page 2 of 25 - acorn education and care

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CONTENTS

1. Quality and Purpose of Care

2. Views, Wishes and Feelings

3. Education

4. Enjoyment and Achievement

5. Health

6. Positive Relationships

7. Protection of Children

8. Leadership and Management

9. Care Planning

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1. QUALITY AND PURPOSE OF CARE Weaveley is an Ofsted registered independent children’s home offering short, medium and long term care for up to 8 boys between the ages of eight and eighteen inclusively. The aim of Weaveley is to provide a 52-week a year residential home with an attached school, for young people who present with behaviour that challenges mainstream services and schools. Our young people have suffered early developmental and complex trauma due to traumatic early life experiences. These experiences often include but are not limited to: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and a lack of school attendance. Our young people develop coping and survival behaviours which significantly challenge others, and on arrival to Weaveley, have often suffered multiple placement breakdowns. Understandably, our young people lack trust in others, professionals and services. It is our belief that all young people deserve the highest standard of physical and emotional care, stability, consistency, structure and clear and appropriate boundaries. We aim to help young people build a resilience to cope with challenges and difficulties to help them reach their full potential. The ethos of Weaveley is to offer a homely and welcoming environment where a child can thrive and grow, with a therapeutic approach to the work within a family style atmosphere. There is a strong emphasis upon establishing a secure base from which the child can experience a close relationship with adults, especially their identified key-worker, as primary care providers. This is undertaken within a safe environment where a child can test authority and have appropriate boundaries and controls on their behaviour. Weaveley aims to provide a stable and nurturing environment to give a child the opportunity to heal and to experience or rediscover a sense of their own self-worth. To this end, care and placement plans alongside individual support plans will be implemented for each young person. Individual support plans are compiled in consultation with the young person and staff team, with the aim of providing individualised and personalised care for each young person. Our care takes into account the young person's sex, religious persuasion, racial origin, and cultural linguistic background, any disability and previous experiences. Weaveley is committed to fostering in each young person a level of independence appropriate to their age, by working in partnership with relevant agencies, facilitating further education, training and employment opportunities. We make every effort to effectively engage and work with relevant persons involved in young people's care with the aim of ensuring that each young person's needs are met. We hold close links with the Community Police Officer, The LADO, local colleges, health professionals and the registered Manager regularly attends the local missing person’s panel for Oxfordshire. The home is situated outside of the main village of Tackley just off the main road running from Kidlington to Banbury. Tackley is located almost midway between Banbury and Kidlington and just off the old main Banbury to Oxford road with excellent road communications north and south. There are also links west to Chipping Norton and east to Bicester. There is speedy access to junction 10 of the M40 and north to Warwick and Birmingham and south to Oxford and London. In terms of suitability please see the location risk assessment. Tackley is a small village with its own C of E primary school and school buses operating to Kidlington and Bicester for secondary schooling and colleges. It has a small sub post

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office which also acts as a local shop for necessities. The area is surrounded by delightful countryside with many protected walks and woodlands to enjoy. In terms of risk assessment, the location of the home offers many advantages in helping to keep young people safe. The rural location and limited public transport links minimises young people leaving without authorisation, and there are very few problems in respect of youth anti-social behaviour within the village. A smaller, closer knit community also makes identifying issues around sexual exploitation much easier than it would be in larger, urban, high population areas where predatory adults are more easily able to commute relatively unnoticed. The village also lacks many of the known high-risk congregation areas which exist in large towns, such as: late night shops, public houses, fast food outlets etc. Our premises review document provides a more in depth assessment of the location risks and is available on request. All of the young people and staff have worked together to identify a set of statements which best illustrate the values we feel are important to us.

Our Core Values

Just be you Over and above your expectations You’re the most important Follow your dreams Understand each other Learn from your mistakes

The Home

On the upper floor of the home there are eight single bedrooms - seven young people’s rooms and one staff bedroom with three bath/shower rooms. The downstairs has two TV/sitting rooms, a learning area with resources for individual study, a large open-plan kitchen with a dining area. The property has a utility/laundry room, cloakroom, and a games room. There is also a fully self contained independence training flat, which gives the opportunity for the boys to receive practical training in independent living while fully supported by the staff team, this is not registered as a separate provision. The home provides a safe, high quality, family-style living environment. The garden to the rear is medium sized with a play area, the front of the building has an astro-turf all weather pitch.

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Arrangements for religious observation by child 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 religious heritage, for example, by helping him connect with local religious groups, providing for special dietary or clothing needs etc. Religious education forms part of the National Curriculum provided at our school.

Fire precautions and emergency procedures It is the responsibility of the manager on duty to ensure that day to day safety of all persons residing at, employed in or in any other way using the premises. Smoke alarms and an internal fire alarm system have been installed in accordance with advice from the Fire Officer.

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It is the responsibility of the Home Manager to ensure that:

1. The fire alarm is operational at all times. 2. The fire alarm is tested on a weekly basis. 3. A register is kept of the weekly fire tests, giving the date of the test and the

signature of the person carrying out the test. 4. Should a fault develop on the fire alarm system, this will be reported immediately

to the service engineer. 5. All staff are made aware of their responsibilities and duties regarding the

prevention of fire and understand the procedure for evacuation of the building in the case of fire.

