Crossroads Carechildren S Personal Care Policy

Crossroads CareChildren’s personal care policy

C.02a

Children’s personal care policy

1.0 SCOPE

1.1 This policy and accompanying procedure and guidance (C.02b and C.02c) referto children and young people aged 17 or under. Please see the separate adults’personal care policy, procedure and guidance (B.01a, B.01b and B.01c) for people aged 18 and over. The intended outcome of this set of documents is to ensure that each child or young person receiving a service gets effective, safe, personalised care and support that is appropriate to and meets their individual needs.

1.2 A definition of personal careandintimate care for children and young people is provided in Appendix 1 at the end of this policy.

1.3 The term “parent / person with parental responsibility” as defined in Section 2 of the Children Act 1989 is used in the children’s personal care policy documents when referring tomatters relating to consent.

Having parental responsibility is legally distinct from being recognised as a child’s mother or father.
Parental responsibility means all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and their property.
The term “parent” does notinclude professional support staff or carers (unless they are also the parent / person with parental responsibility).

1.4 This policy will be read in conjunction with the following Crossroads Care policy documents:

autonomy and independence (D.08)
diversity and equality (E.05)
infection control (D.01a, D.01b and D.01c)
child protection (C.01a, C.01b and C.01c)
confidentiality and disclosure (D.11a, D.11b and D.11c)
data protection and subject access (A.03a, A.03b, A.03c and A.03d)
children’s medication (C.03a, C.03b and C.03c)
children’s resuscitation (C.04a, C.04b and C.04c)
children’s behaviour management (C.05a, C.05b, C.05c and C.05d)
children’s mobility assistance (F.26a, F.26b and F.26c)
manual handling (F.24a, F.24b and F.24c)
food handling and basic hygiene (D.06a, D.06b and D.06c).

1.5 Crossroads Care recognises the added value that volunteers can bring to its services and this is reflected by the wide variety of roles they perform. However, the nature of the organisation’s relationship with volunteers is very different to the one it has with paid employees. Volunteers will not:

provide personal care services / support with medication in people’s homes (see Crossroads Care’s policies on personal care and medication)
undertake roles where the prompt attendance of the volunteer at a specified time / venue is essential to the safety or well being of a person with care needs.

For further information on the use of volunteers please refer to the guidance available at HT.01

2.0 POLICY STATEMENT

2.1Crossroads Care believes in the provision of person-centred care and support. This involves putting the child or young person at the centre of the service they receive, ensuring everything done is based on what is important to that child or young person from their own perspective.

2.2We will:

recognise each child and young person as an individual, valuing their uniqueness and diversity
treat parents / carers and children / young people with care needs with respect and ensure no one receiving a service from Crossroads Care receives less favourable treatment because of their race, gender, marital status / civil partnership, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, age, ethnic origin, disability, religion or belief, status as a parent / carer, offending background or any other personal characteristic or circumstance
uphold each child and young person’s right to privacy, dignity and confidentiality
support children and young people wherever possible in making their own choices and decisions about the care they receive in order for them to retain as much independence as possible
seek to maximise each individual child or young person’s skills and abilities
work in partnership with a child or young person’s parent / carerregarding all aspects of their care and support
ensure everything is done to maintain the child or young person in a safe environment (see 2.4 below).

2.3 Managers will actively encourage and motivate staff involved in the provision of care to see their work in terms of helping children and young people to achieve their desired goals and outcomes, and not just as the performance of prescribed tasks.

2.4 Crossroads Care also recognises that risk taking is an important part of childhood and that children and young people have the right to take informed risks. We accept that responsible risk taking may be in the interests of the child or young person with care needs within a risk assessment framework that balances rights, preferences and choice with safety and effectiveness. A suitable risk assessment (see CT.02) will be carried out prior to the commencement of services and will aim to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that staff, children and young people using the service and the organisation are not exposed to unnecessary or unjustifiable risks.

3.0 TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1Trustees are required to familiarise themselves with the content of the procedure and guidance documents (C.02b and C.02c) accompanying this policy.

3.2 Trustees are responsible for ensuring that managers have systems in place to meet the requirements listed below.

All staff work according to the children’s personal care policy, procedure and guidance when planning or providing care.
All staff are clear about the work they are authorised to carry out, including who is authorised to conduct care and risk assessments, draw up care plans, conduct care plan reviews and agree specialised tasks.
Staff are trained and competent and their skills kept up to date, enabling them to carry out their roles effectively and safely in order to protect themselves, service users (including the children or young people receiving care) and the organisation.
Newly appointed staffreceive comprehensive induction training at the start of their employment and this is completed before they are allowed to work unsupervised.
There is compliance with all relevant legal obligations as listed in 4.0 below.

3.3 Providing intimate personal care to children and young people with disabilities is one of the factors that potentially makes them more vulnerable to abuse. Trustees need to ensure managers have systems in place whereby staff who provide intimate personal care to children and young people:

receive on-going training in child protection
are familiar with the child protection guidance (C.01c).

4.0 LEGISLATION

4.1 This policy is compliant with:

the Care Standards Act 2000
the Domiciliary Care Agencies (Wales) Regulations 2004
the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010in England
the Children Act 1989
the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
the Equality Act 2010.

