Creating Care Choices Ltd

CREATING CARE CHOICES LTD

3’C’S CHILDRENS HOME

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Updated April 2015

Contents 2 NAME AND ADDRESS OF REGISTERED PROVIDER (1.3)

Creating Care Choices Ltd

38 Castle Drive

Ilford

IG4 5AE

NAME AND ADDRESS OF REGISTERED HOME 3 C’s Children’s Home

16-18 Aldersgrove Avenue

Mottingham

London

SE9 4PJ

Telephone: 0208 851 6502

Fax: 0207 6402168

Web Site: www.the3cs.co.uk

Email: [email protected]

3 C’s is regulated and inspected by OFSTED - Registration number: SC025657

3 Staffing and Structure (1.4; 1.5)

Responsible Individual (1.4)

Mr Harjit Singh Sanghera

Harjit has had 14 years experience within the social care sector and is the proprietor and founder of 3 C’s. He also oversees another home for elderly registered with the CQC. He has attended numerous courses in Health and Social Care including Safeguarding, understanding disabilities and Health and Safety.

Service Manager

Mr Evelyn Daniel

Evelyn has worked with children and young people in both community and residential settings. He has over 20 years experience and has worked in community youth projects before moving into residential childcare where he has been involved in setting up a number of children’s homes and semi independence projects.

Evelyn successfully completed the Caldecott College/Greenwich University Post- graduate Course in Child Development and Therapeutic Childcare. He has also successfully completed NVQ Level 5 in Operational Management with the Chartered Management Institute. While at the University of North London he gained a BSc with Upper Second Class Honours in Applied Social Science (Policy Studies).

Evelyn was invited to join the editorial board of the goodenoughcaring Journal. His expertise has been essential in the development of the Journal and is in large measure responsible for its increasing influence. He was also appointed to the board of the Child Care History Network. Evelyn is an outstanding communicator who is sought out as a speaker at conferences and seminars. He has made contributions on residential childcare to radio and television broadcasts. Evelyn is a knowledgeable author and has written a number of influential papers on residential childcare.

4 Support Staff (1.5)

Geethu Poulose - Support Worker

Geethu has been employed at the children’s home since 2010. She completed her general nursing diploma in India which is comparable to a BTEC/SQA Higher National Certificate or falls between NVQ3 and NVQ 4. She also has a qualification in Cardio Vascula Thorasic Nursing.

Hazel Gambiza- Support Worker

Hazel joined 3C’s as a bank staff in 2011and is now a Senior Residential Worker. Hazel has completed her Early Childhood Studies and Special Needs and Inclusive Education She also holds an access to HE in Health and Social Care & Early years Level 3. Hazel is very committed to the young people in her care. She has also recently enrolled to complete QCF level 3 Diploma, Working with young people.

Lotricia Shava – Support Worker

Lotricia joined 3C’s as a bank staff in 2011. This was a change of career for Lotricia after bringing her family up. She is currently completing a Diploma in Health and Social Care. This has now been completed. In the meantime, Lotricia has enrolled on many short courses such as Makaton to enhance her skills in looking after children with disabilities. Lotricia is currently also enrolled for QCF level 5 course in Leadership and Management.

Preetha – Nutritionist

Preetha joined the company the end of December 2013 and has settled well. She brings with her a nursing degree and a lot of care knowledge from previous employment. Preetha is currently enjoying her role as Nutritionist in 3C’s and is a well liked member of the team.

Ethos and Philosophy: (1.1; 1.11)

Whether or not the child is resident for 52 weeks or visiting under the short breaks scheme our ethos is to foster an atmosphere of care and support to enable and empower the child to live as independent a life as possible.

The 3 C’s Children’s residential home aims to provide a safe, loving and holistic environment for children who have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

We will work in partnership with children and young people and all those with parental responsibility to achieve the best outcomes and whenever possible we aim

5 to help and support young people to return to live with their families on either a full time or shared care basis. If the aim is not for the young person to return home we will provide long term care until they are ready to move on to live with another family or to live independently, and continue to provide support to the individual during transition.

It is our purpose to provide services that enhance the lives of the children and young people ensuring respect, privacy, dignity and choice are integrated into everything we do.