6. 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.

7. Maintain on a daily basis a register of visitors to the home. 8. The residents are made aware of the importance of keeping staff aware of their

whereabouts during the day, and of informing a member of staff of their return if they have been out.

General Duties and Responsibilities of all Staff

1. Know the location of fire exits and break-glass points (Bungalow) fire points (Main house).

2. Know the location of fire-fighting equipment and have a good understanding of their use.

3. Know the correct procedure for calling the Fire Brigade in an emergency. 4. Be aware of the areas in the home that are high risk in relation to fire. 5. To keep doors closed at all times. 6. Keep the fire exits clear of furniture and equipment. 7. Ensure that residents are supervised at all times in the kitchen area. 8. Ensure that the residents are aware and understand the dangers of fire. 9. Report immediately any faulty equipment and take it out of use and label as such. 10. Ensure that existing residents and new residents are aware of the procedures in

the event of fire. In the Event of Fire The following actions will be taken upon the fire alarm being sounded/raised: ALL YOUNG PEOPLE/STAFF/VISITORS LEAVE THE BUILDING The senior member of staff/Fire Warden on duty will take charge and lead in the fire evacuation 1. Dial 999 and request attendance by the Fire Service. Staff member gives their name, name of building, building address, contact number and details of fire. 2. Staff to collect emergency grab bag if safe to do so. 3. Staff will check all rooms if safe to do so, and continue with the evacuation to the designated area of the building, ensuring this is done in a calm and orderly manner 4. Separate ‘Personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs)’ are in place for young people with additional needs 5. Staff to sweep building to ensure all areas are clear (including back areas) if safe to do so and ensure all doors are closed on the way out. If it is safe to do so, tackle the fire with the firefighting equipment provided.

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6. Senior member of staff to ensure nobody re-enters the building until confirmed safe to do so by the Fire Service/Senior member of staff on duty/Fire Warden 7. Meet at assembly point and check all staff members, visitors and young people are accounted for 8. Senior member of staff/Fire Warden to liaise with Fire Service upon their arrival.

Complaints A Complaint is a written or oral expression of dissatisfaction or disquiet requiring a

response, in relation to any aspect of the service provided to an individual child/young person, or other matter relating to the company’s fulfilment of its obligations. Complaints may be either informal or formal.

An informal complaint, usually oral, is less serious or contentious and can be resolved quickly, preferably on the spot, without resort to complex correspondence or investigation. Most complaints are sorted out quickly by someone in the home, usually the manager. The person making the complaint will be asked about what the problem is and what they want done about it. They will be asked if they are happy with what is going to happen, the complaint will then be recorded on Clearcare detailing the outcomes of that. Access will be allowed to the document via the child friendly Clearcare app to review the recording, they can then comment on the process. In some cases a complaint maybe looked at by somebody outside of the home, this is likely to happen if the person making the complaint isn’t happy with what the home has done about the problem so far. The person investigating the complaint will be independent and look into the complaint and will write to the child or young person to explain what they think should be done. If this still does not sort the problem out then it will go to a complaints panel who will look at the complaint again. These people will be independent and will not have had anything to do with the complaint before. The child or young person who has made the complaint can attend the panel if they want to or choose someone to represent them. Complaints made against a member of staff will be referred to Oxfordshire LADO. Children and young people can complain about their social worker or their placing authority. All local authorities have a complaints procedure and should any children/ young people have any concerns regarding what their social worker/local authority is doing then they can raise these concerns using the placing authorities’ complaints procedures. All children and young people will be given a copy of their local authority complaints procedure and the key worker will go through it with them. All complaints will be recorded on Clearcare. At any stage the child/young person may wish to short-circuit the above procedure and contact his or her social worker directly. An advocate can support children/young people to make a complaint, they will help a child/young person:

express their views, wishes and feelings, or by speaking for them;

help sort out the problem

support the child or young person to take the complaint to the

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Weaveley has established contact with Coram voice (NYAS), they provide a children’s rights service, independent visitors for young people with limited family contact, advocacy and support for young people with problems, and participation activities to help young people make themselves heard. They can be contacted on 0808 800 5792. Alternatively, the child/young person can contact Ofsted (0300 123 1231 or 0300 123 4666). As before, the representative of the child/young person can short circuit these procedures and contact the social worker directly. Alternatively, they too can contact Ofsted (0300 123 1231 or 0300 123 4666) or The Childrens Commissioner on (0800 528 0731) or at www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk, to voice their complaint. Any complaints or representations concerning issues of safeguarding will be dealt with via The Children, Young People and Families team (01865 816670). A copy of these procedures will be given to the child, parents, social worker or any person with parental responsibility during the admission process or at any time on request. Further guidance is contained within the Complaints policy. To obtain a copy of the Complaints policy please call Outcomes First Group on 01204 552667

2. VIEWS, WISHES AND FEELINGS Consultation with young people The weekly house council meeting is the appropriate forum for the young people to have the opportunity to have input into other issues relating to the home: weekly menus, activities etc. A young person's views can also be aired via the key working system. Young people have the opportunity to give feedback on their care by formal questionnaires, these are completed twice a year. The outcomes from these are used to inform and improve our practice. A suggestion box within the home gives opportunity for anonymous internal feedback. The management operate an open door policy to resolve any concerns which up to now has worked very well in negating the need for formal complaints being made by the young people.