4.2All Crossroads Care services for children and young people in Wales also operate within the Welsh Assembly Government’s (WAG) Core Aims for Children and Young People (Wales). Crossroads Care policies are written to ensure that our services in Wales enable children to achieve the WAG’s seven Core Aims for Children and Young People .

WAG Core Aims are that children and young people will:
have a ﬂying start in life and the best possible basis for their future growth and development
have access to a comprehensive range of education, training and learning opportunities, including acquisition of essential personal and social skills
enjoy the best possible physical and mental, social and emotional health, including freedom from abuse, victimisation and exploitation
have access to play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities
be listened to, treated with respect, and be able to have their race and cultural identity recognised
have a safe home and a community that supports physical and emotional wellbeing
not be disadvantaged by child poverty.

Further details are available at wales.gov.uk/topic/childrenyoungpeople/rights/sevencoreaims/;

5.0 service planning AND REVIEW

5.1 A designated staff member trained in risk assessment and care planning (referred to as a care planner) will carry out a suitable risk assessment (see CT.02) for each child or young person, in consultation with them and / or their parent / carer as appropriate before the service begins.

5.2The child or young person and / or their parent / carerwill be invited to participate in determining the content of the care plan. This will record the child or young person’s care needs, preferences and desired outcomes for the service to be provided.

5.3Care plans and risk assessments will be reviewed, updated and, where necessary, amended annually or when there is a significant change inneeds or circumstances, whichever is sooner, to ensure they remain valid.

5.4 Care planners will ensure that care plans and risk assessments are made available to all staff providing care and that staff receive all necessary additional training before the service commences.

6.0Consent for care

6.1 In cases where the carer is not the parent of / the person with parental responsibility for the child or young person (see 1.4 above) Crossroads Care is obliged by law to obtain consent from the parent / person with parental responsibility.

6.2Wherever possible Crossroads Care staff will involve the child or young person in decisions about the care and support to be provided and where appropriate seek consent directly from them as well as from their parent / the person with parental responsibility. Full details regarding consent are provided in the accompanying procedure (C.02b).

7.0 levels of care – BASIC, SPECIALISED, PROHIBITED

7.1 Crossroads Care will provide trained care workers to go into the home to deliver personal, social and domestic care. All care workers will be trained to deliver basic care.

7.2 Whenasked to provide a specialised task, the care planner will conduct a risk assessment prior to deciding whether the care involving that task can be delivered safely. Specialised tasks will be providedby care workers specifically trained to deliver them as detailed in the accompanying procedure (C.02b).

7.3 There are certain tasks, listed in the accompanying procedure, that are prohibited due to the potential risk implications toservice users (including the children and young people receiving care), to Crossroads Care staff and to the organisation.

8.0 insurance

8.1 Crossroads Care has in place appropriate insurances including public liability, medical malpractice and employer’s liability.

9.0 staff support

9.1. Careworkers will:

be supervised and supported through regular one to one supervision meetings
participate in an annual appraisal of their performance
have the opportunity to attend regular meetings with peers and /or team members.

10.0 DOCUMENTATION, RECORD KEEPING AND REPORTING

10.1 The accompanying procedure and guidance (C.02b and C.02c) detail the information that needs to be recorded in the child or young person’s care plan, risk assessments and day-to-day record of care delivery to ensure continuity and quality of care.

10.2All staff will be informed of the need to report to their line manager / the person on call, allaccidents, incidentsand near misses (involving themselves or a service user) that occur whilst they are working. The manager / person on call will ensure that details of the accident / incident / near miss are fully documented, an incident report form (DT.03) completed and the insurance brokers (Watson Laurie) informed.

10.3 Some accidents and injuries are notifiable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (1995) Managers are required to report all such occurrences to the Health and Safety Executive. See F.09 for further details.

11.0 LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

11.1 General learning and development requirements relating to the children’s personal care policy, procedure and guidance are contained in the learning and development policy, procedure and guidance (E.13a, E.13b and E.13c).

12.0 REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF THIS POLICY BY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

12.1 The scheme’s board of trustees is required to formally adopt the children’s personal care policy and to ensure that a documented record is kept of their decision to do so.

12.2 Full details of the policy (namely its title and reference number) and the date it was adopted will be documented in the minutes of the appropriate trustee board meeting as evidence of the decision taken. The minutes will be signed by the chair of the trustees on behalf

of the board.

APPENDIX 1

PERSONAL CARE

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 defines children’s personal care as:

physical help in connection with eating or drinking for reasons of illness or disability

physical help for reasons of age, illness or disability in connection with toileting, washing, bathing and dressing

prompting with supervision or training or advice in relation to the above examples where a child is unable to decide to carry out the activities without that prompting or advice.

INTIMATE PERSONAL CARE

Intimate personal care is defined as “any procedure which involves any physical care or treatment that is an invasion of bodily privacy and which may be a potential source of exposure or embarrassment to the individual child or young person.” (NSPCC)

The understanding of what constitutes intimate care may vary within diverse cultures. It can include:

feeding
oral care
washing
dressing / undressing
toileting
menstrual care
treatments such as enemas, suppositories and enteral feeds
administration of medication
catheter and stoma care
supervision of a child involved in intimate self-care.

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Policy/Childrenpersonalcare/2011/11/APc002a Last updated October 2013