Quality and Purpose of Care Steps is a therapeutic 's , registered for nine and girls, aged between 6 - 13 years (Steps is usually home to eight children, we currently have a temporary variation to our capacity in place but plan to amend the figure back to eight during the early summer). We offer a 52 week placement with inclusive education and a holistic approach to care.

Steps care for children who have specific emotional, behavioural and attachment difficulties due to early childhood trauma. It is our belief that all children are entitled to a high standard of care and a plethora of positive childhood memories. We facilitate this by providing a physically and emotionally safe environment, which is child-friendly and homely. Our environment also contains consistency and stability, structure and clear boundaries, allowing children to form a sense of who they are, confidence and self-worth, all from a safe and secure base. It is our aim to support and encourage children to achieve their full potential in all areas, and if appropriate return to live in a family setting to continue their childhood.

We work closely with our Clinical Team and use a range of assessment tools for baseline and ongoing monitoring. We offer a 16 week initial assessment on arrival and the development of an Individualised Clinical Plan, which will be regularly reviewed and presented at each LAC review.

Steps is a member of The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities in order to develop our therapeutic input into all aspects of the care that we currently provide. As well as staff being trained to QCF level 3 in Children and Young People they will also be undertaking a Therapeutic Diploma which underpins the practice already in place at Steps. Steps is set in a semi-rural location 1 mile from the historic market town of Chipping Norton. We have a comprehensive Location Review that considers the risks present in the wider community, which may affect our young people and the service we provide. The home is close to both Oxford and Banbury. Chipping Norton offers a range of local services and recreational facilities, doctors, dentists, a leisure centre, theatre and a park. The town also has two primary schools and a secondary school. We consider ourselves a therapeutic community at Steps and as such we meet twice a day to discuss the day’s events and reflect on our thoughts and feelings regarding our own behaviour and the impact it can have on others .We endeavour to consider the child’s behaviour as a communication, looking beyond, to consider what is the underlying issue or concern for the youngster. We keep the children “In mind” ensuring the children are aware that they are cared for and considered at all times.

We endeavour to integrate all young people into the wider community through activities and clubs, as well as using the local library. This aids the sense of belonging required to give a child the opportunity to heal. The location also allows us to enjoy country walks, fishing, bike rides and other age appropriate outdoor pursuits. Activities need to be carefully planned to balance realistic activities and leisure pursuits in line with those a young person would be able to access in a family or foster care environment.

Steps is a dormer bungalow, with 8 children's bedrooms on the ground floor and a further 1 on the first floor. There are 3 bathrooms on the ground floor and a separate WC. There is staff accommodation on the ground and first floor together with a staff bathroom and some ensuite facilities.

The communal areas of the house include a lounge area with a home cinema system, a games room, which includes an Xbox, drum kit and guitars and pool table. There is a large dining room, book corner and a therapy room which is home to a range of imaginative and role play toys. The kitchen and pantry are next to the dining room and staff office.

Steps is set within 3 acres of gardens. We have two paddocks where our other residents live- our sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks. The children are encouraged to care for the animals, with lots of staff support, helping them develop empathy and a sense of responsibility. We also have a trampoline and swing and climbing frame in the garden, together with a sand pit and a large patio area. We share the hard court area with school, so children are able to access this area for bike riding, skateboarding, tennis and football.

Weekly staff meetings and handovers provide regular opportunities for staff to discuss each child's progress and health needs, together with wider issues of care. Monthly reflective group supervision sessions help the staff team discuss issues and help develop a united approach to the care we provide, they are facilitated by an experienced therapeutic practitioner. Alongside this on a monthly basis staff and clinical team conduct a child focus session where a young person is the focus of the session and staff look at the past, present and future aspects of a particular child each month to promote thoughts on working progressively with each individual, ensuring all young people are always thought about and considered thoroughly.

Our care package aims to provide a safe and nurturing home for the child including:-

 Full board and lodging  Detailed observations of a child's needs during the assessment period collated into a report for the case review  Participation in all activities organised by the home  Holidays will be arranged throughout the year  Everyday clothing up to a maximum of £40 per month  All personal needs, including pocket money, toiletries etc  Education in our school  Psychological assessment, both Clinical and Educational (if required)  Full in-house assessment  Art therapy  Music therapy  Weekly reports to SW

The admission of a new resident, whether planned or unplanned is a difficult time and we aim to make any transition as smooth as possible. During the referral process consideration will be given to how the young person would adapt to the new environment, placing emphasis on how the service can meet the needs of the child, we use a pre placement impact assessment to ensure this. We also ask placing authorities to complete a pre placement risk assessment, highlighting the presenting issues.