Equality of Care Every child shall receive equality of care irrespective of sex, ethnic, cultural, linguistic or religious background. Where applicable, provision will be made to ensure that religious observances, dietary considerations, festivals etc. are recognised and catered for. The home encourages young people to join in the celebrations of other cultures but they are not compelled do so. Young people can therefore attend any appropriate religious service with staff support at established churches, mosques, temples etc. within the community, but are not forced to do so. If required we are able to support a young person attending a place of worship of their choice within the local community.

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The starting point for anti-discriminatory practice is that every child has the right to live free from discrimination, stated in Article 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. As practitioners, we need to assess the discrimination that occurs in society and our own setting (consciously or subconsciously) and the effect this has on the children. Young children's antennae readily tune in to both overt and subtle messages about who is 'better' than who and who is valued in society, at a time when they are beginning to put together a picture of their own identity. But while they may ask awkward direct questions, they seldom make value judgements without the influence of adults.

Staff are expected to actively demonstrate tolerance, understanding and empathy with every individual and their families in their care, and in addition, show particular sensitivity to issues raised. Racism usually stems from fear and ignorance and every attempt should be made to combat any instances within the young people’s group. This should take the form of educating and familiarising the child with the issues rather than a stern lecture or sanction as this has a tendency to entrench attitudes and breed resentment. Discrimination, apart from being undesirable, is in some instances illegal. Any sexist or racist comments, practices, ‘jokes’ etc. will render the staff member liable to disciplinary action and possible dismissal.

3. EDUCATION Education is provided at Park School which was rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in February 2018, it is located 8 miles from the home and runs in line with the term times of Oxfordshire County Council. It offers fully registered, full national curriculum, highly supported, and individually tailored education packages, including vocational qualifications. The educational facility is in no way isolated from the overall care programme – whilst producing the core curriculum there is also the flexibility within the teaching day to ensure all care needs are met. This ensures a consistent system of communication between teaching and care staff operating within the home. The teacher, in consultation with the Home Manager, placing Social Worker, and clinical team will develop an individual education plan for each student that will meet their needs within the National Curriculum. Park School is a Registered Exam Centre. Many young people who attend our educational facility have an already transferred to an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), part of the initial educational assessment is to establish the individual needs of all young people and to devise a programme which targets those needs and develops core literacy, numeracy and ICT skills as well as seeking appropriate accreditation such as BTEC. Wherever possible young people are supported in attending or reintegrating into mainstream schooling or local vocational colleges where appropriate. Weaveley has strong links with local schools and colleges. To maximise the chances of a successful transition we can provide additional staff support during the school day, and transportation is also provided as required. Weaveley offer staff support and encouragement to all the young people wishing to carry out homework or private study within the home. It offers a private study area with access to extra resources, this is available to each young person to complete homework, research or revision. Alternatively any young person requesting to study in their own private space such as their bedroom, are provided with a desk and learning facilities of their own.

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Each young person is supported at Park School through an individual key-worker/tutor system. The key-worker and school tutor try to meet on a regular basis to discuss progress and set individual targets for the young person's Individual Education Plan. This individual support encourages young people to maximise their ability to reach their full potential.

4. ENJOYMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT Recreational/cultural activities Weaveley see a comprehensive, extensive, well-structured daily programme of adventurous activity as key in addressing problem behaviours and fostering a positive self-image and improving low self-esteem. Weekly house meetings are used to consult with the young people to plan the forthcoming week’s activities and menu planning. Young people may also express a desire to pursue individual hobbies and interests via key-working sessions. Special arrangements can also be made to ensure that any individual cultural needs are met. Our all-weather pitch

5. HEALTH

Therapeutic intervention. Residential Care at SEMH (Oxfordshire) is fully supported by a Clinical Team that has grown from September 2018, starting with appointment of the Clinical Lead/Consultant Clinical Psychologist. The team provide individual therapy where indicated for the young people in our care alongside ongoing staff training and consultation. The Clinical Team currently comprises;

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SEMH Clinical Lead, Oxfordshire Consultant Clinical Psychologist BSc Hons Psychology & Health Sciences Post Graduate Certificate Education Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsyc) Professional Registrations: HCPC registered/BPS Chartered Psychologist

SEMH Forensic Clinical Psychologist BSc Hons Psychology Doctorate in Forensic Clinical Psychology (ForenClinPsyD) Professional Registrations: HCPC Registered

SEMH Assistant Psychologist, Oxfordshire BSc Hons Psychology

SEMH Play and Creative Arts Therapist & Life Story Worker BSc Hons Psychology Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy Post Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills Professional Registrations: PTUK Registered

Members of the Clinical Team receive supervision from the Clinical Lead and /or from an appropriately qualified external professional. The Clinical Lead receives supervision from The Head of Clinical Services.

