Sleeping In and Home Security

As identified in our Relational Model of Care, The Caldecott Foundation recognises that the care of young people is a 24 hour and 365 day activity. Bedtimes are an important transition point and it is often a time that creates anxiety for the young people we care for. As such, issues likely to cause disturbance will be identified in each child’s Individual Risk Assessment and Behaviour Support Plan and an individual routine developed and identified within their Placement Plan. The importance of such routines should be incorporated into the culture of the home so that every young person knows, as exactly as possible, what each bedtime will be like.

Suitability of Staffing

Prior to any staff carrying out sleep-in and night duties; as part of staff induction, all education and care workers must receive induction in the following policies and procedures:

• Fire and Emergency Procedures;
• Statement of Purpose and Function;
• Safeguarding and Child Protection;
• Recording and reporting in day notes/daily observations;
• First Aid and Medication;
• On Call Arrangements.

In addition the home manager must ensure that:

1. Staff carrying out such duties are fully aware of each young person's particular care arrangements as detailed in the child's Placement Plan;
2. That via a completed individual Risk Assessment such duties are commensurate with the needs and safety of both the young people and staff carrying out such duties;
3. That staff have been inducted by the Manager and or Senior staff in respect to duties involved in such tasks;
4. That staff always have access to "on call" support from a Manager or Senior;
5. That the Manager and or senior staff debrief staff after carrying out such duties for the first time to clarify any outstanding matters and to be assured that it is safe for such staff to undertake such responsibilities and that such discussions are recorded in the staff's supervision notes.

Staff undertaking such duties do have a primary role for the care and protection of young people. Staff must maintain the same professional standards as are expected during the day for young people. In order to support the staff in carrying out their duties, the Home’s Manager will ensure that there are effective 'on-call' arrangements in line with the Caldecott Foundation’s policy and procedures.

Home's Managers should also ensure that:

• Staff members are familiar with Procedures and Guidelines;
• Staff members are familiar with individual young people's needs, as identified within their relevant plans;
• Staff know where important telephone numbers are, for example Police, EDT, GP, Hospital etc.;
• Staff record all events and report any concerns for example bullying, exploitation, suspected Physical Abuse and Sexual Abuse in line with organisational policy and guidelines;
• Staff ensure that the building is secure (see Section 7, Night Security).

In addition staff:

• When dealing with personal issues should consider the most appropriate member of staff to complete these tasks (may be based on young person’s preference, gender, relationship with the young person, level of experience / knowledge etc.);
• Must avoid at all times their behaviour being interpreted as having any sexual connotation;
• Must maintain proper levels of supervision of young people at all times;
• Who are undertaking waking night duties must not sleep on duty;
• Ensure that door alarms, where used, are set once all the children are settled.

To ensure the safety of the young person, other children who reside with them, the staff and the local community 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.

This alarm is linked to a staff sleep-in room to notify them of a child's exit/entry from a bedroom by a low level buzzer. The staff member is then in a position to decide whether a young person requires assistance if there is a prolonged absence or in line with individual plans.

The use of door alarms is not to be viewed as a monitoring system or to be used as a behaviour management tool, but is to be deemed an additional support mechanism for the children/young people overnight, should they require it. The use of alarms on the external doors is to provide additional security for the Home, and will highlight to staff any unauthorised entry.

Use of Door Alarms

Door alarms are not to be set until the child/young person has settled to bed for the night. Door alarms are to only be set with the consent of the child’s social worker or person with Parental Responsibility and where it is in line with the individual risk assessment in place, all staff are to be aware of the risk assessments for each child/young person.

All staff are to be trained and aware of how to operate the door alarms. All staff are to be aware of the risk assessment in place regarding the use of door alarms.

Should the door alarm be activated, then both staff undertaking sleep in duties should respond and appropriate action taken in response to the door alarms being activated. This could include talking and reassuring an unsettled child or supporting a child who has had a nightmare.

Once the child/young person has settled back into the bedroom then the alarm should be re-set. Staff should ensure the child/young person has returned to their own bedroom before re-setting the alarms. Staff should then return to their own sleep-in rooms.

Promoting the Welfare of children/young people

This measure will further safeguard the young people by letting staff know should the young person leave or enter a bedroom, and enable appropriate levels of supervision to minimise the risks of bullying or harm.

How children will be informed of the use of door alarms

The use of door alarms is recorded in the Welcome Guide for the Home. Children and young people will be informed on arrival at the Home about the use of door alarms. Should there be opportunity to discuss the use of door alarms prior to arrival at the Home i.e. planning visit then children and young people will be informed then.

The use of door alarms is recorded in the Statement of Purpose which the Social Worker and any significant others will receive a copy of prior to placement.

How legitimate privacy of children will be protected

Children and young people will be informed of the use of door alarms on arrival at the Home and staff will discuss with them the need to be appropriately dressed when leaving their bedroom once the alarms are set i.e. the wearing of dressing gowns.

Door alarms will not be used as a behaviour management tool or as a monitoring device and will only be set once a child/young person has settled to their bedroom for the night. Appropriate levels of support or space will be given dependent on the individual circumstances of the child/young person leaving their bedroom.

