Caring For Children

Warwick House can accommodate up to 5 males between the ages of 12 and 18 with a range of social, behavioural and emotional difficulties including:

  • Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties
  • Autistic spectrum disorder
  • Aspergers
  • Learning difficulties
  • SPLD – Dyslexia or Specific Learning Difficulties
  • Communication difficulties
  • Low level challenging behaviour
  • Be of secondary school age (12 -18)
  • Inappropriate Sexualised Behaviour
  • Communication difficulties
  • Gender Issues
  • Gang Culture

Young people may also have a common medical condition such as diabetes, asthma or allergies. It is possible that the young people may have hearing impairment or visual acuity difficulties. The resident health professional will assess young people during the admissions process. They will then liaise with all other relevant health services locally to register the young person, assess them if required and maintain records of all appointments and outcomes.

Warwick Houseaims to provide a safe, supportive and loving environment in which our young people can grow, develop and thrive to enable them to achieve their maximum potential when they leave care. The home is a child centred environment that has a family feel and prioritises the welfare and development of the young people in our care. The young people living here are supported and involved in decision making, planning and implementing changes to ensure the best possible care is provided for them. Each young person is recognised as being unique with specific needs and beliefs that require individual care, possible specialist therapeutic sessions which is outsourced and individual assessment and planning.

The home environment is family orientated, with clear strategies in place to ensure the involvement of Parents/Guardians and Social Workers who will be encouraged to have an active role in assisting further development of their child. Regular visits are facilitated between young people and their families and wherever possible young people’s successes on whatever scale are relayed to family members and celebrated as and when this is possible. All young people are encouraged to try new activities and develop their own personal interests outside of in-house to promote a degree of independence and involvement within the local community and enable them to make new friends and acquaintances outside of care. A strong emphasis is also placed on supporting all young people in developing there independent living skills to prepare them for their eventual transition from care, be it to foster care, assisted living or as in the case of one of our young people, a planned moved to University accommodation.

Warwick House children’s home opened in July 2010 and is a large and spacious terraced family home in Carlisle. The house has a modern feel although carry’s a number of Victorian features from when the house was originally built. It is ideally located to provide young people with a variety of options when it comes to leisure and social activities with excellent links to community based facilities within Carlisle and the surrounding areas. Existing residents currently access the local rugby club, football teams, local gym, shopping centre and cinema on a regular basis, but there are a huge amount of other options available also.

Warwick House aims to provide a safe and structured, child centred environment that facilitates the inclusion, growth and development of the young people who live here. We achieve this by using individualised care plans created to meet the needs of the young person, supported by a well-informed, dynamic and experienced team of care professionals.

Warwick house is ideally located to provide a range of social and sporting activities to its residents. The Care team work with all young people to promote them taking part in a healthy and active lifestyle and to be part of deciding what activities they would like to do, either supported by staff, semi-supported or independently. The home is a stone’s throw from local parks and sports fields and is within walking distance of the city centre.

Carlisle is a busy, diverse city which offers a large and varied selection of activities for the young people, some of these include: sport, fitness, music, groups, youth clubs, community organisations and many more. When the young people show an interest in any form of activity they are encouraged to go and research this, and actively engage in this, as it builds self-esteem and confidence.

Warwick House welcomes young people from all faiths and cultures and celebrates a wide range of festivals around the year. Acts of collective worship are broadly Christian in nature. The Home is committed to promoting the young people’s cultural awareness and understanding, and where possible draws on the cultural diversity of the young people and families. Every young person will be able to attend such religious services and receive such instruction as is appropriate to the religious persuasion to which the young person may belong. This will be facilitated after having ascertained the wishes and feelings of the young person.

At NLCS, we realise the importance of working in partnership with parent’s, carers and significant others in order to promote growth and positive progression in the lives of our young people. This correspondence whether it be phone calls, emails, planned meetings or any other form of communication this is recorded in the young person's Placement Planning information and the nature of the contact will be highlighted there. We also realise that however good our standard of care and support may be, it is still secondary in our young people’s minds to being at home in the bosom of a loving family. We are aware of the stresses and strains placed on young people and their families when they do not live together and are sensitive in our handling of this delicate situation.