Each child/young person has an allocated therapist and each home has an allocated Clinical Team member. The Clinical Lead oversees this support and will increase level of support as and when required, e.g. if a young person if at risk of placement breakdown, if the home is in crisis.

Every child/young person has an initial clinical plan which is devised within the first 4 weeks in placement which outlines an initial formulation of the child, intervention strategies and identified team needs which are then reviewed, amended and addressed in subsequent team meetings and training sessions. Clinical Plans are kept on the child/young person’s individual file on ClearCare. Further to this, a comprehensive Psychological assessment will be completed within 12 weeks of the child/young person’s arrival in placement which will include baseline psychometric measures of their current presentation. These measures are repeated on a 6 monthly basis and results analysed, discussed and reported upon within the child/young person’s review and planning meetings. The 12 week assessment will also include a more comprehensive clinical plan which will be reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis. The ongoing administering of psychometric measures helps to identify change and growth within the individual child /young person and to monitor the effectiveness of the service delivery. Information

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gathered will inform a review of the child/young person’s clinical plan, risk assessment and behaviour support plans. All documents are held within the child/young person’s file or for those where this would be inappropriate, they can be accessed via the Clinician assigned to the home.

The core practice model for understanding the children and young people in the care of SEMH is the complex trauma model. This model ensures the needs of the children/young people are addressed in a holistic manner and considers each child/young person’s presenting needs and strengths. Staff are experienced, trained and supported on an on-going basis to help them work with traumatised children with a variety of presenting difficulties. These include children and young people who display sexualised behaviour, self-harm and suicidal ideation.

Initially when a child moves into placement the priority is on establishing a sense of safety and containment for the child in a nurturing environment. The therapeutic support workers in the home are encouraged to consider how the child may view themselves, the world and those around them (their internal working model) in order to interpret, manage and contain behaviours that may emerge. They utilise the principles of therapeutic parenting and PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) to understand and interact with the young people, ensuring they remain empathic and accepting of the child regardless of any challenges they may present.

Health Care

1. All young people placed at Weaveley must undergo a statutory ‘looked after’ medical.

2. All young people will be registered with the local GP, dentist and optician.

3. All young people will receive a healthy balanced diet.

4. New Outcomes tool will be used to assess areas of development

Medication All medicines must be kept in the office and locked in the prescribed medicine cabinet. Proprietary medicines such as Paracetamol, Cough Linctus etc. must be kept in a separate section from prescribed drugs. Usage Prescribed drugs must be given in accordance with the instructions provided and the senior staff member on duty is responsible for administering the drugs. When a child has to take prescribed medicine 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 quantity for the child. On no account should one child be given drugs that are prescribed for another. Recording The senior staff member on duty is responsible for ensuring that an accurate record is kept in the Prescribed Medication section of the young person’s individual medical record, and any drugs given are signed for by the member of staff/s administering them. Two staff must administer and sign if it is a controlled drug. It is also their responsibility to

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ensure that a course of drugs is completed. This is especially important in the case of antibiotics as re-infection can occur if the course is terminated early. Senior staff should also consult the Prescribed Medication Book if a child/young person is requesting medicines, to ensure that they are not being taken for trivial reasons or out of habit. Disposal of Drugs and Medicines Out of date stock or the remainder of any prescribed medicines must be taken to the local pharmacy to be disposed of. The same applies with any drug that cannot be identified with 100% accuracy.

6. POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS Contact arrangements There will be an expectation that any social worker who places a child with Weaveley will remain in regular contact with the child, both by visiting him at the home or by telephoning. Frequency of contact will be discussed at the admission stage and will form part of the written agreement. Similarly, if is felt appropriate and in the child’s best interests, arrangements for contact between the child’s parents (or those with parental responsibility), friends or relatives will be discussed and agreed at the admission stage. Contact between a child and his family is seen as an important factor in a child’s residential experience and will be actively encouraged and welcomed. We work hard to ensure any requirements needed to help facilitate contact are met, for example: staff supervision, family support, or transportation. Any restrictions on contact, i.e. supervision of telephone calls or visits will be as directed by the young person’s placing Authority or the Court. Where agreed young people are encouraged and supported to maintain links with friends, this may be through letter writing, telephone calls or direct contact. Also part of developing positive peer relationships is meeting new friends, young people are supported in this process by encouraging them to attend individual activities such as Youth Clubs, Army Cadets, Ice Hockey, Badminton, Football and Rugby but to name a few.

Policy on professional boundaries 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:

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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.

7. PROTECTION OF CHILDREN Safeguarding policy We have detailed safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance in place, these are available on request. Any suspicion or allegation that a child has suffered abuse while in our care will always be referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer and their advice followed. Any member of staff under suspicion of having abused a child may be suspended from duty while an investigation is undertaken. Procedures/categories of abuse Any member of staff who believes a child protection incident has occurred has a duty to inform the correct professionals. In the first instance details should be reported to their line manager. In the event that their line manager is involved in any such incident then the member of staff should follow the whistle-blowing policy outlined in the company procedures manual.