Our Aims: (1.1)

We will  Give young people an opportunity to grow both socially, emotionally and physically by providing opportunities to enhance and nurture their development.  Provide a structured, stimulating, caring and safe environment that is free from any prejudices and which provides young people the opportunity to be listened to and to express their wishes and feelings.  Regularly monitor and review the young person’s progress and success within the placement.  Continually improve the quality of care we provide through monitoring and evaluation of our policies and procedures.  Provide opportunities for activities and participation in experiences which will enhance the quality of life to enable them to build stronger social networks and reduce social isolation.  Promote the welfare and safety of children and young people by ensuring our policies reflect how we will address and enforce anti-bullying, equal opportunities, safeguarding and complaints.

We aim to achieve this by:

 Working with the young people and external agencies to deliver better life chances for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.  We believe in the principles of co-operation with the young person, family members and external agencies.  We believe that children and young people have a right to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.  We will develop a set of outcomes and an evaluation process which will enable us to monitor our services.  Helping and supporting young people to become more resilient so they become better citizens able to cope with the stresses of daily lives.  Taking measured risks and allowing the child or young person to gain life experiences and supporting them through this.

Equality (1.14)

6 Choices are extend to all areas of the children’s life, and we work flexibly with their wishes around food, bath and bed times. None of which is structured into a daily time or group activity. We work hard to ensure there is community cohesion with the children included in local activities, events and clubs. We believe that any thing that the children wish to achieve or participate in should be supported and steps taken to allow this to occur.

Diversity (1.21)

The staff working with the children living in the 3 C’s children’s home have a clear understanding of Diversity and our policy supporting this. The team openly works with the knowledge that it is every ones right to be cared for, and to work with difference. Thus the team recognises each child in their care and each member of staff employed with them as individuals. At no time is it acceptable for any person to discriminate against another.

We ensure an open awareness of the differing cultural and religious needs of the children in our care. This is achieved through a full diverse menu, and posters, books, and toys presented through a variety of cultural experiences.

There is an open awareness of each child’s religious backgrounds, and support is offered to enable the children to attend regular church services, meetings and clubs of their choice, as is appropriate and requested. Any religious instruction or observance will be supported.

The Child’s Voice (1.15)

Fortnightly/monthly meetings involving the children and young people will take place if appropriate for the peer group. They will discuss their ideas and suggestions for activities and things like their future menus. This meeting will offer an open forum for the children to discuss any concerns they may have about how the home runs and their involvement in this. Children are also given the opportunity to meet with their keyworker using a variety of means to determine the child’s wishes. Other relevant people in the Childs life will also be consulted as too how the child would wish to be cared for if appropriate.

There is the opportunity for all young people to express their views and feelings with symbolised cards readily available in various areas. These include symbols for Help, Cross, Sad & Happy.

Equal Opportunities and Children’s Rights (1.27)

Providing culturally specific care and support for children and young people in line with the National Care Standards, meeting their cultural, religious, racial, gender and linguistic needs. We work to empower children and young people to have knowledge of access to, and respect for their community. Supporting self identity by recognising that a young person’s ethnicity, religion, culture, sexuality and language are crucial to their self image and self -esteem. 3Cs recognises that to care for a young person

7 with learning difficulties can be both emotionally tiring and demanding, therefore 3Cs offers an environment, where our services ensures that our staff:

 Work to the Care Plan to ensure that the cultural identity of the young person is maintained in accordance with the young person’s and his or her family’ wishes. This involves all aspects such as diet, healthcare, education, clothing, cultural needs and sexual health needs.  To participate and assist in facilitating reviews, post placement and planning meetings and furnish reports for these meetings.  To try and stabilise young people looked after who have displayed emotional and behavioural problems.  To provide a planned leisure programme to broaden young people’s interest in and out of the Home  To provide a wide ranging programme that covers supporting young people with their Personal Education Plan, or taking them on informal trips over weekends. This could involve shopping trips in the community, interacting with adults and peers or spending time with the key worker. Staffs encourage young people to participate in doing house chores as part of their independence life skills.  Key workers will establish and maintain links with family members and significant people who will in turn play a significant part in the success of the care plan.  Staff will ensure and enable access to full time education provision, including monitoring attendance and achievement.  Specialist advice will be provided in conjunction with other agencies such as CAMHS and the Education Support Services, Police and Community Projects.  Staff will provide Risk Assessments for young people taking into consideration that there is potential risk to children getting lost or accidents.  We aim to ensure when planning admissions to 3Cs clear consideration is given to the mixes of children and young people due to the complexities of their needs. We take into account their ages to ensure they are compatible.  We will use our rota creatively to reflect a balance of experience and gender. as well as providing adequate numbers.  To provide adequate staff this will ensure and promote outside activities.  Identify a key worker for each child to ensure that individual care plans are realised.

