Parents & Carers – The Narcotics Anonymous website for England, Scotland & Wales

Guidelines for holding a children welcome meeting

Introduction:

A Child Welcome meeting differs from a crèche meeting as it does not have a specific area for children. In a CW meeting, children are in the room while the meeting is taking place. We would suggest that you think carefully and discuss all the pros and cons, before turning your meeting into a child friendly meeting. Some things you may consider are as follows:

Venue

Is your venue suitable for a child friendly meeting? Your group will need to explore this in your group conscience. You may consider the following:

Do you have enough room?
Are there many dangers such as loose wires, unsupervised cupboards containing substances such as bleach?
have you spoken to the venue to see if they are happy for children to be in the room? (see insurance below),
Do you currently allow dogs in the meeting?

Preamble

A CW meeting needs to announce that children are welcome in its preamble. We hope that this will reduce any embarrassment or tension caused for both parent and non–parent. We suggest that, the following statements are included in your meeting’s preamble:

On opening the meeting:

This meeting is child friendly and we welcome parents with children.
Sharers are asked to be aware if there are children present, and to tone your sharing accordingly.
Parents are reminded that, responsibility for your child remains with you.

Upon closing the meeting:

Will all parents please ensure that their children remain under their control when the meeting finishes?

Insurance

We suggest that you check with the venue's administration staff to see whether the venue's public liability insurance covers the crèche and children.

Other

It is strongly suggested that meetings with children do not allow dogs. Venue insurances, will not allow this on Health and Safety grounds.

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Disclaimer: 'The information on this page has been collated by the UK NA Parents & Carers
Committee. Whilst we strive to keep abreast of current changes in the law, if any of you
have specific concerns or questions we advise you seek professional advice.'