<p>Policy and Procedure regarding ARRANGEMENTS FOR REGULATING AND VETTING VISITORS</p><p>Nugent House School Updated: June 2017 Review: June 2018 1 INTRODUCTION</p><p>1.1 Visitors to children’s homes will be numerous and frequent. They will be important to somebody in some way. All visitors should be treated with respect and courteously.</p><p>1.2 These notes of guidance are intended to cover everyday occurrences. Recognising that exceptional circumstances can occur, staff should be vigilant at all times and not afraid to ask for identification from individuals or in some circumstances if significant doubt arises refuse access until clarification is sought</p><p>1.3 The objective is to ensure that staff are aware at all times of all visitors to the Home and to be alert to the possibility that children/young people could be vulnerable to abuse by visitors</p><p>2 IDENTIFICATION</p><p>2.1 All unexpected visitors should be asked to produce identification. They should be recognisable by their identification. Most professional visitors will make a prior appointment.</p><p>2.2 If in doubt, ask for and check Identification badges. If still in doubt about a visitor’s identification, seek a telephone number from them and check their authenticity. </p><p>3 VISITORS BOOK</p><p>3.1 The visitor’s book should be a hard backed book, which is kept in the building.</p><p>3.2 All visitors should register their presence in the building and sign the visitor’s book. This serves to cover both a historical record and a register in case of fire. 3.3 Friends and personal visitors for young people who are resident should not necessarily be required to sign the visitor’s book. Staff on duty should write their name in the visitors’ book and the logbook recording the time they arrived and left the building. 3.4 Visitors should sign out when leaving the premises</p><p>3. 5 Each visitor’s book should be retained for 15 years along with other documentation archived from the unit.</p><p>3.6 In the case of fire evacuation, the visitor’s book should (if safe to do so) be retrieved.</p><p>4 REGULAR VISITORS</p><p>4.1 People who visit the establishment on a regular basis and who would have unsupervised access to children should be cleared through the Criminal Records Bureau. This is a formal process which should be undertaken by the visitor and endorsed by the Human Resources Section of Nugent Care. 4.2 Regular (non-associated) visitors to the home should NOT have access to young people until adequate and appropriate clearances have been received.</p><p>5 SUPERVISION OF VISITORS</p><p>5.1 Supervision of visitors will be decided when a visit is planned. If a visit is unplanned or the visitor is a friend / relative, the matter of access to the home should be at the discretion of the Care Manager or Duty Officer and an awareness / discrete supervision at all times must be observed.</p><p>5.2 Children / young people should not have unauthorised or unknown visitors in their rooms.</p><p>5.3 There may be occasions when, through prior arrangements, siblings or friends visit. Extra vigilance is required on such occasions.</p><p>5.4 When contractors are at work in the building extra vigilance of the children / young people is required, with particular attention /vigilance being paid to Health and Safety matters, along with security of tools and equipment.</p><p>Visitors Displaying Unacceptable Behaviour</p><p>Visitors who display unacceptable behaviour will be asked to modify their behaviour. If the behaviour continues the Senior member of staff on duty will explain to the visitor that their behaviour is unacceptable and explain the standards that must be observed if they wish to continue visiting. Failure on the part of the visitor to subsequently comply with the required standard of behaviour will result in the visitor being asked to leave. If necessary police assistance may be called (see Workplace Violence Policy and Procedures). Such instances of visitor’s unacceptable behaviour will be recorded in the Young Person’s file, together with the reasons for the action taken.</p>