Anti-Discriminatory Practice in relation to Children’s Rights (1.27) Within the principle of equal opportunities, all young people have rights. Within Creating Care Choices young people have the right to:  Be treated with respect, as a real person whatever their age.  Be treated fairly whatever-their age, their race, their disability or their religion etc  Be listened to when people are making plans about their future.  Be able to go to school.  Be in good health  Be able to complain if I am unhappy or worried about something, like being bullied, abused or being picked on.  Be able to have an advocate who can advise and help sort out matters when their stay is not going well.

8  Be heard, particularly if the young person feels that they are being treated unfairly, are not being included in decisions about their life, if they disagree with a decisions that has been made about them and if they are feel they are being treated differently, picked on or bullied because of their race, gender, age, sexuality, disability, ethnic origin or for any other reason.  Be looked after by staff supporting the above rights

Contact (1.22) 3C’S welcomes and supports positive contact between a child and their family and/or any other significant person in the Childs life. In most circumstances family are welcome to visit at any time. In some circumstances family/ other visits may be supported and sanctioned by social services.

Families and visitors are expected to abide by the home policies when visiting the home and these can be made available on request.

So as not cause disappointment and ensure the child is in, it is good practice for families to notify the home staff if intending to visit.

Health (1.2; 1.12; 1.26)

 Staff will ensure that the physical, emotional and health needs of each young person is identified and appropriate action is taken to secure the medical, dental and other health services needed to meet them.  Ensure that children resident in the long stay home are able to have regular health and dental check-ups and records are kept in their files.  Ensure that a record of medication is kept and that all medications are kept in a safe and secure storage. Staff will sign for all medication given.  Ensure that children and young people are provided with guidance, advice and support on health and personal care issues appropriate to their needs and wishes.  Provide advice and support to each young person in accordance with the young person’s age, needs, religion, culture and wishes in relation to social issues. Confidentiality is respected and literature is on display within the home to enable young people to obtain information.  Keep a record of all significant illnesses, accidents that occur during their placement at 3Cs.  Deal with personal issues of personal hygiene sensitively.  Ensure that health needs of young people from specific ethnic and cultural groups are understood by staff and specialist advice is sought where necessary.  Ensure according to Regulation 6/7 of the Children’s Act that medical examination and written health assessments are arranged for every young person placed in the home.  Ensure that information including the name of GP is available at the home for those children that attend for short breaks.  Ensure close co-operation and communication with those having parental responsibilities, health visitors, school and other specialist services to ensure that proper health care is offered to all children in our care.

9 Staff will follow therapeutic advice and programmes supplied by professionals and will be given appropriate training to follow this however the home does not provide direct therapeutic support.

Education: (1.13)

3Cs recognises that all children have a legal right to be educated. Registration of the Home is for the children of school age. Children are expected to attend school and be punctual. Management and staff actively encourage and support this. Escorts and transport are available as required. Any special educational needs will be supported by the management and staff team and will form part of the child’s care plan. Homework and any special needs outside school hours will be supported and facilitated by management and staff at the unit. Uninterrupted time and space will be allocated to the child for study and homework. Full support will be offered to the education department/school and regular contact with social services and parent /carers, where appropriate, will be maintained and management and staff will support the child and advocate on its behalf.

