OUR DEFINITIONS
Sometimes the language we use can be confusing, whether that's learning what various accronyms mean, or using the right 'politically correct' language; we wanted to help by explaining a few of the words and phrases that you might hear us use or find on our website.
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Abuse
Abuse is when someone is treated harshly and unfairly. There are four main types of abuse: physical (e.g., violence), emotional (e.g., hurtful speech), neglect (e.g., lack of food) and sexual (e.g., exposure to pornography). There are other types including organisational (e.g., a company), domestic (e.g., someone within the home) or spiritual (e.g., manipulating people’s religion). Please email safeguarding@wcyp.org if you have any concerns.
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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's)
ACEs is an acronym which stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. This is a term used for difficult experiences which people may have experienced when they were younger that have a lasting impact on mental health, physical health, and general wellbeing, from serious cases of trauma and abuse through to a bereavement, or transitions like moving house or changing schools. Please email safeguarding@wcyp.org if you have any concerns.
Coherent
Being 'coherent' is one of our values. Coherence is when something is consistent and works with other parts to make a whole. When we say we are a 'coherent' organisation, we mean that the different parts of WCYP (such as FUN, SUPPORT and FAITH) are all valuable and important, and they work together to form WCYP. It also means that we take a 'holistic approach' to supporting children, young people and families.
Christian
Christianity is a faith/ religion which is all about believing in the life, death, and resurrection (coming back to life) of Jesus Christ and having faith (trusting) in him. If you’re interested, why not join our friends at Holy Trinity or Hope City, who would be happy to talk to you about it. You can also find out more on the Evangelical Alliance’s website.
Dignity
Treating people with dignity means treating them with respect and value, no matter who they are, what their background, or what they have done. We believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
Disclosure
A disclosure is when someone directly communicates a safeguarding concern to someone else. A child may make a disclosure to a member of our team, and this will be passed onto the Safeguarding Lead immediately. Please email safeguarding@wcyp.org if you have any concerns.
Evangelism
Evangelism is a word that Christians use for talking about what they believe with others, "sharing the good news", particularly with the intention for others to eventually believe too.
Family
Family is very important; families are the heart of communities like Weston. Family in Weston may not always look like it does in other places, but whatever shape or size your family might be, it is still important. Whether your family is linked by adoption, foster care, step-families, single parent households, families in-law, friends that are family, the people that live in your flat's corridor, or friends from your ethnic or religious community, we understand that it's important. We ask everyone to be respectful of people who may come from different family backgrounds to yours.
Holistic
Having a holistic approach acknowledges the different areas that develop to make a person who they are. Many would include the following aspects of life in a holistic approach: physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. From a Chrisitan perspective, the Bible talks about a person being made up of 'body, mind, and spirit', and also acknowledges the importance of these other areas of life too.
Mental Health
Just like physical health, it is important to look after your mental health. Whether you have a mental health condition or not, it is important to look after your mental and emotional health too.
Mental Health Condition
Mental Health Conditions are diagnosed mental health challenges that people experience, such as depression, anxiety and OCD.
Mental Health: Anxiety
Anxiety is a mental health condition where people feel overwhelmingly concerned/ worried. This may impact their ability to engage in activities or socialise.
Mental Health: Bereavement
Experiencing a bereavement is when someone close to a person dies, and they grieve the loss.
Mental Health: Depression
Depression is a mental health condition affecting mood and behaviour, causing someone to feel extreme sadness or hopelessness.
Mental Health: Diagnosis
When a doctor or other professional has tested and confirmed that someone has a medical condition.
Mental Health: Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are mental health conditions which impact how a person views themselves, their body, and impacts their attitude and behaviour relating to food.
Mental Health: Grief
Grief is the task of processing a loss that has been experienced. This is often related to a bereavement, but can be a different kind of loss, such as losing a friendship or leaving your old school.
Mental Health: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is a mental health condition causing excessive perfectionism, detail and order.
