Purpose
The purpose of the LCVYS website is to provide accurate and up to date information about LCVYS, its services and its membership, primarily for the network of voluntary sector youth organisations and key partners in Leicester and Leicestershire.

This provision includes:
• Promoting and celebrating the work of LCVYS.
• Promoting and celebrating the work of LCVYS member organisations and their programmes.
• Recording and celebrating partnership links and initiatives, locally, regionally and nationally, and where appropriate providing electronic links to approved related websites.
• Supporting the LCVYS information and communication strategy.

Authority
The website is managed (whether directly or by delegation) under the direction of the Communications Officer with the support and scrutiny of the Executive Committee who will ensure that policy and guidelines are periodically updated to ensure legality, quality and safety with a specific focus on;

• Content, style and accessibility
• Copyright and legality
• Links, references and recommendations
• Individual safety and integrity
• Young people’s and staff involvement
• Evaluation and feedback
• Content, style and accessibility

The management of content should produce information and images which match the site’s core purpose and provide a high quality presentation of LCVYS to the membership and ‘external’ visitors.

Navigation of the site should be straightforward for visitors of all ages and abilities, with style and layout which combines interest and interactivity with accessibility. Particular account should be taken of the needs of people with disabilities, using available design advice such as the ‘Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0’ produced as part of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

Content should be ‘browser independent’ and able to be downloaded and viewed quickly and fully using a range of available hardware and software.

Copyright and legality
The website will only include materials to which LCVYS holds copyright, a licence or written permission to distribute, and materials clearly within the public domain. The website manager should ensure a current knowledge of intellectual property issues or access to appropriate guidance. The Staff and Executive Committee of LCVYS cannot be responsible for the legal status of websites linked to the LCVYS site in good faith.

The website manager will ensure that all materials presented and information gathered through automated tracking or electronic forms are handled in accordance with Data Protection and Human Rights legislation.

Links, references and recommendations
The website provides links only to organisations directly involved with or related to youth work and to the ‘objects’ of the LCVYS constitution. The website manager will ensure that links are made only to appropriate sites managed by reputable organisations.

Links, references and recommendations will not be made for commercial or political organisations, their sites or pages, nor for personal sites, although in certain circumstances links to providers of necessary site hosting or services may be approved.

Third party sites and data should be previewed and subsequently monitored for policy compliance.

Individual safety and integrity
The integrity and safety of individuals, and in particular Child Protection issues, should be the paramount consideration in the management of the website. The minimum level of information needed to fulfil the site’s primary purpose and satisfy the primary audience may be in conflict with the maximum level of information which can safely be ‘posted’ on the global network. Where there are controls on site visitors through password protected pages, there may be scope for careful variation on levels of information used, otherwise the following recommendations should be adopted;

• Information and images relating to individuals be used in a way which respects their confidentiality and integrity
• Images of individuals should not be used without appropriate adult consent.
• Priority should be given to images of groups, where the group rather than the individuals are named.
• Individuals should only be named in exceptional circumstances and only with their express written consent or in the case of minors the express written consent of their parent or carer.
• Personal details and contact numbers or addresses for any individual should be avoided.
• Advance details of particular young people’s programmes, activities and locations should not be readily available to a wider audience than is essential, particularly where risk assessment would identify additional group or individual vulnerability.
• Young people should be made aware of the benefits and risks of making information globally accessible, and they, their parents and carers should be advised to ensure that young people’s and family ‘home-pages’ are constructed with safety, confidentiality and integrity in mind.

Evaluation and Feedback
Website management should include timescaled evaluation and ongoing opportunities for user feedback, so as to allow constructive reflection, compliments, criticism and suggestions for improvement.

Contact information for the website manager should be easily identifiable throughout the website. It is helpful to have guidance and/or automated forms to encourage feedback.