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A safeguarding form will be opened on ClearCare recording all contact with outside agencies and detailing all events and actions, including phone calls. Suspicion of abuse or child protection concerns Action

The Regional Manager and Home Manager (designated safeguarding leads) must be informed

Inform local area Children, Young People and Families Assessment Team (01865 816670)

Call Police

Inform placing Authority

Inform parents where appropriate

A regulation 40 notification may be required Where the allegations involve employees: Action

The Regional Manager and Home Manager (designated safeguarding leads) must be informed

Inform local Authority Designated Officer for Safeguarding (LADO) Alyson Beasley (01865 815956)

Inform local area Children, Young People and Families Assessment Team (01865 816670)

Call Police

Inform placing Authority

Inform parents where appropriate

A regulation 40 notification may be required

Further guidance is contained within the Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. To obtain a copy of the Safeguarding policy please call Outcomes First Group on 01204 522667

Child Exploitation (CE) Weaveley is committed to preventing young people being subjected to CE. Staff are trained to spot the signs of CE, and are vigilant when out in the community with young people, to further minimise the risk of sexual exploitation. The completion of the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Childrens Board Child Sexual Exploitation screening tool including E Safety is carried out for all young people. The screening tool will help staff to focus on specific indicators and determine whether further investigations are needed. On completion of the screening tool, If staff members are unsure of the level of risk to the young person, the Kingfisher Team are able to provide advice and guidance on 01865 335276. The Home Manager regularly attends the Multi Agency Missing Persons panel meetings where issues of young people being at risk of sexual exploitation are discussed. This ensures regular communication with key agencies, this ensuring a collaborative working approach within the wider community. Where CE is a particular risk for a young person, it will be detailed in their risk assessment, care plan and placement plan. The school curriculum also includes workshops for young people around CE to provide them with

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information about how CE can begin, how to keep themselves safe and who to ask for help if they are worried about themselves or a friend who may be at risk of or experiencing CE.

Prevent Staff are trained in the prevention of radicalisation, and are committed to actively promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of young people in line with British values. The staff are trained to spot signs of behaviour which undermine British values and have clear pathways to report any such behaviour through the Channel process.

County Lines Staff and young people are educated on criminal exploitation and county lines through regular workshops delivered by our local Police Community Support Officer. Workshops cover what county lines exploitation involves, how young people are effected and what signs of criminal exploitation and county lines we can be sensitive to.

Bullying Weaveley see its staff team as the main resource in ensuring that young people in our care are not bullied in any way. We take a zero tolerance approach to all incidents involving bullying. We expect staff to:

Challenge any person found bullying another

Report any incidents of bullying to their line manager

Ensure that any such incidents are recorded in the bullying log, including action taken to stop any further incidents.

Make sure that the young people are aware of how to complain, and that they feel able to do so.

Work with the young people to modify any bullying behaviour

Offer support to victims of bullying In cases of serious or persistent bullying a professionals meeting should be called and a decision made in respect of whether to move a young person in order to protect other young people at the home. Further information on company policy in regard to bullying is contained in our Operations Manual which can be accessed via Sharepoint.

Procedure when Children go missing from the home Any child who is at large in the community without permission is deemed to be ‘at risk’. Staff will make every effort to locate them and ensure their safe return to the home As general guidelines, all absences will be reported to the Police by the senior on duty. When a child goes missing or away from the placement without authorisation the following information will be given to the Police:

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1. The child’s physical description, including age, height, weight, clothing, distinguishing marks etc.

2. All relevant details of behaviour that is likely to increase the risk to the child. 3. Possible address of known associates, if relevant. 4. Home address and telephone number.

The field social worker (or EDT if out of hours) and the child’s parents will be notified at the earliest opportunity. All unauthorised absences must be recorded in the appropriate log. In all instances the home follows the Runaway or go missing from Home or Care protocols of the Department of Education and Oxfordshire. A designated member of the management team will attend The Missing Persons panel meetings to ensure that strategies to minimise risk are informed and continually updated.

Return of Missing Person Due to the vulnerability of children in care and the recent incidents involving sexual exploitation we are committed to being pro-active in insuring the safety of young people placed in our care. Staff should continue to offer warm and consistent care when a young person returns, and running away should not be viewed as behaviour that needs to be punished. To this end measures are put in place to minimise further incidents and safeguard the young person's welfare.

As soon as the missing person returns to the home the senior staff member on duty will contact the Police, the social worker and the parents.

The return should be recorded in the appropriate log.

Where possible the young person will be given the chance to speak to a person independent of the home on their return, or a session with therapist/counsellor will be arranged as a matter of urgency.

Ensure the young person has an opportunity to eat and talk privately to their key worker if they wish to do so.

Care plan and risk assessment updated to reflect any changes

Key workers to give the opportunity for daily key sessions if the young person would like to talk on a one to one basis.

All staff to monitor closely the emotional and physical well-being of the young person after their return, and arrange appropriate health appointments if any concerns are evident.

