Residential Care - Operational Policy

1. The service aims to provide sector leading, high quality residential childcare for children and young people looked after by The London Borough of Hillingdon. There are 3 different services, which make up the young people's residential aspect of provider services, each with its own individual set of tasks and functions and these are described in each of the services Statement of Purpose, compiled in accordance with Regulation 6 of The children's homes regulations and quality standards 2015, Standard 1, Quality and purpose of care standard. The services operate with consistent policies, practices, procedures and management;
2. Our services include:
   
   Merrifields Children's resource centre offering packages of respite care and short to medium term placements for young people, under the age of 18 years with learning/physical disabilities and/or additional needs.
   
   Charville Lane offers support and short/medium term residential care to unaccompanied asylum seeking young people under the age of 18 years as part of their journey towards settlement in the UK.
   
   Hillindon Children's resource centre offers support and residential care to local young people experiencing difficulties and unaccompanied asylum seeking young people under the age of 18 years as part of their journey towards settlement in the UK.
   
   In all cases, the overall aim for services is to provide care which:-
   • Helps a young person to make sense of and develop coping strategies for past experiences;
   • Provides young people with positive stimulating and enjoyable experiences;
   • Helps young people (and wherever possible their families/networks) to plan towards and achieve a positive future.
3. The objectives of the services are to:-
   • Provide each individual young person with the highest quality of care and support in order to achieve positive outcomes within the remit of each service;
   • Promote young people's self-confidence and self esteem within a framework of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice, recognising their individual potential and needs;
   • Safeguard young people and promote their welfare;
   • Promote educational opportunities and achievement;
   • Promote positive relationships with families if this is deemed to be in the best interest of the young person;
   • Promote young people's integration with the wider community;
   • To equip young people with independent living skills in accordance with their level of ability and understanding;
   • Collaborative working will be undertaken to ensure positive outcomes for young people;
   • Advocate on behalf of young, whilst acting in their best interest at all times;
   • To equip young people with the skills required to self regulate their own behaviour, whilst promoting their self esteem and independence.

1. All services are inspected twice yearly by OFSTED, consisting of one interim and one key inspection. Both inspections are unannounced;
2. All services are inspected monthly by an independent regulation 44 visitor. A copy of each inspection report is sent to Ofsted;
3. A monthly audit is conducted by the Registered Manager in all services;
4. Registered managers are required to complete a regulation 45 report every 6 months and to send this report to Ofsted. This report focuses on quality assurance and self assessment.

The process to ensure that the service objectives are met, are as follows:

REFERRALS: All referrals to services are received from the London Borough of Hillingdon Placements team or EDT (Emergency DUTY Team). Risk matching is undertaken by the registered manager or a nominated person in the event of an emergency placement, to ensure the safety of the young person being placed those young people already placed and to determine whether the service is able to meet a young person's needs.

ADMISSION: Where possible admissions into each service will be planned and if necessary a transition will be provided. Obviously this is not possible in the event of an emergency placement.

ASSESSMENT: If an assessment is required as part of a young person's placement this will be conducted and wherever possible and appropriate key people in the young person's life will be included within this process.

CARE PLANNING: There will be a clear Care Plan for each young person. Care Plans will specify the aims of the placement, its expected duration, and the needs of the young person. Care Plans are clearly recorded, and regularly reviewed and updated. Young people, their families, and significant others will be centrally involved in the care planning process, and young people are encouraged to read, contribute to and sign their Care Plan wherever possible.

A link worker is allocated to each young person upon arrival. The link worker is responsible for the co-ordination of a young person's care to ensure consistency within the team.

Promotion of semi independent skills will remain a focus for all young people placed within our services. All transitions will be planned and young people prepared accordingly to ensure transitions are smooth and young people's anxieties are kept to a minimum.

All appointed staff undertake a vigorous recruitment involving an assessment day, and are subject to an enhanced DBS clearance and satisfactory references and checkable work history. In all services staff are highly trained to support the young people in their care. A training record is in place within each service to evidence staff training. Staffing ratios meet the requirements of each service. All staff are fully inducted into their roles. Staff receive regular supervision and Performance and development agreement meetings with their line manager. Staff attend regular team meetings to promote consistency of practice.

Each service forms positive relationships with both internal and external professionals including Social work teams, education, Health and CYMPHS.