Placements cannot be considered for current hard drug users, fire raisers, children who require continuous psychiatric supervision, children who pose a serious physical threat to themselves or others, and those who have a physical or profound learning disability.

All placements are subject to receipt of the relevant paperwork and the arrangement of a planning meeting, either on admission or within 7 days of the placement commencing. (72 hours for emergency admissions)

We acknowledge that arriving and departing any care setting can be difficult for our young person, whether they are the subject of the move or they are resident whilst it occurs. We work with an arrival and departure checklist, ensuring we provide uniformity and tradition around these events. On arrival children receive a comic, soft toy and “welcome to your new home” card. When a placement is planned specific décor can be in place prior to the move date. On arrival a key worker will be allocated to the young person and a young person’s induction completed, along with a copy of the young person’s guide. When a placement ends it’s vital that this is done in a planned and positive way. Full support is given to any transition planning and ongoing outreach work can be done if required. We have a party to mark the end of a placement and the child or staff member is a vital part of the planning so it reflects them and their time at Steps. Keyworkers support the transition plan with regular sessions to discuss and support the most pertinent issues. We also maintain relationships after a child has moved on, returning for our annual BBQ, phone calls and visits throughout the year, this can continue for as long as the child and the team around the child feel it is appropriate, we manage this to reflect the individual needs of the child. As part of moving on from Steps, a leaflet is now given to all new carers to reinforce the awareness that Steps is always there to support both child and carers, the leaflet containing contact details and reassuring words to help continue the relationships formed.

It is important for staff to be aware that young people in care can easily become isolated from the local community. Key-workers actively encourage community involvement for young people if they are emotionally able to cope with the activities offered within the locality. Key- workers investigate and develop links with all potential activity providers within the community setting, i.e. scout’s, brownies and swimming club. All children will join the local library on arrival and reading for pleasure will be promoted. A range of cultural activities are on offer, developing an understanding and awareness of differing cultures and religions. These are reflected and recorded on the Equal and Diversity board. Children are able to voice their complaints either individually or together through a community meeting. Children are also able to call emergency community meetings if they had an issue or news to discuss.

Any matter that cannot be resolved by either of these means must be taken to the Team Manager or Home Manager.

If the matter cannot be resolved at this stage then, providing the issue can wait, the Manager or Area Manager will give the child a private interview and make a written statement about the core issues of the complaint. The interview will take place no more than 24 hours after the initial complaint. He/she may decide with the child's consent to involve other members of staff in an attempt to resolve the matter by negotiation.

If the child remains dissatisfied with the outcome, the Home Manager or Team Manager will contact the child's social worker at the earliest opportunity, inform them of the child's complaint and request a visit. At any stage the child may wish to short circuit the above procedure and contact his social worker directly. We also hold complaints leaflets for Local Authorities, if children have an issue with their local authority.

Alternatively, the child can contact Ofsted: 0300 1231231

If a person acting on behalf of the child wishes to make a representation, they will be given an interview with either the Manager or the Team Manager after the child has been given the opportunity to express his/her views. If, following the interview the child's representative remains dissatisfied with the outcome, the child's social worker will be contacted and asked to visit. As before, the representative can short circuit these procedures and contact the social worker directly. Alternatively, they too can contact Ofsted to voice their complaint.

All complaints are recorded in the complaints book which is reviewed by the Manager and through the Regulation 44 monitoring procedure.

Steps is committed to working therapeutically, therefore we function as a therapeutic community staff undergo specific training around attachment theory and are empowered to support children through these difficulties. All young people are given space and time to reflect on their actions and encouraged to manage their own behaviour, when possible. Living as a TC children grow, through observable developmental stages of where they can experience their need for dependency, then interdependency. This is achieved by the conscious emphasis of relationships and relatedness, everyone being supported to develop the social and inner worlds of themselves and the wider group. A TC environment demonstrates emotional wellbeing, needs being met in a planned manner and showcases the strengths and talents being available in this holistic nurturing environment Creating a therapeutic community enables children to feel loved and supported and complements the direct therapy that is undertaken.