Carers at NLCS are required to support the link between the young person and their parents or guardians, where appropriate. This may involve:

  • Regular contact with the young person's parents or guardians.
  • Spending time with the family either in their home area or at Warwick House or surrounding area if they come to visit the young person.
  • Undertaking specific supervision duties during an access visit (detailed in care plan).
  • Facilitating the re-building of family relationships.

Parents / Guardians are encouraged to maintain consistent levels of contact as is congruent with Placement plans and LAC CLA arrangements and agreements. We can also support this by providing paid accommodation for up to 10 visits per year within the locality, there is an option for young people to stay with their parent/guardian during these visits but this would have to be suitably risk assessed including social worker permission and appropriate to the child’s safety, we also offer supervised contact during these visits. The aim of any supervised contact arrangements is to encourage family engagement in conversation and activity and to help to re-build damaged relationships with a view to these contacts progressing and taking place independently of care staff. This is the case with existing residents who now have periods of up to a week with their families either in a local holiday park or in their home area.

All young people receive monthly keyworker sessions where they can discuss their care plan, progress and any issues they may have. The information gained in these sessions is used to keep the young person’s care plan updated with relevant information that includes the developing needs of the young person involved.

As well as keyworker sessions, all young people living at Warwick house are invited to a monthly ‘residents meeting’ where the agenda is decided by the young people involved. Staff attend the meeting to help resolve any problems or answer any questions they have. Actions from the meeting are recorded with answers given and fed back at the start of the next meeting or before if possible.The young people are encouraged to participate in all decisions within Warwick House in a way that children would within a family home. It is important that all young people feel that they have a ‘voice’ within the home and that their opinions matter.

The existing young people were encouraged to make decisions about decoration, and furnishings for the house when it re-opened to ensure that it was their ideas and tastes that shaped the make-up of the home. This has enabled them to take pride in their house. Any ideas / opinions about future developments of the home are also encouraged to ensure that the house remains a living space which they enjoy and find exciting and fun. The recent addition of a ‘Man Cave’ equipped with projector screen, XBOX sofa’s and its own mini fridge serve to highlight this.

Each Young Person when they arrive at Warwick House will receive a House Induction. This is a written document that the young people can keep to refer to during their stay if required. This Induction gives details of the procedures and routines within the home, including the fire drill and evacuation procedure as well knowing where everything is located within the house and grounds, and what the basic rules and boundaries are.

Equality, diversity and Equal Opportunities

Disability Discrimination Statement

NLCS acknowledges and welcomes the opportunity to work within the criteria of ‘The Disability Discrimination Act 1995’ and endeavours to ensure that, wherever possible, disabled people should have the same opportunities as non-disabled people in their access to education. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 covers every aspect of education. The duties make it unlawful to discriminate, without justification, against disabled children and young people and prospective children and young people, in all aspects of school life. The principle behind this legislation is that, wherever possible, disabled people should have the same opportunities as non-disabled people in their access to education.

The home also ensures the young person’s families are treated fairly and in a non-discriminatory manner, respecting their rights, views and wishes in relation to the young person. The registered manager monitors this responsibility on behalf of the proprietor. The head teacher reports regularly to the proprietor so that they can be assured that the school is fulfilling its legal obligations in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act. In our work with the children and young people, and in our employment practices equality of opportunity means:

  • Providing fairness and equality of opportunity
  • Recognising that everyone is different and that these differences must be equally respected
  • Challenging discrimination so that we demonstrate our commitment to equality and do not exclude people or make them feel isolated.

We are fully committed to tackling all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination including those on the grounds of age, asylum or refugee status, caring responsibilities, class, colour, disability (including physical, sensory impairment, metal health problems or learning disability), ethnic or national origin, gender reassignment, HIV status, language, marital status, nationality, part time working, race, religion, sex, sexuality or trade union membership. Discrimination is unacceptable and we believe it happens when someone is treated in a less favourable manner than someone else in the same situation. A child / young person, their family members or member of staff may suffer discrimination for a number of reasons. It may be rooted in:

  • Race
  • Sex / gender
  • Disability
  • Sexual orientation
  • Religious beliefs
  • Bullying / victimisation

At Warwick House Children’s Home we do not accept discrimination on any grounds. We acknowledge that discrimination can be direct, indirect, intentional, unintentional or institutional. Whatever type and cause of discrimination is taking place, it is unlawful. Direct discrimination is where an individual or group receives less favourable treatment with some unjustifiable reason because of sex, race or disability, for example.

