Bedrooms

Children's bedrooms should be pleasantly furnished, equipped and decorated in a manner appropriate to their individual needs, interests and choices.

Children should be encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, with posters, pictures and personal items of their choice.

Children of an appropriate age and level of understanding should be encouraged and supported to purchase furniture, equipment or decorations; preferably as part of a plan to prepare the child for independence.

Children should have adequate, safe, storage for their personal belongings. Medicines, if permitted to administer their own.

If it is necessary to do so, to protect children or their belongings or to develop their sense of independence, bedrooms may be fitted with locks or other forms of security. If locks are fitted, keys may be made available to children.

Staff should always knock on the door before entering children's bedrooms; and then only enter with their permission.

Where staff are entering young people’s bedrooms in their absence, for example when cleaning, the young person should be made aware of these arrangements. Similarly, when staff need to enter to wake a child or young person the arrangements for doing this should be detailed in the placement plan and/ or the safe care plan.

Staff need to balance young people’s right to privacy with the duty to ensure they are receiving high quality care and being provided with a safe environment. They may need to enter a young person’s bedroom without permission in order to keep young people safe from harm or to prevent damage to the environment. Any such incidents must be recorded and evidence of follow up work with the young person to explain the actions taken must be available.

See the following procedures:

• Searching Children's Bedrooms Procedure;
• Restrictive Physical Intervention Procedure.

It forms part of the routine of many of the children and young people living in the Foundation that a member of staff settles them into bed at the end of the day. For many young people this period offers an opportunity to spend individual time, with a trusted member of staff and to discuss their day, including the positive achievements and any anxieties or concerns they may have but staff also need to be mindful of the young people’s individual histories and the risks associated with lone working in this context.

When performing this duty staff must be aware of the individual young person’s needs and any specific considerations to ensure the settling period is beneficial. Each young person’s Daily Routine and/ or Placement Plan must set out, in detail, the settling/ bedtime arrangements for that young person. This should consider the following;

• The length of settling time;
• Where it occurs (for some young people it may be beneficial to offer settling in an area other than their bedroom;
• The nature of activities which should/ should not be undertaken (for example, calming, quiet activities rather than stimulating or energetic play);
• Any limitations on which staff should complete settling (this should be linked to the young person’s relationships and take into consideration their views, wishes and feelings);
• Safeguarding considerations (for example; bedroom doors should be left ajar unless there is a specific and agreed risk assessment/ safe care plan in place as part of the placement plan, informing other staff that settling is taking place, strategies to address any issues or presenting behaviours during settling, both previously observed and unexpected);
• How to manage the ending of settling time;
• How and where the settling time is recorded;
• Any other consideration relevant to the individual young person.

These arrangements should then be detailed in the placement plan and/ or a Safe Care Plan for the individual young person. These plans should be shared with all relevant stakeholders. It is vital that there is consultation with the young person, placing authority and/ or parents where relevant and that evidence of this consultation is available in the home.

In circumstances where the agreed plan for spending time with a young person in their bedroom has to be altered (for example if a young person is unwell or distressed during the night) staff should ensure that they dynamically risk assess each situation. This should involve, at a minimum, informing other members of staff that they are with a child in their room, accurately recording their actions and then considering whether the placement plan/ safe care plan requires updating.

All young people in the Caldecott Foundation have their own bedroom. Young people will not be allowed or expected to a share a bedroom.

Children may not receive overnight visitors (i.e. “sleepovers”) in their bedrooms unless this has been agreed by the relevant social workers, the children's views and wishes have been obtained, considered and the arrangements are appropriately risk assessed and outlined in the relevant Placement Plans.

Homes must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing of the placement. The use of CCV is regulated by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Conduct (Home Office 2013). The Caldecott Foundation does not use any CCTV or image capturing surveillance systems.

To ensure the safety of the young person or others, it may be appropriate to monitor exit and entry from a child's bedroom outside of normal waking hours with the use of a silent alarm that is triggered when a door is opened.

Such devices may only be used if outlined in the Home's Statement of Purpose and the arrangements set out in relevant Children's Placement Plans.

If used, every effort must be made to ensure the child's privacy, dignity and rights whilst the system is in use.

• The use of these alarms is outlined fully in the homes statement of purpose;
• Their use is assessed on an individual basis and agreed to in the care plan by a social worker;
• The child is made fully aware of their use and the reasons why the decision is made;
• The use of the door alarms is reviewed regularly as to their appropriateness of use.

For more information on the use of alarms please see Sleeping In and Home Security Procedure.