The staff and children at Steps devised some core values that best described our service and our aspirations for the future. These values can be seen around the home at Steps visually to remind every member of the community.

Sharing living, learning experiences as a community.

Therapeutic approach, encouraging reflection, self-growth and positive endings.

Equal and respectful way of communication with all community members

Play – All young people to experience a wide range of play opportunities to support their development in all areas.

Safe, nurturing and loving environment

Views, Wishes and Feelings

Daily and weekly meetings are held involving all the young people at Steps. The group meet twice a day on school days and once a day on weekends and during school holidays. The daily community meetings discuss the day’s events and reflection on the positive and negative events. This is a held space, the meeting runs for 30 minutes 15.30-16.00 Monday to Friday and 09.15 – 09.45 at weekends. The community meetings encourage peer support to run between the young people and it develops relationships across the house. The weekly meeting focuses on menu choices, activity planning, and household issues, during which the children are consulted with and their feelings taken into consideration. These meetings are recorded. Staff regularly review, with all young people, the fire and complaints procedures, along with the house rules for existing and new play equipment. The children are consulted twice a year about the service they receive at Steps. We also involve all young people in the development plan for the service and the annual cycle of business planning.

The young people have a notice board with relevant information, including a complaints form and comment form for suggestions and ideas. We also hold complaints leaflets for Local Authorities, if children have an issue.

Upon admission, enquiries are made into the religious background of each child. Careful consideration is given with respect to the practice of religion. If requested, arrangements are made to ensure that the child can maintain ties to his/her religious heritage, for example, by helping them connect with local religious groups, providing for special dietary or clothing needs etc. All staff complete a training course on equality and diversity as part of our induction training and specific research is undertaken to ensure any child who resides at Steps has their cultural and religious needs are met. Religious education forms part of the National Curriculum at our school.

Contact between a child and his/her family is seen as an important factor in a child's residential experience and will be actively encouraged and welcomed, unless directions from the placing authority / Court dictate otherwise.

We will facilitate and encourage contacts, be that through providing support and supervision, arranging transport or providing access to a separate meeting room in the home where contact visits can take place. Telephone contact can be made with the children after school times and before bed times; children also have the use of the telephone at the home to call family members, as arranged with their social worker Staff will support young people before and after contact, as this can be a very challenging time emotionally for the children in our care. Young people are encouraged to make and maintain friendships through the community based clubs and activities they attend. Friends are welcome to visit Steps and children who live Steps are able and to visit friend’s houses when invited. At Steps we are committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for the children in our care. The children are encouraged to take an active part in life at Steps, through our daily community and weekly meetings. We actively encourage the children’s involvement in Ofsted and The Children’s Commissioner led, consultation and participation events.

All children are treated fairly and equally and their individuality respected. An established key worker / link worker system is in operation at Steps which provides children with an allocated member of staff who becomes a primary contact for outside agencies, and is responsible for all relevant paperwork. The key worker supports and assists the child with any issues, together with the rest of the staff team. We are committed to working in a creative and flexible manner, in partnership with other professionals and families to ensure every child receives the highest standard of care possible, responding to the changing needs of emotionally damaged children. We support and encourage youngsters to read and review some of the documents that are written about them, ensuring they have an opportunity to comment. Key workers also offer each youngster the opportunity to view their file whether paper or electronic, this would be recorded as a keyworker session.

Education

Park School is adjacent to Steps. The school is registered and achieved ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted when inspected in February 2018.

The educational aims of Steps are as follows:

 To provide an environment that is conducive to learning where every pupil is given the support and encouragement to meet the demands of educational and personal development.  To provide a relevant curriculum, this is appropriately broad, and balanced.  To establish the individual needs of all pupils and to devise a programme which targets those needs and develops core literacy, numeracy and ICT skills within Key Stages 2&3.  To develop social and living skills as well as moral and cultural understanding, this will assist in preparation for adult life.  To foster in pupils the value of education as a life- long process and to assist them in acquiring the necessary skills to develop and adapt as individuals in a changing society.  To work in partnership with parents where appropriate and with all relevant external agencies to give pupils specialist provision of the highest quality. We also work in partnership with local mainstream schools and have successfully reintegrated youngsters into mainstream education All children who have a Statement of Special Educational Need or Education Health Care Plan, will be supported as per recommendations and the statements/plan reviewed annually. At Steps children have a specified time and area, the dining table, in which to carry out homework, with support available from the staff team. Staff encourage the children to regard discovery and learning enthusiastically and to be open to lifelong learning. The staff team at Park School are experienced and skilled at encouraging learning in children who find the concept of education alarming and stressful. The primary aged children all have access to an individual learning pod within their classroom, this a small private learning space they can use if they are finding group learning difficult, but they wish to remain in the classroom environment. The class sizes at Park School are small, rarely exceeding 5 and they are supported by a teacher and a teaching assistant at all times.