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Open Access
Open Access is a term which can be used to mean a couple of different things. We use the term 'Open Access' for some of our FUN groups, where children and young people can arrive and leave whenever they like during the session, so long as they have parental consent to leave without an adult (via a registration form). We do everything we can to keep children safe while they are on-site during a session, and we make sure children do not leave unless we have checked they have permission to do so, however we cannot take responsibility for their actions or safety when they are off site and have left our supervision. If you do have any concerns, please do get in touch with us.
Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy (PACE)
PACE is an accronym from Psychologist Dan Hughes, which helps adults to think about how they respond to children and young people when they present with challenging behaviour. Each of the four terms is defined above.
PACE: Playfulness
As part of Dan Hughes' PACE accronym, 'Playfulness' is about having fun, communicating at an age-appropriate level, and providing support, rather than using authority or fear to discipline.
PACE: Acceptance
As part of Dan Hughes' PACE accronym, 'Acceptance' is about making sure the child feels listened to and that the adult hears things from the perspective of the child. If the adult or someone else has a different story of what happened, the adult can calmly explain this to the child after they have had a chance to speak, without making them feel rejected.
PACE: Curiosity
As part of Dan Hughes' PACE accronym, 'Curiosity' is about asking questions and exploring the situation from the child's perspective, helping them to think about other people’s views.
PACE: Empathy
As part of Dan Hughes' PACE accronym, 'Empathy' is about imagining what it's like to be the child and that shaping how the adult responds. The child doesn't want to be told off or made to feel that they're lying; they want to be heard, understood, and will hopefully be happy to learn and apologise.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is about keeping everyone safe, especially from harm, abuse, and neglect. It's a very important part of how WCYP supports children, young people and families from our community. There are different types of issues which safeguarding keeps people safe from, and the main four types are: physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and neglect. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, no matter who you are or how old you are. Please email safeguarding@wcyp.org if you have any concerns.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
SEND is an acronym which stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. This is a term used for diagnosed conditions and disabilities, such as autism or visual impairment.
SEND: Attachment Disorders
This is a type of disorder that comes from early childhood experiences, usually from a lack of normal social interaction, attention, or care from parents or ‘care givers’, impacting behaviour and social skills.
SEND: Attention Defecit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a Special Educational Need which impacts concentration and energy; it may cause lots of energy or none at all, making it hard to engage in activities or social interactions.
SEND: Autism/ Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder with communication, social, and behavioural challenges. It is a spectrum, which means symptoms of autism vary for different people. People with autism may learn, act, think, communicate, and interact differently than people who do not have autism spectrum disorder. Symptoms of autism include repetitive behaviours, limited interests, and problems with interaction.
SEND: Dyselxia
Dyslexia makes it harder for someone to read (unrelated to intellect or eyesight).
SEND: Neurodiverse
People whose brain functions differently to most others, such as those with a diagnosed SEND condition.
SEND: Neurotypical
People with minimal brain differences, similar to most others.
Shame
Shame is an emotion which people can experience by action or thought; people may feel ‘ashamed’ for something which they have done or that other people think that they’ve done, or for something that they think about themselves, or something others think about them. For example, someone might feel shame for having an affair, or someone else might make them feel shame because they are from a certain background or social group. It is important to understand shame, because often shame is a key barrier for people getting the support they need.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
SEMH is an acronym which stands for Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties. This is a term used for various difficulties that individuals might face, often making it hard for them to engage in social or educational settings. Sadly, sometimes the behaviours resulting from Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties mean that children are often misunderstood and labelled as “naughty” and “difficult children”, when there is often a reason for them behaving in that way.
Theraputic
We may use the term 'therapeutic' in relation to our response to challenging behaviour. Therapeutic support takes an extra step to understand where the individual is coming from and why they are behaving the way that they are, ideally helping the individual to understand their emotions better, understand the consequence of their actions, and to continue having good relationships with their peers and the adults supporting them.
Trauma
Trauma is when someone has experienced something negative, stressful, or frightening which has affected them. Please email safeguarding@wcyp.org if you have any concerns.