Approach to behaviour Philosophy 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. Experience shows that incentive and reward are more effective than the imposition of consequences. General Principles Staff are expected to manage and control the young people's behaviour with an emphasis on positive reinforcement of acceptable social norms. The need for consequences is reduced by clearly setting boundaries of acceptable behaviour and achieving tight levels

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of consistent care practice. Acceptable behaviour should always be encouraged as a normal part of day to day living. A points system which is linked to individual targets and rewards are individualised for each young person. Restorative approaches are promoted as a go to consequence as opposed to a fix term alternative. Such an approach gives an opportunity to make things right, to move on, gives a timely resolution which in turn should reduce repeat behaviours. Use of Consequence Consequences will only be used sparingly and after all other alternatives have been considered. If the need is felt to impose a consequence, the child will be informed and the matter discussed with either the Home Manager or Team Manager before deciding an appropriate consequence. Consideration must be given to the child’s emotional state, understanding of their transgression and the effect that imposing a sanction will have on future relationships. The effectiveness of any given sanction is carefully monitored to ensure it achieves the intended outcome. Reasons for Consequences

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

Damage caused outside the home - i.e. in the local community.

An assault on an individual.

If a resident refuses to go to bed and/or disrupts other residents when they are trying to sleep.

Consistent disruptive behaviour within the schoolroom.

Transgression of any rules or boundaries within the home. Permitted Consequences The following list comprises the only consequences permissible within Weaveley.

Reparation. Helping towards the cost of repair or performing a task that makes amends. This will be the preferred and most promoted form of consequence

Restitution, for repairing or replacing.

Loss of privileges.

Loss of leisure activities.

Additional household tasks.

Increased supervision.

Supervised spending of pocket money.

Restorative work to reflect on actions and make amends All consequences must be recorded on Clearcare. INAPPROPRIATE CONSEQUENCES NEVER impose physical punishment on a child. NEVER deprive a child of food, sleep or medical help. NEVER deprive a child of your care and consultation. All staff should be aware that disciplinary action will be taken against them for the imposition of any of the above inappropriate consequences.

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Policy on Physical Intervention The ethos of the home is that physical intervention should be based upon good personal professional relationships between the staff and young people. It is extremely important however that alternative, de-escalation and diversion strategies are fully explored first. Any guidelines suggested are not intended to cover every eventuality. All physical interventions must meet the thresholds stated in 20(1) of the Children’s Home Regulations 2015. A measure of restraint may only be used on a child accommodated in a Childrens home for the purpose of:

(a) Preventing injury to any young person (including the child who is being restrained);

(b) Preventing serious damage to the property of any person (including the child who is being restrained).

We view the appropriate use of physical intervention as a necessary action to safeguard both staff and young people, and to prevent a young person from becoming excessively criminalised in a relatively short space of time as a consequence of being unable to control their anger. By ‘injury’ is meant significant injury. This would include, for example, actual or grievous bodily harm, physical or sexual abuse, risking the lives of, or injury to, the self or others by wilful or reckless behaviour, and self poisoning. It must be possible to show that, unless immediate action had been taken there were strong indications that injury would follow. Physical intervention is the positive application of force with the intention of overpowering the child. That is, in order to protect a child from harming himself or herself or others. Preventing damage to property in itself is not seen as a justifiable reason for the use of physical intervention by staff at Weaveley. However, serious damage to property may undoubtedly put both the young person and staff in proximity at risk of injury and therefore may require a level of restraint.

Care workers are trained and assessed in STTRIIDE (Supporting Theory and Techniques in Reducing Incidents and Improving De-Escalation techniques). 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 workshops in STTRIIDE to ensure continual development and assessment.

The principles relating to the use of physical intervention may be summarised as follows:

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1. Staff should have good grounds for believing that immediate action is necessary to prevent a child from significantly injuring himself or herself or others.

2. Staff should take steps in advance to avoid the need for physical restraint, e.g. through dialogue and diversion and the child should be warned orally that physical restraint will be used unless he or she desists.

3. Only the minimum force necessary to prevent injury or damage should be applied. 4. Every effort should be made to secure the presence of other staff before applying

restraint. These staff can act as assistants and witnesses. 5. As soon as it is safe, restraint should be gradually relaxed to allow the child to

regain self-control. 6. Physical intervention should be an act of care and control, not punishment.

Appropriate notes should be recorded in relation to all physical intervention incidents and the incident communicated to senior management as well as other relevant members of staff. A record of the physical intervention must be recorded in the young person's file on Clearcare, and this recording must include the reason why physical intervention was necessary, i.e. the behaviour the child was exhibiting, witnesses to the restraint and those staff members involved in the restraint.

A record of any Physical Intervention occurring is sent to the young person's social worker weekly.

After a suitable time period, a resolution meeting should be undertaken and recorded and any patterns/actions noted and acted upon within an identified timescale. To obtain a copy of the company behaviour management policy please call Outcomes First Group on 01204 522667

Supervision High levels of supervision during the day ensure young people are safe from bullying or abuse from other boys. During sleep hours a waking night/on-call staff member provides supervision of the young people. It is in the nature of maintaining a homely family-style environment to employ male and female members of staff to work as residential social workers. There are, however, occasions when female members of staff will be needed to form some part of supervision of boys on the residential side of the home. Obviously danger points in such a mixed supervision are concerned largely with sleeping and bathing areas. There are commonly accepted grounds rules for conduct in such situations: It is permissible for staff of both sexes to enter any sleeping area occupied by a young person provided that their entry is preceded by a knock on the door and incorporates knowledge of the staff as to the possible state of dress of the young person, dependent on the time of entry. The children are expected to be appropriately dressed in all common areas, i.e. common rooms and corridors. This will include putting on a dressing gown when out of their room during the night. Staff must never consider their personal position with regard to codes of practice and professional conduct if they genuinely believe that emergency action is needed. The ground rules of the home, government statutes and other codes of practice must not constitute a reason for no action being taken in situations of suspected or real emergency.