Enjoyment and Achievement Children at Steps enjoy a wide range of activities and experiences. We believe in creating a wide range of childhood memories using activities and holidays that can be replicated in a foster or birth family.

We use lots of community resources, swimming lessons, football and rugby clubs, musical theatre society, horse riding and the scout and guiding organisations.

We support creative and imaginative play with staff involvement and resources onsite, we also offer group sessions around messy play, internet café and a movement group.

We holiday twice a year, at Easter and during the summer. We camp during August, staying at the same campsite in Cornwall, providing continuity and security for the child group, as well as creating another Steps tradition.

As of the past 3 years we have been incorporating a weekend away at a teambuilding facility, by where the young people and staff get to experience activities out of their usual comfort zone, making memories trying new things.

Health

All children placed at Steps will have an annual LAC Health Assessment, and will be registered with a local GP in Chipping Norton. Children will also be registered with a local dentist and if appropriate, an opticians.

Individual health care and medical needs are identified on admission to Steps and are recorded in the child's care plan and health record. We use local CAMHS as required, a referral will be made through the GP.

Staff monitor any changes in the state of the child’s health and arrange appropriate care or treatment after, obtaining, if appropriate, the child's consent. All staff regularly encourage children to maintain good personal hygiene at all times. Children are encouraged to bathe daily and wash their hair regularly. Children have access to a range of toiletries, to meet their needs. All medicines are kept in a locked room and locked in the medical cabinet. Non-prescribed medication such as Calpol is kept in a separate cabinet.

Prescribed drugs are to be given in accordance with the instructions provided. When a child is to take prescribed medication during the school day, e.g. penicillin, the senior staff member on duty is responsible for informing the school and identifying someone responsible to supervise the drug taking in addition to supplying the correct amount for the child. All staff are fully trained in the Safe Administration of Medication and complete Medication Competency checks annually within the home.

A designated staff member on duty is responsible for ensuring that an accurate record is kept in the medication folder. All drugs are double signed for, as per the protocol issued by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Clinical Team Information Each of the regions are supported by a designated and integrated clinical multi-disciplinary team whose combined expertise aims to reflect the presenting needs of the children and young people living and learning within the region’s homes and schools. The team supporting Steps consists of:

Clinical Lead:

All the clinicians are registered with their designated regulatory bodies such as the Health and Care Professions Council, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and UK Council for Psychotherapy and all receive the appropriate clinical supervision from other senior clinicians within the organisation or from externally commissioned specialists within the field. Line Management of the clinicians is provided by the Clinical Leads for each region who in turn are line managed by the Head of Clinical Services. The Governance of the Clinical Team and service provision is the responsibility of the Head of Clinical Services.

The core practice model and therapeutic approach within Children’s Services is underpinned by our shared, evidence based, theoretical understanding of Complex Trauma (Cook et al. 2005) / Developmental Trauma (Bessel A van der Kolk. 2005), the Neuro-Sequential Model of Therapeutics (Perry, B. 2014) and Attachment Theory (Ainsworth, M. 1978. Bowlby, J 1969). Utilising the principles within the framework of Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy (PACE), our Therapeutic Parenting initially focuses on developing safety and containment for the child or young person; an essential pre-condition for new relations to be explored, attachments developed and engagement in therapeutic and educational tasks.

The teams within the homes develop and maintain a safe and secure base for all the children and young people living there; the importance of the therapeutic value of the environment is recognised and an emphasis placed on creating a child centred nurturing home with clear, reliable, predictable provision, routines and boundaries. Having experienced a sense of safety and containment the child or young person will over time have less need for their primitive defensive/survival behaviours; fight/flight/freeze and become more able to begin to explore the possibility of new relationships and ways of viewing themselves and the world around them.

