Benecare Children’s Services
‘Providing care without compromise’
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR OCEAN LODGE, SC357981
CONTENTS PAGE NO 1
Introduction - Statement as to whom the Provision is for 3
Philosophy of Care and Ethos of Ocean Lodge 5
· Safety
· Trust
· Behaviour Modification
· Individual Placement Plans
· Our Commitment
Facilities 6
Services 7
The Registered Provider and Responsible Individual 7
The Registered Manager 8
Registered Provider Profile 8
Registered Manager Profile 8
Staffing 9
Supervision, Training and Development 9
Organisational Structure 10
Details of Accommodated Children 11
Admission Criteria 11
Health Promotion and Protection 12
· On arrival
· Awareness
Educational Promotion 13
Recreational, Sporting and Cultural/Social Support 14
Consultation with Children 14
Arrangements for the Control, Restraint and Discipline of Children 15
Child Protection/Safeguarding Children 16
Countering Bullying 16
Dealing with Complaints 17
Missing from Care 18
Locality Risk Assessment 19
Electronic and Mechanical Means of Surveillance 19
Fire Precautions and Emergency Procedures 19
Religious and Cultural Observance 20
Contact 20
Arrangements for Vetting Visitors 21
Reviewing Placement Plans 21
Accommodation 21
Therapy/Counselling 21
Anti-Discriminatory Practice/Respect of Children and Children’s Rights 22
Appendix 1 – Staff Profiles 23
Appendix 2 – Control, Restraint and Discipline of Children 24
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR OCEAN LODGE, SC357981
INTRODUCTION - STATEMENT AS TO WHOM THE PROVISION IS FOR
Ocean Lodge is a large town house with four beds, established to ensure a safe, homely and supportive environment for those young people who have suffered breakdowns at home or in previous placements. It provides intensive support for children and offers high staff to child ratios. The staff to child ratio will be in accordance with the personalised care plan. There are two staff members available during the night.
Ocean Lodge can accommodate four children of either gender, aged from eight years old up to their 18th Birthday on a medium to long-term basis. We have the capability of keeping young people beyond their 18th birthday under specific terms. There is the possibility for respite care if there are vacancies within the home at the time of enquiry.
We recognise that many of the children we care for will have suffered multiple rejections and will be displaying behaviours which are symptomatic of neglect, emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse.
We have experience of those challenging young people that have broken previous placements and we have been highly successful in achieving their outcomes within our organisation. We offer placements to young people who are experiencing, or have a history of, disruptive attachment difficulties, previous offending behaviour, sexualised behaviour, and provide flexible and adaptable support packages for high quality, individual tailored care.
The service provided is also aimed at children with challenging behaviours which includes, (but is not necessarily confined to), those children categorised with; emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), children with learning difficulties and those within the autistic spectrum (including aspergers syndrome).
Mental impairment is also one of the challenging behaviours, taking into account children whose learning disabilities (LD) have had a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the young person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. We recognise that these children can often have communication difficulties, so aids such as Makaton and the picture exchange communication system (PECS) are often utilised in order to overcome these potential barriers and to give children as many opportunities as possible.
The home does not provide a therapist on site or within the team. This resource can always be ‘brokered’ as appropriate in partnership and agreement with the placing authority.
We believe that the creation and maintenance of a comfortable, safe and nurturing home environment is, in itself, of significant therapeutic value.
We recognise that many of the children we care for will have suffered multiple rejections and will be displaying challenging behaviours (EBD) which are symptomatic of neglect, emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse. Those children who suffer from the milder forms of disability, for example those on the lower end of the autistic spectrum, including aspergers, may also display behaviours which reflect such experience and will also be considered for placement.
Whilst acknowledging that the presenting problems of children and young people coming in to our care environment will always be addressed with immediacy and professionalism, we also believe that educational requirement should not be overlooked or discounted. For this reason a tutor is always available to be commissioned and the staff group and management advocate where necessary, in order to identify appropriate educational opportunities within local resources for the children and young people placed there. This is a matter of practice for the entire staff group and management.
At Ocean Lodge we understand that for any child, not being able to live at home with their family can be one of the most traumatic periods of their lives, therefore we aim to secure a safe and nurturing environment which is as homely as possible. Ocean Lodge is a home where a child will receive consistent and appropriate care throughout their placement, where they will be valued for who they are and where they come from and a place where they can make a fresh start. A professional counsellor can be provided, for staff and residents if circumstances require this. We are able to commission qualified psychotherapists/counsellors in order to ensure that care plans are effectively implemented for each child, as and when required.
Ocean Lodge is a home where young people can develop their independence and experience, and have their needs addressed in a positive and progressive manner whilst living within a framework of clear boundaries. We aim to promote a sense of pride in the young person, in their culture, their home and in their neighbourhood. At all times an individual placement plan governs our work. This plan will be developed from the aims and objectives set out by the placing authority care plan for the young person. These aims may include re-integration into the family, moving on to other services such as fostering or adoption, working towards an independent living programme or other requirements identified by the young person’s placing authority, for example, assessment work.
The placement plan provides a clear foundation for our work in partnership with an individual child, the family and the placing social worker. On this foundation we seek to promote the individual’s agreed best interest in keeping with medium and long term plans developed by the relevant authority.
