Benecare Children’s Services
‘Providing care without compromise’
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR CHARLESTON HOUSE, SC401927
CONTENTS PAGE NO 1
Introduction - Statement as to whom the Provision is for 2
Philosophy of Care and Ethos of Charleston House 3
· Safety
· Trust
· Behaviour Modification
· Individual Placement Plans
· Our Commitment
Facilities 4
Services 5
The Registered Provider and Responsible Individual 6
The Acting Manager 6
Acting Manager Profile 6
Staffing 7
Supervision, Training and Development 7
Organisational (and Supervisory) Structure 9
Details of Accommodated Children/Young People 9
Admission Criteria 10
Health Promotion and Protection 11
· On arrival
· Awareness
Educational Promotion 12
Recreational and Cultural/Social Support 12
Consultation with Children/Young People 13
Behaviour Management 13
Child Protection/Safeguarding Children/Young People 15
Countering Bullying 15
Dealing with Complaints 16
Missing from Care 17
Locality Risk Assessment 18
Electronic and Mechanical Means of Surveillance 18
Fire Precautions and Emergency Procedures 18
Religious and Cultural Observance 19
Contact 19
Arrangements for Vetting Visitors 19
Reviewing Placement Plans 20
Our Specialist Residential Accommodation 20
Therapy/Counselling 20
Anti-Discriminatory Practice/Respect of Children/Young People’s Rights 21
Appendix 1 – Acting Manager’s Qualifications 22
Appendix 2 – Control, Restraint and Discipline of Children/Young People 24
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR CHARLESTON HOUSE, SC401927
INTRODUCTION - STATEMENT AS TO WHOM THE PROVISION IS FOR
Charleston House is a large detached house with four bedrooms, providing a safe, homely environment for children and young people within challenging behaviour, which includes those children/young people within the autism spectrum (including Aspergers syndrome) and associated physical and learning difficulties. All our young people within the home have the appropriate staffing ratio which is agreed in their care plan and with the local authorities. As a minimum requirement there will be at least two staff members available during the night should the young people require support.
Charleston House can accommodate four children/young people of mixed gender, the age range can be from 8 to 18. We have the possibility of a young person beyond their 18th Birthday under specified terms.
We recognise that our children/young people can often have difficulty with communication, so various aids such as Makaton, Objects of Reference and PECS (picture exchange communication system) are often used to ensure they have the opportunity to communicate their wants and needs.
The home has a therapeutic approach. Should the care plan for the child/young person require therapeutic support, this can be arranged independently, any therapy that may be required can be sourced in agreement with the placing authority. We have in the past worked closely with therapists to ensure programmes that have been put in place are followed through.
At Charleston House we recognise that education is key to success for any child or young person within our care. Ideally we like to ensure all our young people are attending a local special school that can meet their needs although at times we recognise we may need to be more flexible and provide a slightly different approach to education. We can for short periods of time consider the option of tutoring within the home, but this will only ever be a time limited arrangement, part of a larger integration plan into formal education and the cost will be met by the placing Local Authority.
We provide a flexible and adaptable approach to care planning and supportive interventions. All of our care planning and risk assessments support and evidence a high quality of individual personalised care. The Acting Manager and staff are appropriately trained for this. We work closely with the placing Local Authority and local professional support and will ensure that if additional support or specialised services are required this will be in agreement and planned for using the Looked After Children’s Review process or if necessary by requesting an early review around the child meeting.
We therefore aim to secure a safe and nurturing environment, which is as homely as possible given the complex needs of the young people we work with. Charleston House is a home where a child/young person will receive consistent and appropriate care throughout the day and night as required.
Charleston House 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 safe and structured environment.
Staff working at Charleston House will receive personal care training to ensure that they have an understanding of the young peoples specific care needs. For each child/young person, we aim to promote a sense of pride, in their culture, religion, race, sexuality, gender, their home and their neighbourhood, and ensure that no child/young person is discriminated against because of their physical and learning difficulties.
The placement plan provides a clear foundation for our work in partnership with an individual child/young person, the family and the placing social worker. On this foundation we seek to promote the individual’s welfare 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 roles being communication and openness, employing a nurturing and empathetic approach, 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, secure and cared for, they need to be able to understand boundaries. We therefore work within a very clear structure of what a child/young person can do and how they behave, without putting themselves or others at risk. Destructive and challenging behaviour from any child/young person is always challenged appropriately and they are supported where appropriate to reflect upon their behaviour.