The clinical team support the development and maintenance of a therapeutic culture within the homes and schools through the facilitation of reflective practice sessions for the teams. These sessions recognise the emotional impact that living and learning with traumatised children and young people can have on the team members’ own sense of emotional and physical wellbeing.

Multi-disciplinary child and young person focussed meetings, attended by the clinical, residential and or education team, are held monthly.

All the children and young people placed within our residential homes will have access to individual or group weekly therapeutic input from a member of the clinical team. Some children or young people may be adamant they do not wish to engage in direct work; however they continue to have an allocated therapist and receive therapeutic input indirectly through the child and young person focussed meetings and input to the teams within the home and school.

The teams work closely with clinical colleagues in our local communities and when necessary Psychiatric support is accessed through CAMHS within the NHS. All children and young people experience individualised key work sessions

At Steps every child and young person has an initial therapeutic plan and within the first 16 weeks of child or young person being placed with us, an Initial Psychological Assessment is completed. The assessment includes the administering of psychometric tests which are used as a baseline measure. The ongoing administering of psychometric measures helps to identify growth within the individual child or young person and to monitor the effectiveness of the service delivery. The residential and education teams also track a child or young person’s development through data gathering of behaviours, events, achievements towards set goals within the child or young person’s therapeutic care plan.

(For full details see Children’s Services Clinical Services Service Specification doc.)

Positive Relationships

The relationships that are formed at Steps are fundamental to the work that we do. Time is devoted to developing positive supportive relationships, which in turn enable staff to work through the child’s early year’s trauma, helping them make sense of what they have experienced and to move forward. We work closely with an experienced life story worker who, when the child is ready, works closely with the child to create a life story book which the keyworker can use to support the child in times of crisis. Steps is particularly successful in preparing children to move into foster care or return to family members. This is often the main focus of care plans and we have successfully facilitated this on numerous occasions. Together with our school we have also assisted some of our children to reintegrate into mainstream schooling, again with positive outcomes. We promote and support family contact and facilitate this when necessary. We also encourage friendships within the community activities the children attend, children activity encouraged to make and maintain friendships outside of Steps, and “play dates” at Steps or friends’ houses

. Policy on Contact The ethos and style of the home is intended to generate a warmth and closeness between staff and children. This should create an environment in which the children are able to unburden themselves of personal feelings and episodes in their past life which have hitherto remained ‘locked away’ through feelings of guilt, uncertainty and lack of opportunity.

It is essential that staff approach children not only from a professional standpoint but also with empathy and sympathy on the basis of friendship and emotional involvement. This includes practicing in a manner that accepts and respects others as they are without judgment or evaluation.

There is potential danger and conflict for staff and children alike in attempting to operate in such a style and all staff must have a clear awareness of the ground rules needed for the protection of children and their own professional safety. This applies to any domestic and ancillary staff as well as those professionally involved with the children.

The following is a formal statement of the areas and degree of permissible interaction: Physical Contact/Touch

As a natural development of the child’s trust in the staff we would expect certain interactions to involve touching:

 It is permissible for a member of staff and a young person to greet one another or say farewell with an embrace or handshake.  It is permissible to ruffle a child’s hair or to touch a child on occasion of mutual approach.

In both the above cases the carrying out of such intimate gestures can only be undertaken when it is fully understood by both parties concerned that it is appropriate and in line with their wishes at the time. The action will not be able to be undertaken without there being a basic knowledge of one another which will usually be determined by the length of time the two people have been acquainted, together with the nature of their ongoing contact within the home.

If there is a sound relationship between a member of staff and any particular young person then such actions described above are not only normal but a real expectation on the part of the child.

The professional aspect of the care of the children can also be brought to bear at such junctures as review meetings, keyworker meetings and staff meetings which will have already identified children who may need educating in their display of affection, i.e. there are children who are overt in their emotional display and for whom this may not be genuine but part of their cycle of deprivation and in these circumstances members of staff are expected to resist such advances in a gentle and considerate fashion. They may take the child to one side and counsel them in the inappropriateness of such display. This forms part of our emotional therapy.

All the children are made well aware of the appropriateness of displaying emotion as part of their social education and have full knowledge that it is a permissible part of adult/child interaction within the home.

Engaging with Wider System

At Steps we endeavour to work closely with all the professional who can assist us in meeting the needs of the children in our care. We maintain a positive relationship with Chris Jones our community PCSO, who visits the home regularly.