Recreation: (1.2; 1.14)

At 3Cs our policy is to encourage and consult all young people to participate in activities. These range from local to out of city activities. Due to the needs of most of children who stay at 3Cs we work alongside social workers, teachers, parents and appropriate adults to create activity plans for the young person to attend in the community. At 3Cs a senior SSW is appointed to plan, organise and implement activities with assistance from their colleagues who is on duty. All young people are encouraged to participate as a group or as individuals if they wish to do so but most importantly they are to have fun. Activities include:

Ice Skating Greenwich Park Theatre Cinema Horse Riding Libraries Ten Pin Bowling Swimming Walking Shopping Eating Out London History Sites

All activities will be looked at and if possible means identified on how the children can attend. Dynamic as well as written risk assessments will be undertaken to allow the children the same opportunities as other children. Key policies-

Safeguarding/Child Protection (1.17) Staff at the home remain committed to practices which protect children and young people from harm; are clear about how to recognise the signs of abuse and neglect; have a full understanding about the thresholds that apply to safeguarding; know to whom they should refer concerns or safeguarding issues. The safety and protection of the children and young people who live here is the primary concern of the staff at 3Cs.

10 All the staff at 3Cshave received safeguarding training and are aware of the issues in relation to looking after children and young people. The staff are vigilant in relation to the young person’s ongoing safety and protection, are aware of the indicators, signs and systems when abuse is taking place. They are aware of the local Children’s Safeguarding Board procedures for managing suspected safeguarding concerns and are clear about the lines of responsibility and accountability within the home. Bullying in the home is not tolerated, however, many of the children we accommodate are not aware that their actions may be perceived as bullying. The home staff understand that any actions that may make a young person /child feel undervalued/upset or hurt is not appropriate and counter measures and risk assessments will be used to not only ensure that the young person who may be subject to bullying but also that the ‘bully’ is supported to educate them to understand how their actions may make others feel. If bullying is felt to be an issue within the home, the Management and staff will work with Parents, Social workers and all relevant agencies to address this problem.

In addition to concerns that arise in the community, staff are aware of the danger of professional abuse and exercise caution and vigilance in relation to the professionals who have access to the children and young people. The home has a Whistle Blowing Policy where staff are encouraged to speak to their Deputy and Senior Manager if they have concerns about their colleagues’ conduct towards children and young people. They may also speak to the Proprietor if they have concerns about the management team

At Creating Care Choice:

 Ensure that the children and young people live in safe and comfortable surroundings.  Ensure that staffs receive comprehensive training in child protection and that there are clear policies and procedures in place. All relevant information will be updated regularly and made available to staff.  Regularly review and update the homes risk assessments to meet all Health and Safety requirements.  Promote a culture of openness and one that is free from any form of prejudice or discrimination.  Ensure there are clear guidelines for staff, children and young people to address any signs of bullying or intimidation this will also include cyber- bullying.  All young people will have detailed risk assessments which will be identify all risks within their files that are known and understood by all and signed off by the manager. The risks assessments will identify all risks associated to the individual and clearly outline how these risks will be managed and responded to.

Children’s Behaviour: (1.16)

At 3Cs we endeavour to create and maintain a non-confrontational, non-violent and anti-oppressive environment where children and staff feel safe. Aggression, violence, and oppressive practice from staff and visitors will not be tolerated. Staff should attempt to resolve any such incidents at the unit in a safe and positive manner. We recognise that some children may have experienced aggression and violence in their past lives which they may consider being normal behaviour and may act out such 11 behaviour in the unit. We will work with such children to seek change in a positive and safe way. Our work with children is based on positive reward for good behaviour as well as disapproving of the negative behaviour. Any consequences to behaviour will be recorded and an incident report completed when appropriate.  Bullying of any kind from either staff or children is unacceptable at our home. All children and staff are encouraged to report such incidents and will be assured that they will be taken seriously. Our Policies and Procedures are clear about the process and the Children’s Guide includes information about bullying.  Young people will be closely supervised at all times both on and off sight.  Staff will record all relevant information in relation to the young person’s mood, behaviour, incidents etc.  All staff will ensure that they are familiar with the procedure of ‘children’ that go missing from home or whilst out on activities. Staff will know the background of the individual young people and the risks related to them should they go missing. In these circumstances staff will contact the Homes manager to inform them. Staff will also follow the guidelines on what to do in these circumstances.  Contact details of all relevant individuals will be recorded on their file.  Staff will monitor changes in young people’s behaviours, appearances, attitude etc, looking for any signs that they may be experiencing abuse e.g., and share any concerns with the homes manager and the young person’s social worker. (1.17)  Any complaints that give rise to Safeguarding concerns must be treated as a disclosure and addressed under Creating Care Choices Child Protection Policy and Procedure. (1.17)

Physical Intervention (1.16) At times it may be necessary to physically intervene and prevent the child from harm. This will only happen if the following circumstances are met  It is necessary to protect the child from serious harm  It is necessary to protect other children from serious harm  It is necessary to protect a child from serious harm that may arise from the environment.