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The management will support staff who violate the ground rules with regard to privacy on the basis of immediate action being considered necessary for the safety of any child following an assessment based on professional subjectivity. No room in the home must ever be considered a “no-go” area including bathrooms, toilets and bedrooms if there is reason to believe that a child could be at risk.

Sensitivity is required on the part of the staff to ensure that the children have privacy; therefore no member of staff will normally go into bathing areas without first of all clearly announcing their intention and inquiring if the child is adequately clothed/covered. The home has adopted the attitude that children have the right to hold private conversations with adults and similarly adults need to speak to children on a private basis. This is generally applicable to male and female members of staff irrespective of the gender of the child. The rules of the home (as generally agreed by all staff in conjunction with informing the children) are that it is permissible for a member of staff to see a child in a room, alone and, in some cases; it will be natural for the door to be closed. The agreed safeguards for this to take place are that other members of staff should be aware that the child is going to be seen privately, but informal conversations will often take place in standing with a normal family living environment. One-to one time will promote a sense of trust and connectedness.

8. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Organisational structure Weaveley is a part of the Outcomes First Group, the Chief Executive Officer is David Leatherbarrow and Chief Financial Officer is Jean-Luc Janet. The Managing Director of Children’s Services is Richard Power and Responsible Individual for the region, Cliff James. Weaveley is registered under the provider Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited of Turnpike Gate House, Alcester Heath, Alcester, Warwickshire, B49 5JG. Weaveley Home Manager Linda Mason is responsible for the day to day management of the home.

Whole time working Weaveley believes that stability is one of the most important features of residential care and that this stability can only be provided by the staff. Following a radical appraisal of staffing the company decided to implement Whole Time Working within its children’s homes who see it as beneficial to the young people. Whole Time Working means that staff work seven days on duty followed by seven days off duty. This completely breaks with the standard shift system where staff often leave work in the middle of a problem or activity. The consistency of care this approach offers means that Weaveley can be successful in building strong attachments with young people in a relatively short space of time, often in cases where this has proved difficult in previous placements. It also contributes greatly to the family style, relaxed environment, due to not having the ambiance of a workplace. It also means that a young person’s key or link worker is available at any given time. Whole Time Working can enable staff to

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provide a more natural environment for the children, offering both stability and support through a continuum of care. It can also give greater satisfaction to the staff as their commitment is more sustained.

Service structure The Home Manager, works every week between Mondays to Friday, linking the Whole Time Working teams. Each team is headed by a Senior Team Manager, a Senior Residential Care Worker, three Residential Care Workers and a Waking Night/On call Staff. Due to the high numbers of staffing it is possible to counteract any adverse affects of large child numbers by breaking the group down for most activities and providing one to one key work sessions with the children.

Standard Residential Care Our standard care package aims first and foremost to provide a safe and complete home for the child and includes:

1. Full board and lodgings including reasonable special dietary requirements. 2. Qualified management supervising experienced care staff. 3. Detailed observation by the staff of the child’s needs during the assessment

period collated into a report for the case review. 4. For ongoing placements, a strong emphasis by staff towards achieving the aims of

each child’s care plan, and ensuring that each child’s care plan is regularly revised in consultation with relevant agencies.

5. Participation in all activities organised by the home. 6. Minimum of two weeks of UK activity holiday per year. 7. Everyday clothing up to a total of £30 per month. 8. All personal needs including pocket money at our standard rate, toiletries, etc. 9. Education - children excluded from main stream schooling are automatically

offered in-house education with a package tailored to each child’s individual needs.

10. Full assessment with an Educational Psychologist where required. 11. Needs focused therapeutic intervention where appropriate. Currently Weaveley is

supported by an in-house clinical team 12. Escorts: Any reasonable cost of staff time and vehicle mileage for transporting

and accompanying a child for individual journeys e.g. attendance in court, family visits etc.

Any therapeutic interventions are only carried out by qualified therapists.

The arrangements for the supervision, training and development of employees All staff will receive a comprehensive induction programme on commencing work at Weaveley. A written record of induction and supervision sessions will be kept. All staff working in the home will receive regular supervision on one to one basis from a senior member of staff. The Registered Manager of the home will also receive regular supervision by the Regional Manager. All staff including the Registered Manager will receive written job descriptions and person specifications related to the homes current Statement of Purpose, which state clearly their responsibilities, the duties currently expected of them and their line of accountability.

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All staff will have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually by their line manager. The employee’s personal file contains a record of the appraisal showing the level of performance achieved, targets for the coming year, and the agreed training needs to be met within the following year as part of the individual’s Personal Development Plan. All staff will be provided with and/or have access to the homes/companies Policies and Procedures held on Cascade. This is kept up to date and accessible to all staff members.