We work closely with Alison Beasley LADO for Oxfordshire and with CAMHS, who provide a diagnostic and treatment element to our care.

We have a comprehensive Location risk assessment in place, we completed this in conjunction with the professionals named above. We considered a wide range of factors, and consider Steps a safe location for the children in our care.

We work closely with the staff and Park School to support our children in Education.

We also have worked successfully with several local schools to facilitate transition for our children who are ready to make the move to a mainstream education environment. We also work in partnership with other therapeutic communities during peer reviews and sharing ideas and resources with small groups of young people.

Protection of Children

The admission of a new resident, whether planned or unplanned is a difficult time and we aim to make any transition as smooth as possible. During the referral process consideration will be given to how the young person would adapt to the new environment, placing emphasis on how the service can meet the needs of the child, we use a pre placement impact assessment to ensure this. We also ask placing authorities to complete a risk assessment, highlighting the presenting issues.

Placements cannot be considered for current hard drug users, fire raisers, children who require continuous psychiatric supervision, children who pose a serious physical threat to themselves or others, and those who have a physical or profound learning disability. Admission of any child in a planned or emergency manner would be subject to receipt of the relevant LAC paperwork and the arrangement of a planning meeting, either on admission or within 7 days of the placement commencing. (72 hours for emergency admissions).

It is accepted that consistent guidelines and controls form an integral part of a child's development. As a child develops they gradually internalise these controls and reduce the need for external reinforcement.

Staff are expected to help and support young people to manage and control their own behaviour. The need for sanctions is reduced by clearly setting boundaries of acceptable behaviour and achieving high levels of supervision and consistent care practice. High standards and expectations of behaviour should always be encouraged as a normal part of day to day living.

Consequences will only be used sparingly and after all other alternatives have been considered. If the need is felt to impose a sanction, the child will be informed and the matter discussed with the Team Manager before deciding an appropriate sanction. Consideration will be given to the child's emotional state, understanding of their transgression and the effect that imposing a consequence will have on future relationships. Rewards also form an important part of our behaviour support and are designed to encourage good behaviour in the short and long term. Reparation is always offered and directly linked to the behaviour.

Reasons for consequences:

 Criminal damage such as damage to windows, furniture and decoration of the home.

 Damage caused outside the home.

 An assault on an individual.

 If a child refuses to go to bed or disrupts other children when trying to sleep.

 Constant disruptive behaviour within the home or school.

 Poor behaviour in a car or whilst offsite.

Our policy on restraint and control is in accordance with Children’s Homes Regulations (England) 2015 and the DfE guide to the Quality Standards.

Care workers are trained and assessed in STTRIIDE. This process involves a four day course within the workers probation period. Care workers go through a continual assessment process throughout the four days - this involves monitoring the individual's attitude and skill set in de-escalation and prevention of the use of physical intervention.

Each breakaway and restrictive physical intervention is taught and assessed on an individual basis. Each worker is assessed as competent or not competent in each technique. If a worker is judged as not competent in a certain technique, a development plan is put in place and monitored by the Home Manager and the local STTRIIDE trainer to ensure the individual receives the necessary support to develop and reach a level of competence.

As part of the induction and probation period, a care worker must successfully be judged as competent in all elements of the assessment process. All workers attend Annual refresher courses in STTRIIDE to ensure continual development and assessment.

The principles relating to the use of Physical Intervention may be summarised as follows:

* Staff should have grounds for believing that immediate action is necessary to prevent a young person from significantly injuring himself or others.

* Staff should take steps in advance to avoid the need for Physical Intervention, e.g. through dialogue and diversion and the young person should be warned orally that Physical Intervention will be used unless she desists.

* Only the minimum force necessary to prevent injury or damage should be applied.

* Every effort should be made to secure the presence of other staff before applying Physical Intervention. These staff can act as assistants and witnesses.

* As soon as it is safe, Physical Intervention should be gradually relaxed to allow the young person to regain self-control.

* Physical Intervention should be an act of care and support, not punishment.

Appropriate notes should be recorded in relation to all Physical Intervention incidents and the incident communicated to management as well as other relevant members of staff. A record of the Physical Intervention must be recorded in the Young person’s Physical Intervention log. Additionally a record of the incident must be placed in the young person's file on ClearCare. All Physical Intervention reports must be co-signed by the Manager.