Staff are trained in de-escalation and breakaway techniques as well as physical intervention however it is preferred that a toolbox of techniques are used to manage behavioural situations without the need for restraint. Staff at 3C’s however have a professional ‘duty of care’ towards the children and will only intervene physically if it is the last resort and to prevent a greater harm from occurring. All staff have been trained in safe physical intervention techniques with ‘bespoke training services’.

THE HOME (1.2; 1.8; 1.22; 1.25; )

3Cs is located at 16-18 Aldersgrove Avenue, and comprises of 2 terraced houses joined with a total of 7 bed rooms. The house is split into 2 separate wings with Number 16 Aldersgrove serving as the short break wing and number 18 is used for children and young people who require 52 week care. Current policies allow for a

12 maximum of 4 children in the long stay house and a maximum of 3 children at any time attending under the short breaks scheme. No more than 7 children can be accommodated in the home at any time whether visiting under a short break scheme or residential for 52 weeks.

The premises are privately owned and managed by a team of staff that provides a homely, safe and environment for the children and young people within a supervised setting. Whether it is for short breaks or 52 week care; 3Cs is purposely set up-up as a Children’s Residential Home for young people of either gender (boys/girls) aged between 6 - under 18 years. All children have their own bedroom.

The home was refurbished in April 2012 with new furnishings fitted. The two lounges were redecorated and equipped with new sofas and a new sensory lighting system installed. It was again redecorated in February and new TV’s were purchased and some more homely items pictures/ blinds etc.

The accommodation comprises of 2 family sized kitchens with dining areas, thus allowing children and staff to eat meals together in a homely atmosphere. The home encourages and supports continued family contact where families meet together and prepare meals on special occasions to meet with their cultural backgrounds. There is an activity room where children can either play or have some quite one to one time.

There are IT facilities for children and young people available with appropriate safety software installed and an internet policy in place. There is access to a telephone and the children can use this at any time.

3Cs has a secure play area on the premises accessed from doors inside the house. The area is fenced off with no external entrance and enables the children to play safely outdoors.

ADMISSION CRITERIA (1.8, 1.9)

Who can 3C’s offer a place to? (1.8) 3C’s children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 7 children who may have behavioural and emotional difficulties; learning disabilities and physical difficulties. In relation to physical disabilities 3C’s cannot cater for children who are completely non weight bearing and who require significant modifications within a living environment.

3C’s Children’s home cares for children and young people male or female aged between 6 to 17 years age. Referrals are made by local authority social services departments where the child has a named social worker. Accommodation for children living with a disability could be offered at this unit, depending on their specific needs such as:

 Preparing the young person for fostering  Preparing the young person for long term residential care  Preparing the young person for independent living and support into adulthood  Accommodating the young person for short breaks in the respite wing

13  Management will consider the welfare of other residents in the consideration of referrals. This consideration will include any conflict of needs or risks to others.  A visit to 3Cs by the referring Social Worker is essential with the young person prior to admission.  It is expected that the Social Worker will make a commitment in the Care Plan, to make regular visits to the young person they represent not only in times of crisis or for meetings.  All relevant LAC documentation should be furnished before an agreement is signed.

CARING FOR CHILDREN:

52 Week care: (1.9) 3 C’s offers 52 week care to children subject to being able to meet individual needs and the completion of assessment. Referrals are made through local authorities, families and relevant professionals are invited to the home and if it is felt that 3 C’s can meet the needs of the child from both parties a place will be offered. A planning meeting is held ensuring relevant and accurate information is provided to assist the child’s transition to 3 C’s. All 52 week placements will have their own bedroom in 18 Aldersgrove Avenue. The maximum number of children that can be placed in the 52 week home is 4.

Short break: (1.9) 3 C’s offers ‘short break’ services to children subject to vacancy and whether the child’s individual needs can be met. Referrals for short breaks must come through local authority referrals and are subject to the same criteria as long term placements. Once a child has been assessed and is suitable for respite at 3 C’s a contract is provided and respite dates booked in advance. Respite is provided in 16 Aldersgrove Avenue. A maximum of 3 children at any time can be catered for under the short break scheme.

