tuck shop on-site, but you don’t need to. In week two we will be at Element HQ, so participants can bring a packed lunch or some money for the bus or lunch out with friends. Does NCS help with applications? Yes. It does not count as UCAS points, but keep in mind UCAS look for more than just points. We have seen Universities and employers look very favourably on people who have graduated from NCS because it shows commitment and a wider range of skills and experience that they develop on programme. Will some young people going on the programme have challenging behaviour? Element Society aims to support those with challenging behaviour to allow them to take part and get the best out of NCS. As safety is our main priority, we review each young person’s application, particularly paying attention to the medical and support information provided. If we are told that a young person has difficulty with following clear rules and boundaries, we will contact the parent or guardian to discuss this. In some cases, we will contact schools, professionals or other specialists for more information. We then come to a decision about the young person and how much support they may need on NCS. If required, we will put extra staff support in place for the young person. If a young person seriously or persistently breaks the code of conduct (signed by all young people before the programme), staff will assess the situation and decide on the most suitable action. In some cases, we may ask the young person to leave the programme. Who will be responsible for the young people on the programme? Our staff will be responsible for participants on our programme. The safety and well-being of participants are paramount. At Element, we are committed to ensuring the utmost effort is made to mitigate risks to health and safety on the programme. NCS staff are Enhanced DBS checked (previously CRB) and suitably trained to work with young people and run fun, safe activities. All the activities are comprehensively risk-assessed and overseen by carefully selected trained instructors and mentors and the programme is quality assured locally and nationally. If you have any questions or worries, our team would be more than happy to answer them, please call us on 0114 2999 211. Will taking part in NCS interfere with my teen’s academic studies? No. The NCS summer programme takes place in the summer holidays. Our shorter autumn programmes can take place during the autumn term but are usually designed with the school or college to reduce disruption to learning. Got more questions? Please get in contact with us. We are happy to answer any additional questions you might have! Phone - 0114 2999 211 (please leave a voicemail if there is no answer as our team are sometimes delivering sessions with young people). Email - [email protected] Social Media - Find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Linked In. Click the icons below.