PHILOSOPHY OF CARE AND ETHOS OF CHARLESTON HOUSE
Charleston House has been established to offer high quality care to our children and young people that have complex needs and often require a high level of care. We provide a safe homely environment to meet the needs of our children and young people so they are able to grow, progress and develop.
The essence of our work is a genuine commitment and dedication to all of our children and young people. We aim to foster healthy independence and responsibility in line with good child focused practices and principles within their individual capabilities.
Safety
Our residents are particularly vulnerable given the nature of their complex learning difficulties and needs.
We aim to establish a safe and secure environment where a child can develop their individual identity and have their needs met in a positive, structured and consistent manner.
Where possible, we aim to provide an atmosphere of ordinary family life within a large homely residential setting, however we recognise that various adaptations have to be made to ensure everyone’s safety.
Trust
We seek to establish a trusting relationship with the children/young people and to create a secure base where they can begin to address their challenging behaviour in order to eventually assume some control over, and responsibility for, their lives. 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 succeed within the community. Our staff team believe in the principle of frank, open, non-judgemental and genuine discussions. We emphasise the personal worth of the child/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 child/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/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 child/young person. The plan provides objectives and aims as set out by the placing authority and agreed to by the Acting Manager and the child/young person’s key worker. The plan may well look at moving on to fostering, re-integration to their own family or relatives, adoption, or working towards independence or other requirements as identified by the child/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 open and embracing approach, which will lead to reciprocal trust. We encourage a questioning and open culture.
· We aim to help the young person empower their own lives with an expectation that unacceptable behaviour towards others is challenged appropriately, 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, where this is appropriate.
· We will work towards the young person leaving Charleston House 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 can look into providing sessional after care for a set period of time, for example, outreach work, to support the young person for a successful transition).
· 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 to their level of understanding.
· 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 young person’s disability is not the main focus, but encourage their capability while ensuring that they receive the level of support required.
FACILITIES
Charleston House is a large and spacious house that is situated in the small costal town of Whitstable. We are fortunate to live within a quiet residential area that is situated not far from all local amenities and various leisure facilities. Our young people benefit from having access to various coastal walks and beaches which provide a calming and relaxed environment.
We offer experiences that you would expect to find in an ordinary family home, these may be adapted due to the regulations and the needs of the children and young people. We are also able to provide education on site in a properly equipped education room.
Charleston House provides the following:-
· All young people will be provided with their own bedroom. The bedroom will be supplied with a bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers and a bedside cabinet allowing for personalised decoration for each child/young person.
· Kitchen/Diner
· Bathroom and toilets, including a wet room
· Large lounge with access to the garden/patio area
· Garden area to the front and a secured area at the back of the home which includes a large trampoline
· A summer house with sensory equipment
· Specialist furniture to meet the high care needs, including tough furniture and hand rails on the stairs
· Educational room
· Access to local recreational activities such as disability specific youth groups sports centres/clubs, swimming pool, beaches, parks, bowling, trampolining, cinema, animal parks and amusement parks.
· Space is always available for private meetings with families, social workers, and any other professionals involved in the child/young persons care.
· Wireless internet access (filtered)
· Access to mainline rail, bus and coach routes within easy walking distance from the home
· Home vehicles including large mini bus for group activities.
Charleston House 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.
· Skilled, committed and experienced staff team to meet the young people’s needs
· Expert teaching appraisal of needs and planning
· Counselling/therapy, on or off site as required
· Child centred care planning for specialising in complex needs
· Team teach behaviour management approach (staff trained in the use of safe physical intervention when appropriate and necessary)
· Additional classroom support where needed for those returning to mainstream education
· Curriculum menu synchronised to national attainment framework
· Assessment reports (standard and specialised), review reports, educational assessment reports, court reports, addendums for Youth Justice Board and placing local authorities
· Consultation and advice to young people, their families, and social workers regarding future placements
· Ongoing preparation for independence and specific aftercare programmes leading to independent living where appropriate, including assessment