Emergency placements (1.9) On occasions 3 C’s may be contacted by local authorities to provide an emergency placement for a young child in need. 3 C’s will ensure:  The immediate needs of the child are assessed and whether 3 C’s can meet these ensuring other residents remain safeguarded.  3 C’s will prepare a Care Plan until one is provided by the local authority  There is a vacancy in no 16 Aldersgrove Avenue  A short term contract is provided by the referring officer stipulating the length of the emergency placement  A planning meeting is held within 5 days to clarify future arrangements.

Children’s Files and Arrangements for Dealing with the Reviews of the Placement Plans of Children Accommodated at Creating Care Choices

 3Cs has established a written case record on each child and is governed by the Children’s Home Regulations.

14  To maintain security, these records are held in a locked cabinet an access to the records is controlled in such a way as to ensure confidentiality  Within these records we hold different categories of information, i.e. the Care Plan, Placement Plan (where applicable) LAC documentation, progress sheets, plus certificates, photographs, school reports and other important information.  We acknowledge that much of the information we hold in the children’s home file will be a duplication of that held by the young person’s Social Worker as required by the Children’s Homes Regulations.  It is the responsibility of the young person’s Social Worker to arrange Reviews and the frequency of reviews required by the Regulations as the minimum standard and should take place as often of the circumstances of the individual case requires. In certain circumstances, a review meeting may be requested by the registered manager  We promote a structured, co-ordinated approach to the planning of child-care work in individual cases and a monitoring system for checking the operation of the review process. To address this, Key Workers will where necessary advocate on a young person’s behalf and request an urgent review if one becomes overdue or necessary to develop a positive outcome as part of the Care Plan.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

We have strict Health and Safety procedures and regulations and produce holistic and individual Risk Assessments for children and equipment. Fire safety and regular drills for all staff and children occur monthly.

Fire (1.20)

The unit displays policy on emergency fire procedures noting exits and meetings/assembly points in prominent places and staff and children are made aware of them during their induction. The senior staff member on duty during an emergency is responsible for accounting for all children and staff. All fire safety equipment at 3Cs is serviced regularly by qualified engineers. Fire drills will take place every 3 months at the least. All fire drills, planned or unplanned, will be recorded in the fire Drill Record Book and assessments of drills will be made as appropriate. Staffs are trained in the use of fire fighting equipment and all equipment is checked regularly and inspected annually. Any defects of safety equipment must be reported to the senior member of staff on duty and the home manager immediately. The local Fire Authority will be fully involved with the unit’s fire policy and procedures and will recommendations will be acted upon. Any other emergency, such as flooding will be treated with the same degree of urgency and responded to in the same way.

Unauthorised Absences (1.18)

3 C’s have a Major Incident Plan, and a Missing child Plan, both of which we will follow if the need arises. All notifiable events are reported to OFSTED in a timely

15 honoured way. 3 C’s will seek assistance from local emergency services if appropriate and each child will have a risk assessment and have clear detailed information on file to support in event of the child going missing.

Security (1.19)

CCTV has been installed as extra security measures and monitoring is only carried out at the front entrances and outdoor play area. CCTV is not used anywhere inside the premises to monitor young people.

A door alarm is also present for the front door in no18 Aldersgrove Avenue and . Entrance/Exit doors are kept locked for the safety of the children. This is regularly monitored through risk assessment – it is our purpose to keep the children safe from environmental dangers and not to restrict their liberty.

Staffing Matters: (1.5)

The diverse nature of the staff team in terms of age, gender, ethnicity experience skill and qualification provides the opportunity to promote a positive view of difference to young people. Furthermore it is diversity that the team is committed to continually building and extending upon. 3C’s employs both male and female staff to meet the needs of the children and young people.

Staffing Policy for Home (1.5)

A minimum of three staff is generally in the home at any time day or night when the children are present. Staffing however is determined by the amount of children resident at specific times, for example additional staffing would be on duty if required for children visiting for a short break. Efforts are made to ensure that the staff on duty represent a range of experience, gender balance and qualifications. Where identified as beneficial or through risk management, staffing levels are increased to meet the young people’s needs, for instance in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays or when specific young people have a greater need of attention.