Usual practices in ensuring the legitimate privacy of the child/young person i.e. when using the toilet etc. will be observed.

How children/young people will be protected from potential abuse of such measures.

The use of door alarms within the Home will be monitored and will be used in line with individual risk assessments. Staff are to ensure they discuss and agree who is responsible for setting/re-setting the alarms at night.

Any use of door alarms will be as an additional measure of support for the child/young person and not as a behaviour management tool or monitoring device. The purpose of the door alarms will not be to punish or supervise the child/young person, but to ensure appropriate levels of support and guidance are available overnight, or as additional security to highlight to staff if external doors to the Home are opened.

The Manager is to monitor the use of door alarms within the Home and any issues or concerns should be addressed.

On occasion, risk assessments by a house management team might indicate that there may be a need to consider the use of waking night staff. Waking night staff have a specific role within the care task. With the support of the care staff, they ensure safe keeping and general well-being of the young people throughout the night.

This would include:

• Carrying out a series of regular checks of the house throughout the night and record significant occurrences in the young person’s day notes and handover log;
• Attend to the needs of any young people who experience distress or difficulty sleeping etc. during the course of the night. Waking night staff are expected to call on the sleeping-in staff in this regard if required;
• Dispense medication in line with set procedures and guidelines as required;
• Undertake relevant training and supervision as directed;
• Attend specific meetings as required.

In most circumstances it is expected that two staff will sleep-in each night. Any variation to this is subject to the Registered Manager completing and recording a thorough risk assessment and gaining any necessary permissions from placing authorities / those with parental responsibility. It is the expectation that staff will get up to each alarm and ensure the children are settled back into their rooms prior to the resetting of the alarms.

The needs of the young people remain paramount throughout the night. Registered Managers should ensure that there are suitable measures and systems in place to respond to occasions where staff may suffer from a lack of sleep due to responding to the needs of the young people. This may include an on-call system, either for advice or direct support, additional staff or giving "time back" to staff.

Bedrooms must be respected. Staff should be aware that they represent the young person's own personal space. Any particular considerations relating to individual young people should be included in their Placement Plan. Bedrooms should not be intruded into unnecessarily. Staff members should always knock and wait for a response before they enter a young person's bedroom. On some occasions there may not be a response and staff may choose to enter the room anyway (for example waking a young person in the morning or when there is reasonable suspicion that a young person may be at risk of harm). Any such decision should be made based on the staff member’s knowledge of the young person, their placement plan and any external factors relating to the situation. Young people should always be advised that staff are about to enter their room.

Young people must never be locked in bedrooms (or indeed in any other room). An exception may be if a young person asks staff to lock their door at night, in such situations the young person MUST have the means and ability to unlock their door themselves, if this is part of a young person’s settling routine it should be clearly indicated on their Placement Plan.

In line with delivering good quality childcare it may be necessary for staff to enter a young person’s room to clean it and tidy. Wherever possible this should always be with the young person's knowledge and permission but, in any case, staff need to adhere to the principals of good parenting and understanding the impact of the young person’s immediate environment on their self-esteem, wellbeing etc. Staff must respect the young person's possessions and come to know where they belong and which items it is alright to put away and which should be left as they are found.

On the whole, people who do not know the young person should not be invited into bedrooms and young people should be appropriately supervised when they choose to show their bedrooms to people they do not know well. Possible exceptions to this may be where there is a need to search a child’s room or if access is necessary to protect a young person from harm (e.g. the Police accessing a missing child’s room).– see searching rooms procedures.

The household security measures that any member of staff would expect to take at Home, also applies at work. These might typically include:

• All external windows and doors are to be locked and secure;
• All fire exits should be clear from obstruction;
• All house vehicles should be locked and secure;
• All car keys must be locked safely away;
• All toys and bikes should have been brought in from outside;
• All external buildings should be locked and secure;
• All sockets turned off;
• Internal fire doors shut;
• All offices should be locked;
• The laundry room should be locked;
• All knives and cleaning material should be locked away in appropriate cupboards;
• All keys and the house mobile should be signed over and located with sleep in staff;
• Shift Leader to be aware of who is on boundary;
• Bins to be emptied last thing at night;
• Door alarms to be set once all children are settled;

Physical restrictions on normal movement in the Home can only be used where identified in the Care Plan / Placement Plan and only where it is necessary to safeguard and promote the young person's welfare.

Any unauthorised locking of doors will lead to disciplinary action. It will be seen as a Child Protection issue and will need to be referred as such.

However the following security arrangements can be used to promote safety and security:

• Additional catches are fitted to bedroom windows as agreed in line with Local Authority Social Workers in line with identified areas of risk;
• Young people are not to open the door to visitors or leave the building without the permission of a responsible adult;
• Security will be enhanced by the amount of supervision provided by staff. Where there are concerns about the young person leaving the building without permission then this must be reflected in the amount of supervision and free time allowed. This should be discussed with the local authority Social Worker and/or those with Parental Responsibility and a plan of action agreed. This will be communicated at the young person meetings, team meetings and in supervision to ensure consistency of practice.