After a suitable period of time the young person's key worker should seek privacy with the young person to discuss the incident and explore possible ways of this being avoided in the future. A record of any Physical Intervention occurring is sent to the young person's social worker weekly.

The Behaviour support policy is available on request. As are the child protection and safeguarding policies.

Steps is committed to the principle that the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). Any suspicion or allegation that a child has been abused while in our care will be dealt with in accordance with this principle. This means that the company will seek to work with placing authorities and investigating authorities collaboratively and swiftly to progress investigations. At Steps, the ‘designated person’ with lead responsibility for child protection is Sadie Dangerfield.

Any member of staff under suspicion of having abused a child will be immediately suspended while investigations are carried out. A referral to the LADO, Barry Armstrong would also be made in this regard.

Residential Care Workers who are told of allegations of child abuse or have reason to suspect that abuse has taken place must report details immediately to the home’s designated person. In the absence of the designated person, concerns must be reported straight away to a line manager (senior RCW / team manager), or to the Area Manager. There must be no delay in reporting caused by the unavailability of the designated person.

All matters relating to child protection issues or concerns must be reported as soon as possible to the Area Manager.

Child Abuse is not always clear cut and the uncertainty about it can cause anxiety. The important messages are:

 Do not panic  Share concerns with a more senior member of staff and approach the Regional Manager for an initial discussion.  Always err on the side of caution and report concerns quickly rather than adopt a policy of wait and see. This is crucial where there are allegations against or suspicions about a member of staff or where there may be abuse of one child by another. Failure to report such concerns promptly can lead to suspicion of collusion or cover up.

Further guidance on Child Protection and Safeguarding is contained in the SEMH Policies and Procedures.

Bullying

We see our staff as being the main resource we have in ensuring that children are not bullied in any way. We see bullying as an infringement of a person’s human rights. All staff will complete an anti-bullying training course. In order to educate children and prevent episodes of bullying we run an anti-bullying educational protocol, which includes age appropriate books and work sheets. Children are also encouraged to keep a reflective journal whilst they are involved on the protocol to evidence learning. These are used when issues arise, in an attempt re-educate children and develop a respectful culture.

We expect staff to do the following:

 Report incidents of bullying to their line Manager/Senior.  Ensure they record incidents of bullying on the child's file and what action has been taken to counter the bullying.  Work with children in a way that enables/empowers them to complain about being bullied by ensuring they know about the complaints procedure and who they can complain to.  Work with children who are bullies to enable/encourage them to alter their behaviour.  Take time to be with children who have been the victims of bullying.  Work with children to enable them to report serious incidents to the police.  In cases of serious and persistent bullying, managers, in consultation with social workers, parents and the bully, may decide to move a child in order to protect those being bullied.

Any allegations made against staff by a young person would be referred to the LADO. Bullying will be seen as gross misconduct and a staff member could be dismissed if found guilty at a disciplinary hearing.

Any child who is at large in the community without permission is deemed to be at risk. Our policy on Missing from Home is available from the home on request. The procedures followed are compatible with the local authority Runaway and Missing from Home and Care Protocol.

As general guidelines, all absences will be reported to the police and the senior on duty immediately, given the age and vulnerability of the children in our care. When a child goes missing the following information will be given to the police:

 The child's physical description, including age, weight, height, clothing, distinguishing marks etc.  All relevant details of behaviour that is likely to increase the risk to the child.  Possible address of known associates.  Home address and telephone number.  All of this information is kept on the Young Person’s Personal Details Form, which is at the front of each child’s file.  We encourage a positive relationship between the children and our local community support officer, who visits regularly and talks to the children about road safety, respecting each other and other relevant topics. The aim is to develop a healthy relationship with the police and ensure the children understand their role.

The field social worker or out of hours EDT and the child's parents where appropriate will be notified at the earliest opportunity.

All unauthorised absences must be recorded on Clear Care.

Every evening we have a waking night RCW on duty 10pm-7.30am who is available to the children if they have a bad dream, accident or just need some comfort and reassurance. We have an external door alarm system which is used during the hours of 22.00 – 07.30, to alert the waking night staff if any of the external doors are open from inside or outside. We maintain high levels of supervision and interaction between adults and children at all times, to ensure children’s safety. All placing social workers have provided written consent for the use of the door alarm system.