By definition, In-direct discrimination is applying unjustifiable requirements and conditions that have a disproportionate impact on an individual or particular group. Institutional Discrimination is where there is a collective failure of an organisation such as an LEA or individual school to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their background or experience. It can be seen in attitudes, behaviours and procedures that amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and stereotyping that disadvantages people.

Warwick House recognises and proactively supports the rights of children. The homes policies inform the induction process for all young people and underpin their individual placement plans to ensure their rights are respected. The organisation provides all young people with a handbook that contains all relevant information in an age appropriate, understandable way that the young person can access at any time they choose.

The home ensures positive communication between the local authority and young person is facilitated and the young person is able to contact their local authority when required.

The local authority are given the opportunity to contribute to the young person’s care plan during regular reviews and when being updated by key-workers.Young people are appointed individual key workers from within the staff care team at Warwick House. Those staff members are responsible for overseeing the young person’s individual care plan, providing regular opportunities to gain the views and feelings from the young person in relation to how they are being cared for, what support they feel they need and what they want to achieve or work towards in the future. This individual is also partially responsible inensuring the young person is represented correctly to the wider organisation or local authority when required.

All young people have access to an advocate/advocacy service. Where a local authority have appointed an advocacy service for their young people the details are made available to the young people and are also displayed clearly in the home. If an advocacy service hasn't been appointed but the local authority the home provides contact details of other advocacy services for the young people to use. These details are also clearly displayed within the home.

The organisation employs a medical professional (RGN) whom the young people have access to. The medical professional also advises the care team on health matters and issues regarding the young person. Young people are supported in being healthy and feeling well cared for by the care team and by local health and advice services.

All young people have access to education through Kirby Moor School or Main stream schooling. If they are past statutory school age then they access further education via local educational establishments including colleges or work based programs.

The home supports and facilitates contact between the young people and their families wherever possible and appropriate to do so. The home identifies individual contact needs and ensures the correct supervision, travel and financial arrangements are made. The home also conducts risk assessments to ensure the safety and well-being of all involved.

We can all make a contribution towards making our equality policy a reality and making it real for individual children and young people and staff. Overcoming our own prejudices and assumptions about others is a major step towards embracing equality within our organisation. Assumptions are often based on appearances and are a part of how we, as individuals, view others. Recognising that assumptions are not necessarily an accurate assessment of a person or situation, will allow individuals to make decisions based on equality. This ensures that all care staff should have an open minded and supportive attitude towards all new service users. Everyone within the organisation needs to think about what we do and how we behave to achieve equality, which is not necessarily about treating everyone the same, but recognising and respecting differences and treating each other with fairness and dignity.

The equal opportunities policy is reflected through all other policies and practices. We will raise awareness and plan to make a difference in the outcomes for our children and young people. The purpose of our Equal Opportunities Policy is to improve the service we provide for the children and young people, their parents and carers and others who are associated with the organisation.

Warwick House Children’s Home aims to consider the following:

  • The physical care given to children and young people i.e. skin and hair care
  • The food offered via the home’s menus and kitchen, and that bought on life skills shopping trips
  • The range of leisure and recreational activities on offer
  • The manner in which we celebrate key festivals and holidays
  • How information is presented to others whose first language is not English
  • The type of TV and video programmes that children and young people have an opportunity to watch
  • The décor of individuals’ rooms and the type of posters displayed on walls.
  • The organisation’s response to challenging behaviour from those children and young people who are black (given the gross over representation of such children and young people as excluded from schools on a national basis)
  • The use of positive and affirming images of difference within the home and school
  • The monitoring of the ethnic make-up of both the children and young people and staff population
  • The affirmation of clothing styles and fashions that reflect both the age and cultural heritage of the children and young people group

Given the increased number of children and young people who are refugees, the organisation needs to genuinely work in partnership with parents / carers. All staff should be clear about what constitutes oppressive and discriminatory behaviour or remarks, and be willing to challenge it, not only in the children and young people, but in themselves and staff groupings as well. Blatant comments or jokes about race, gender, sexual preference, disability or age will always be challenged and cannot be considered appropriate in a mixed community where many people have to live together. Any incident that is taken by another to be racist should be reported to the registered manager or Head teacher who will treat the matter urgently, sensitively and robustly.