3.12.1 Children's Bedrooms |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This procedure applies to children placed in Children’s Homes and Foster Homes managed by the authority, but the principles apply to the placement of all Looked After Children. Therefore, where Looked After Children are placed with parents, relatives or friends or in placements not managed by the authority, the social worker must ensure these or other adequate procedures are applied.
AMENDMENTS
This chapter was amended in October 2011 to reflect the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, Associated Guidance and National Minimum Standards and the Children's Homes (Amendment) Regulations 2011, Associated Guidance and National Minimum Standards, in particular in relation to Section 2, Sharing of Bedrooms, which should be read in its entirety.
Contents
- Planning
- Sharing Bedrooms
- Bedroom Furniture, Facilities, Equipment and Decoration
- Bedroom Security and Keys
- Monitoring Arrangements
- Staff/Carer Presence in Rooms
1. Planning
Suitable arrangements should exist in all foster homes and children’s homes for matters relating to children’s bedrooms, including security, visiting or sharing of bedrooms.
These arrangements should be set out in the Foster Care Agreement or in the Placement Information Record for an individual child
2. Sharing Bedrooms
It is a requirement of the regulatory framework for Looked After children, which became effective from 1 April 2011, that each child over three years old must have their own bedroom or, where this is not possible, the sharing of the bedroom has to have been agreed by the placing authority.
Children should not share rooms (other than with siblings) even in an emergency, unless it has been assessed as acceptable and both children are in agreement.
Foster Homes
See also Fostering Recruitment Policy
Oxfordshire County Council had already regarded it as best practice to ensure that all foster children have their own bedroom to sleep in.
Only very young children or babies can be safely placed with foster carers where they will have to share a bedroom.
No child with any history of abuse should be sharing a bedroom with other children, either other foster children or the foster carer’s own children.
If there are situations where it is unknown whether a child has been abused or uncertainty about the child’s behaviour, a thorough Risk Assessment must be carried out before it is agreed that a child can share a bedroom with another child. As well as the Risk Assessment, the child’s views and wishes must have been obtained and considered.
Where the Risk Assessment supports the child’s sharing a bedroom, the arrangements must be outlined in the relevant Placement Plan / Placement Information Record and regularly reviewed at Placement Plan Reviews. A copy of the Risk Assessment must be forwarded by the child’s social worker to the Service Manager, Family Placement Services.
Where any changes to the sleeping arrangements are made, the foster carer must inform his or her family placement social worker and the child’s social worker.
If an emergency placement or situation arises and a child needs to share a room, steps must be taken to ensure that a thorough Risk Assessment is undertaken in relation to the child placed and the other child who is sharing the room. The main principle is to ensure that all children can be protected and made safe. These situations should be agreed as very short term arrangements.
The Service Manager, Family Placement Services, must be notified of any arrangement whereby the sharing of bedrooms is deemed safe and appropriate and of any short term arrangements made resulting in the sharing of bedrooms.
Children's Homes
Children placed on an emergency basis may not share bedrooms (other than with siblings) until an assessment has been carried out to ascertain their views and the views of those who already sleep in the bedroom. Apart from this, a request to change or share a bedroom will be given serious consideration by the Home's Manager.
No more than two children may share a bedroom and children may not share bedrooms unless the child(ren) freely agree to the arrangement, they are of the same gender and similar age (other than siblings). Before coming to a decision, the Home's Manager will undertake an assessment to ascertain the wishes and views of the child who already occupies the bedroom and will consult relevant social workers.
Children may not receive visitors in their bedrooms unless has been agreed by the social worker, the children's views and wishes have been obtained, considered and the arrangements are outlined in the relevant Placement Plan.
3. Bedroom Furniture, Facilities, Equipment and Decoration
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.
4. Bedroom Security and Keys
Children should have adequate, safe, storage for their belongings and medicines, if permitted to administer their own (see First Aid, Home Remedies and Prescribed and Medicines Procedure).
Each child should have a lockable cupboard where they can keep personal items.
If it is necessary to do so, to protect children or their belongings, bedrooms may be fitted with locks or other forms of security. If locks are fitted, keys must be made available to children.
5. Monitoring Arrangements
Where it is necessary to install or use listening or other strategies to monitor children, these arrangements must be set out in the Placement Plan / Placement Information Records for individual children.
6. Staff/Carer Presence in Rooms
Children’s privacy should be respected.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, staff/carers should knock the door before entering children’s bedrooms; and then only enter with their permission.
The exceptional circumstances where staff or carers may have to enter a child’s bedroom without knocking or asking permission are as follows:
- To wake a heavy sleeper, undertake cleaning, return or remove soiled clothing (although, in these circumstances, the child should have been told/warned that this may be necessary);
- To take necessary action, including forcing entry, to protect the child or others from Injury or to prevent likely Damage to Property. The taking of such action is a form of Physical Intervention;
- To look for information which may help to find the whereabouts of a missing child. See Thames Valley Police and Children, Young People and Families - Joint Protocol Re: Young People Missing From Care.
See also Barricading and Forced Entry Procedure
When entering a child’s bedroom when they are not there, there should be respect for the child’s privacy, for example if documents or the child’s diary have been left out, they should not be routinely inspected, unless a specific risk has been identified and recorded.
Staff/carers should always record when they have entered a child’s bedroom and share the recording with the child.
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