Our policies 

Thriving Wild CIC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and vulnerable adults both whilst participating in our activities, and also when not doing so.

This means that we will take all reasonable steps to create an environment where children and vulnerable adults are safe from abuse, and have positive and enjoyable experiences during each and every activity that we run. 

This also means that any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to, in line with our policy guidance and procedures. 

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. This includes all adults (staff and volunteers) who come into contact with children and vulnerable adults when working on behalf of Thriving Wild. 

We are committed to creating a safe environment which minimises risk of harm for all children and adults participating in our activities.  We do this by:

🌿Supporting participants to take risks in a safe environment and learn to better assess risk for themselves.  Risk-taking is an important feature of the forest school ethos, and we embrace risk taking as a learning tool.

🌿Conducting site and activity risk assessments before each session.  We are trained to dynamically assess risk throughout our sessions.

🌿Providing a high adult to participant ratio   

We have specific health and safety policies and procedures in place around aspects such as:

🌿Risk-benefit assessment

🌿Tool, fire, tree climbing, rope and den safety

🌿Food safety and hygiene

🌿First aid, medication, and accident & emergency

🌿Site and tool maintenance  

🌿Missing child

🌿Adult to participant ratios

At Thriving Wild, we are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive and respectful environment where everyone feels safe, valued and able to participate. We celebrate diversity and believe that spending time in nature should be accessible to all, regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other protected characteristic. We work to remove barriers to participation and make reasonable adjustments wherever possible so that everyone can thrive.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, harassment and bullying.  We explicitly reject racism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, ableism, sexism and any other form of discrimination, harassment or prejudice. 

Our staff and volunteers are committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, using inclusive language and practices, and fostering a culture where all individuals—including LGBTQ+ children, young people and families—feel welcomed, supported and able to be themselves.

At Thriving Wild, caring for nature is at the heart of everything we do.  We are committed to protecting and enhancing the natural environment through sustainable practice, environmental education and responsible land stewardship. We aim to leave every place better than we found it by reducing waste, supporting biodiversity, using resources thoughtfully and helping children and families develop a lifelong connection with the natural world.

We believe environmental responsibility should be inclusive, positive and accessible to everyone. Our approach is to educate and inspire rather than judge, recognising that every family has different circumstances. Through our Forest School sessions, we encourage sustainable choices, respect for wildlife and habitats, and a shared commitment to caring for the planet for future generations.

We value feedback and are committed to listening, learning and continually improving what we do.  We encourage children, families, staff, volunteers and partners to share their ideas, compliments and concerns so we can celebrate what works well and address any issues fairly, respectfully and promptly.

We are committed to openness, honesty and accountability.  If someone needs to raise a serious concern about unsafe, unethical or unlawful practice, we provide a confidential process for doing so through our Whistleblowing Policy.  We will always take concerns seriously and respond appropriately to help keep everyone safe and maintain the highest standards of practice.

At Thriving Wild, we believe behaviour is a form of communication. We respond to children with kindness, curiosity and respect, recognising that behaviour often reflects feelings, needs or experiences rather than being simply "good" or "bad". Our aim is to create a safe, supportive environment where every child feels understood, valued and able to thrive.

We build positive relationships through empathy, encouragement and restorative approaches, helping children develop confidence, resilience and respect for themselves, others and the natural world. We celebrate neurodiversity, work closely with families to support individual needs, and have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying, discrimination and abuse.

At Thriving Wild, we use four simple guiding principles: look after yourself, look after each other, look after nature, and look after things. We ask everyone—children, families, staff and volunteers—to follow these principles. Together, we explore what they mean in practice, helping us create a safe, respectful and inclusive Forest School where everyone can thrive.