Staff provide 24 hour care for children in the home. If for any circumstances it is felt sleep in staff is not appropriate, for example, after a major incident or missing child, 3 C’s will provide waking night cover.

3 C’s uses its own bank staff to provide cover for any gaps on the rota’s where there is sickness and annual leave, training or any vacancies The pool of bank staff is appointed using the full recruitment and selection procedure. They will be attached to Creating Care Choices so would be known to young people when they come on duty. When using agency staff wherever possible we would use staff that have previously worked at the home and know the routines and structures. All agency staff must provide proof of ID and evidence of their CRB status when they come on duty.

16 Supervision, training and development of staff team (1.6)

Supervision is a vital part of supporting, developing and management the team. It is statutory and departmental requirements that staffs receive and participate in the supervision process. Supervision is provided by the manager. Supervision is used as a tool to develop and support staff and to provide staff with knowledge enabling them to complete their job roles to a high standard.

Staff undertake a Performance Appraisal with their manager every 12 months which enables a review of their progress over the last 12 months, identifying what has gone well, any issues and how these will be dealt with, development, learning and training completed.

A new member of staff is subject to a 3 month probation period. A new member of staff will be supervised fortnightly and their performance appraised at intervals of 1 and 3, months to ensure they are meeting the requirements of the role. If there are concerns regarding a member of staff performance at the end of probation (3months) the probation period may be extended for up to 3 months only. If significant improvement is not made the probation will not be passed.

Staff Training (1.6)

As part of their induction training, all staff are introduced to Safeguarding Procedures. No staff will commence work at the home without completing child protection training. Some of the training covered during induction includes:  Basic induction to Safeguarding  Health and Safety  Physical Interventions and breakaway  Medication administration  First Aid  Infection Control  Basic Food Hygiene

Additional training needs will be identified and delivered depending on the population and needs of the children in the home.

Staff Development (1.6)

Staff development is seen as an ongoing process and includes:  Training and supervision  Team meeting forum  Working as part of a team  Key working and joint working with other professionals and agencies  Extra duties and responsibilities, which are delegated to staff as they become more skilled and competent within the team.  Achieving identified targets and goals which would be identified within the individual staff members.  Personal Development Plan of which progress would be reviewed at regular intervals.

17 Current Staffing Arrangements(1.5) Staffing is based on child needs and occupancy of the home. There is currently 5staff working in the home including the registered manager.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Complaints (1.23)

Complaints are dealt with as they arise, then actioned and recorded in the home. Low level complaints are handled in the home by the Manager or the Deputy Managers, and recorded there. For a formal complaint, an acknowledgement of the receipt of the complaint will be given within 10 days. Follow up investigations will occur to deal with the complaint and a response will be given within 28 days. It is hoped a satisfactory outcome can be found. Complaints are monitored closely by the registered manager. All written and complex complaints are dealt with by the Registered Manager or the Responsible Individual. They are then handled in line with our Complaints Policy. Complaints can have a positive effect on our service. If valid, they can only improve the service we offer.

Creating Care Choices is regulated by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) and if you wish to contact them, the address to write to is:

Address: Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD

Telephone: 0300 123 1231 - Children’s Services and General Enquiries

Quality Assurance To regularly review, evaluate and develop the quality of care and the service to ensure that we deliver the best quality service for our children and young people. In doing so, we will identify any shortfalls or areas for concern and rectify immediately. To ensure that we deliver these outcomes we will:  Maintain Codes of Practice which identify minimum standards of day-to-day practices.  Review, develop and actively promote the organisation’s policies and procedures, ensuring that all staff have a full understanding of their content, regular training and development will help to develop knowledge in this area.

Other Useful Contacts

Lin Blakelock Lewisham Quality Assurance Team Manager and Local Authority Designated Officer for allegations Children's Social Care Children and Young People's Directorate

18 0208 314 7280 07710 705614

Greenwich Local Authority

Contact- Victoria Spence Access to Resources Team Children’s Services Royal Borough of Greenwich 35 Wellington Street London SE18 6HQ

Children’s Rights Director

Roger Morgan Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SC www.rights4me.org

19 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE (1.7)

Director/Responsible Individual

Registered Manager

Vacant

SRCW SRCW RCW RCW RCW RCW Vacancy