It is the responsibility of the Manager to ensure the day to day safety of all persons residing at, employed in or in any way using the premises.

It is the responsibility of the Manager to ensure that:

 The fire alarm is operational at all times.  The necessary checks of the fire system and extinguishers are carried out weekly or monthly as appropriate.  A record is kept of the tests.  If a fault that cannot be rectified is found it must be reported to the service engineer immediately.  All staff receive fire training and are made aware of their responsibilities and duties regarding the prevention of fire and understand the procedure for evacuation of the building in case of fire.  Any equipment that is deemed as dangerous or a fire hazard is taken out of use, immediately labelled as such and is repaired or replaced.  Maintain on a daily basis a register of visitors to the home.

General duties and responsibilities of all staff:

 Know the location of all fire exits and break glass points.  Know the location of firefighting equipment.  Be aware of the areas in the home that are high risk in relation to fire.  Keep fire doors closed at all times.  Keep fire exits clear.  Ensure that the children are supervised at all times in the kitchen.  Ensure the children are aware and understand the dangers of fire.  Report immediately any faulty equipment and take it out of use and label as such.  Ensure that all children are aware of the procedures in the event of a fire

Leadership and Management

The home is lead in supportive and inclusive way, staff have a clear understanding of the ethos of the home and the therapeutic approach and are able to contribute to the development of the service.

Steps, of Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd, part of Outcomes First Group. Mr David Leatherbarrow is the Chief Executive, Jean-Luc Janet Chief Financial, Richard Power is the Managing Director of Children’s services, Cliff James is the Regional Manager and Responsible Individual and the home manager is Sadie Dangerfield.

The registered address is: Outcomes First Group Turnpike Gate House Alcester Heath Alcester Warks, B49 5JG

We believe that stability and consistency are an important factor in the lives of our children and this is reflected in our shift pattern. Whole time working is a system where by staff work 7 days on duty, followed by 7 days off, which avoids the daily changeover of staff that can be unsettling and disrupt continuity, one of the things we are looking to maintain. We also aim to recruit a staff team that reflects our wider community and equal in terms of gender.

In order to ensure a consistent approach to the care we provide, our rotas allow our team managers to work across both teams which creates a shared approach. The teams attend a full handover on a Tuesday and the team managers hand over on a Friday, which includes a senior management meeting.

All staff receive regular supervision with their line manager, to discuss the performance of the individual, key working issues and any child protection concerns. Supervision is regarded as a valuable two way process which supports positive development. The group has a comprehensive training schedule which covers a range of mandatory courses as well as courses relating directly to the client group. Supervisors are trained in supervision skills to ensure the needs of the staff team can be supported and met.

New staff members follow a detailed induction process based on the CWDC workbook and benefit from fortnightly supervision, as well as a comprehensive range of direct and online mandatory training courses. Annually an appraisal is carried out, during which training needs are identified and a plan formulated, together with a review of progress to date.

During a 7 day shift all staff are entitled to an 18.5 hour time out break. Whole time working does allow staff to create a more natural environment for the children, and gives staff the satisfaction of being able to provide support for the young people from dawn till dusk.

Waking Night Staff and the Domestic Support Worker work across both shifts.

There are a total of 10 full-time Residential Care Workers employed at Steps. They are divided into two teams of 5, each team working 7 days on shift, followed by 7 days off.

Care Planning

The admission of a new resident, whether planned or unplanned is a difficult time and we aim to make any transition as smooth as possible. During the referral process consideration will be given to how the young person would adapt to the new environment, placing emphasis on how the service can meet the needs of the child, we use a pre placement impact assessment to ensure this. We also ask placing authorities to complete a risk assessment, highlighting the presenting issues.

The staff team are equipped to support emergency placements and we have an arrivals checklist in place, which we follow to welcome a child in consistent way, which the children in residence are familiar with and recognise.

All placement and care plans will be tailored to meet the individual's needs and encourage positive progress; we work closely with each placing local authority to achieve this. The children contribute and devise to the daily targets they work on both and school in our 24 hour points system. The progress they make on each target is recorded on Clear Care. Internal placement plans are devised using the local authorities care plan, the LAC review process and the knowledge of the keyworker and the young person, they will be reviewed every 6 months in line with the LAC review process.

Please be advised copies of our Policies and Procedures are available on request. Date reviewed: 07/04/2020