Staff relationships are based upon an honest, caring and enabling approach, the key role of which is communication and openness and embracing a realistic outlook to problem solving and an expectation of behaviour that is respectful and fair to others. We believe that for a child to feel safe and cared for they need to be able to understand boundaries. Therefore we work within a very clear framework of what a child can do and how they can behave without putting themselves or others at risk. Destructive and abusive behaviour from any child is always addressed in a calm manner. The child is supported to take responsibility, create change, develop remorse and be accountable for their actions with ongoing support from the team.
We recognise that some young people have communication difficulties and therefore require information to be conveyed in various forms. We understand that communication aids such as Makaton and PEC’s may be utilised to suit one’s own style and promote growth.
PHILOSOPHY OF CARE AND ETHOS OF OCEAN LODGE
Ocean Lodge has been established to offer children and young people a fresh start. We aim to offer a home where a child is able to grow and mature into a responsible, respectful and caring individual and to develop the young person’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem. The essence of our work is a genuine commitment to all of our children and young people, and we aim to foster healthy independence and responsibility in line with good focused practices and principles within their individual capabilities.
Safety
We aim to establish a safe and secure environment where a child can develop their individual identity and have their needs met in an honest, positive and above all consistent and professional manner. We aim to provide an atmosphere of ordinary family life within our residential children’s home.
Trust
We aim to establish a trusting relationship with the children and to create a secure base where young people can begin to address their challenging behaviour in order to eventually assume some control over, and responsibility for, their lives. We hope this will help them to identify and modify their behaviour so they are able to return to their own family, substitute family or to live independently and thrive in the community. Our staff group believe in the principle of frank, open, non-judgemental and genuine discussions. We emphasise the personal worth of the young person with positive individual responsibility.
Behaviour modification
The approach we adopt is essentially non-punitive, employing rewards rather than sanctions. We employ a behaviour modification programme where loss of rewards is given for misdemeanours, in an effort to avoid the imposition of major sanctions. Initially we build on social and relationship skills within the home and beyond for each and every young person, and endeavour to promote a sense of pride in them, their home, their culture and their neighbourhood. Effective promoting appropriate behaviour plans are in place for all children and young people to enhance consistency when managing and changing behaviours. These plans are reviewed and updated on a regular basis and agreed by all other professionals working directly with the child/young person.
Individual placement plans
An individual placement plan is completed for each young person. The plan provides objectives and aims as set out by the placing authority and agreed to by Registered Manager and the young person’s key worker. The plan may well look at the young person moving on to fostering, re-integration to their own family or relatives, adoption, or working towards independence or other requirements as identified by the young person’s placing authority. The plan will always lay out realistic age appropriate goals for the child or young person to achieve during their placement.
Our Commitment
· Relationships with staff are based on a caring, honest and embracing approach, which will lead to reciprocal trust. We encourage a questioning and open culture.
· We aim to help the young person to empower their own lives with an expectation that unacceptable behaviour towards others is challenged, and that the young person is supported to modify their own behaviour.
· The young person will always be encouraged to build upon his or her own self–esteem and to gradually reduce dependency on the care system.
· We will work towards the young person leaving Ocean Lodge with hope, good memories and the skills that will enable them to take their place in the community as a valuable member of society.
· We strive to unconditionally accept each young person whatever his or her previous or presenting behaviour.
· We actively encourage the development, personal growth, maturity and education of each young person, encouraging self-confidence and independence.
· We emphasise care whilst enabling individuals to understand that actions have consequences, and that they are ultimately responsible for their own behaviour.
· Staff in the home will endeavour to create and maintain an environment which is free from discrimination in any form regardless of race, culture, disability, social status, age, sexuality or any other factor, which may expose them to disadvantage, or discrimination.
· Staff will encourage young people to recognise their rights and to value the rights of others. We acknowledge that certain things are theirs by right; we believe equally that rights carry responsibility.
· Whilst respecting a young person’s rights we also expect young people to accept their responsibilities and to respect the rights of others.
· We strive to ensure that a person’s disability is not the main focus, but encourage their capability while ensuring that they receive the level of support required.
FACILITIES
Ocean Lodge is a large and spacious house located directly opposite the sea on Herne Bay seafront. It is within minutes of traditional sea side amenities, pier, arcades, local produce shops, leisure facilities and all forms of public transport. We offer all of the facilities expected of an ordinary family environment and those associated with a registered children’s home. We are also able to provide education on site in a properly equipped education room.
Ocean Lodge provides the following: -
· Single bedrooms, individually furnished allowing for personalised decoration for each young person
· Space for private meetings with families, planning meetings and professional consultations
· TV lounge/dining room
· Fully equipped education room
· Recreational room
· Access to reference and support materials for homework and other personal studies., including computerised facilities, appropriate support from teacher and staff will be provided if required
· Life and social skills training through practical experience and interaction with the local community
· Access to mainline rail, bus and coach routes, all within easy walking distance from the home
· Access to local educational, recreational, youth, sports and study facilities are available within the local community, including sports centres/clubs, swimming pool, beaches, parks, youth clubs cinema, amusement parks, primary and secondary school, colleges of further education, employment training schemes and work experience
· Therapeutic advice, input and counselling
· Tutor services
· Access to Benecare’s rescued Pony, ‘Bertie’
Ocean Lodge is committed to ensuring that the home provides an environment that is conducive to promoting independence to the young people.
SERVICES
In addition to those social working services expected of a Registered Children’s Home we are also able to offer the following. Where there is not an appropriately trained individual on team the organisation will broker/commission a resource on behalf of the child/placing authority