Visitor’s policy Visits are by arrangement, although it is expected that visitors will vacate the home by 9.00 pm. Exceptions to this policy will be determined by the social worker and/or a court order. Our visitors’ policy for persons coming on site at one of the company’s child care homes/units will be as follows:

1. All persons who are not employed by us must sign the Visitors’ Book when they enter and leave the home/unit.

2. All persons will be observed and/or supervised by an assigned member of our staff while they are visiting and/or performing some assigned task in the home/unit to ensure that they (the visitor/workman) will at no time have unsupervised contact with a young person in our care.

3. All visits will be in a designated area, without exception, unless other documented arrangements have been agreed in advance of the visit by the young person’s social worker and the Home Manager.

4. The young person’s Social Worker has the right of unsupervised access to their client.

5. Appointments with known or police checked persons may be unsupervised at the discretion of the manager.

6. Workmen coming on site must be briefed prior to commencing work with particular regard to the safe storage of tools, smoking, reading materials etc.

9. CARE PLANNING

Admission Criteria The admission of any young person whether planned or short notice will be considered on:

i. Receipt of all relevant documentation, plans, assessments and reports.

ii. Agreement to an admission meeting within 72 hours

Admissions Procedures Philosophy Effective child centred admission procedures which clearly identify a purpose for the placement, reduces the tendency for children to drift in residential care. It provides an opportunity for children to change, and assists them in re-establishing themselves in the wider community.

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Admission Procedure Since we aim to maintain a balance at all times, the acceptance of a placement is determined by a risk assessment of the client’s perceived ability to integrate into the existing group. An emphasis is placed upon ensuring that a young person’s needs can be met within the existing group without impacting upon them. Emphasis is put upon developing strategies to counteract any adverse effects arising from group living in a home our size. Breaking the group down into smaller numbers, or facilitating one to one sessions is made possible by our high staffing ratio. Also the young people are encouraged to participate in activities and hobbies outside of the home environment as a means of facilitating social development. As Weaveley is situated within a residential area careful consideration is given to the ability of a young person to live within the local community. Weaveley are able to consider placements to children who display emotional and behavioural difficulties, inappropriate sexualised behaviour and conduct disorder/challenging behaviour. Placements will not be considered for current hard drug users, convicted fire raisers, previous incidents/traits of roof climbing or disabled children due to the unsuitability of the environment. Short notice admissions are considered following the same criteria. It is our expectation that following a short notice admission a planning meeting be convened, normally within 72 hours, but in exceptional circumstances no later than seven days after admission. This will be to discuss the placement and formulate a care plan. General Procedure An initial telephone call from the social worker is necessary to establish whether or

not we are able to offer what is required. A placement will only be considered on submission of a referral form to be accompanied by any other appropriate reports, e.g. education, psychiatric etc. We reserve the right to terminate a placement within 48 hours if a placing authority fails to provide relevant information relating to a young person.

The placing social worker is invited to an informal meeting to discuss the care needs

of the individual in more detail. Young people are encouraged to visit the home at this stage.

Prior to the admission of a young person, a meeting is held to include everyone likely

to be involved with the child during the placement. At this meeting a written agreement is drawn up to meet the individual needs of the child.

If the placement is to proceed, an admission date is set. Wherever possible a visit is arranged at this stage for the young person’s allocated

keyworker to visit their existing placement. Oxfordshire Local Authority will be notified of all new placements and young person/s

leaving at [email protected]

The Arrangements for Dealing with the Review of Placement Plans

mailto:[email protected]

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Placement plans will be reviewed as part of the agenda of Statutory Children’s Reviews, in accordance with the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations (2010). Admission Information for Young Person upon Arrival On admission the child has an informal meeting with their keyworker and is given a Childrens guide giving details of such things as the home’s routine, pocket money, use of the telephone, points system, rewards/sanctions, activities, education and the complaints procedure. The young person will also go through an induction package with a member of staff where they will discuss things such as likes/dislikes, this also gives them the opportunity to ask any questions they may have at this stage. A young person’s guide is also available via the website. Leaving/Moving on For many young people part of a successful transition to moving on is having effectively developed a range of independent skills to prepare them for self-sufficient living. Weaveley benefits from having a separate self-contained flat offering a bedroom/kitchen/lounge and an ensuite bathroom. This is designed for young people who have progressed sufficiently to be able to cope with living on their own. They will have their own front door and be responsible for the day to day running of the flat. They will be given the opportunity to develop and implement their independent skills whilst having the benefit and security of onsite support from staff. When a placement ends it is essential that this is done in a positive way. Full support is given to any transition planning, and ongoing outreach work can be arranged in agreement with the placing authority. Prior to moving on keyworkers hold regular sessions with the young person to discuss their departure, and ensure the process of moving on is done in a manner that supports the young person's emotional and practical needs. We also maintain links after a young person has moved on, we keep in contact by telephone and organise visits to meet them throughout the year where appropriate. This will continue for as long as the young person, Weaveley and the wider team around them feel it is appropriate. Any person reading this statement of purpose can obtain full Outcomes First Group Policies and Procedures by request from the Home Manager. Updated July 2020

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