14. Safety
The priority of all the people looking after me is to keep me and those around me safe.
Staff will check on you regularly to make sure you’re safe and that you have settled in. They will only wake you up on purpose if something’s wrong.
Sometimes custody officers, youth justice workers or key workers may need to search you by holding a metal detector or by patting you down to check that you’re not hiding anything that could be dangerous to you or others. This can include a more thorough search of your clothes or body.
You can ask to see an advocate if you want support after a search.
Keeping you and others safe is a priority, so you will be kept separate from another child when there might be a safety risk to either of you.
You should tell custody officers if you are worried about any other children.
Sometimes staff may need to use force to stop you hurting yourself or others, but only after they have tried other ways to prevent harm.
If they use force, you should always have the chance to talk through what happened afterwards with a member of staff who was not involved and a member of the health team. You can also ask to speak to an advocate at any time.
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