The Semi-Independent Aspect
In the most basic format of our business, we could break down our two primary services as “Accommodations” and “support”. We are even paid for these two things separately and therefore we must be able to evidence what we have done in both areas in order to justify our payment. If you bought a TV for £1,000.00 and all you got when you opened the box was a plug you would go back to the store and request your money back and perhaps not even want a replacement from them as the trust may have been broken. I approach our delivery of these two services with this mentality. Deliver a quality product and a quality service.
In these two things we have both a personal and legal responsibility. For accommodation, at a minimum this needs to be a safe and secure environment, fit for purpose and equipped with the things that the occupants may need. Additionally it needs to be well maintained. This is the minimum requirement. When you enter our accommodation you must each day ask yourself, "is this a place I would leave my child, mother or loved one happily believing they are well taken care of?" After the above the secondary aspect of things is they must look and feel appealing and comfortable for those visiting and inhabiting the space.
This starts from the very outside. If you approach a house and the front garden is overgrown, the bins are overflowing and there is broken furniture littered around the entrance, already, on approach, you are developing an idea as to the type of place or placement this is. And it does impact the way in which you view it, and therefore treat it.
If you enter the house and it is dirty, untidy, cold, looks like an abandoned warehouse, or you find the environment to be cluttered, chaotic and loud, how would that make you feel? Would this be somewhere you wish to stay?. The kitchen is overflowing with dishes and it smells, the heater is broken and hanging off the wall, there is screaming upstairs, the paint is mismatched. None of the above would support the business to generate service. And thankfully that is not the condition of any of our homes.
The second and most prominent aspects of this is about safety. If, God forbid, someone is hurt or harmed because something that was supposed to keep them safe fails, you will be liable and potentially sent to prison for things such as “negligence” “manslaughter” or “murder,” therefore it’s everyone's responsibility to ensure that our place is always safe for both young people and ourselves.
Taking the above into consideration, before we can place people and during their placement with us, there are things we must establish is in place in and fulfilled: (these are examples and not the full list).
Before placing the young people in the home
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Legal House necessity checklist (Fire doors, cameras, fire extinguisher, fire blankets, Coshh cupboards, window restrictions are all in place in advance. (see full list for details)
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Bedroom checklist (Wardrobe, mini fridge, bedside table, desk, tv, fire tv, bed, Chester drawers clothes airers, curtains, bedsheets. Are all in place from house set up stage.
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The Key box is located at each property and has a set of keys to enter the property. This is a fail safe in incidents where staff may leave the house abruptly and get locked out or if there are emergency situations which occur where entry to the property is needed. This could be if a young person was to run out of the house without warning and staff were unable to go to the office to grab the keys they could safely follow behind and still have access to the property on their return.
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When the keys from the safe box are used by any persons whether it be management or staff they are to be returned to the key box immediately to prevent them from being mistakenly left in the house. The code for the key box is changed by maintenance periodically anda new code is given to staff.
PAT Testing
This is Portable Appliance Testing which is a safety check for any electrical appliances provided by the service. This should be completed every 1-2 years.
Fire Risk Assessments
Fire Risk Assessment is an independent assessment completed to ensure that all properties are safe and have the necessary equipment and safety measures to prevent the spread of fire. If a home is a registered HMO this is the responsibility of the landlord to ensure this is carried out and updated annually. A certificate is produced with a record of the property and all areas that may need to be updated.
Gas Safety
This is carried out by a registered gas engineer and can also be done by your gas provider or independent engineer. This is also the responsibility of the landlord to ensure this check is done annually. They check that the carbon dioxide readers are working and there are no gas leaks or issues with any gas appliances on the property. A certificate is issued once the check is complete and should be signed by the engineer with a clear directive indication if the check has passed or failed. Any listed recommendations should be completed immediately.
Electrical Safety
Electrical inspections are conducted by electrical servicing companies to ensure a property’s compliance with electrical safety laws and regulations. During an electrical inspection, a property’s electrical equipment undergoes quality and safety checks to ensure that they are in working condition before being operated. Inspections are often accompanied by site walkthroughs to detect and record electrical hazards. Reports generated after electrical inspections should provide an overall assessment of the worksite, training provided, and equipment used and present general recommendations on areas for improvement. Failure to conduct regular electrical inspections can lead to accidents caused by electric shock or even death.
Insurance
The overall business is covered by several different types of insurance. Each property where the organisation adds is also covered under these insurances
The main insurances we have are:
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Public liability
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indemnity
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employers liability
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contents insurance and
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Building insurance.
Each property is covered by indemnity, public liability and employers liability insurance. This also includes contents in the event of damage, robbery or fire. All insurances are no less than a 10million cover.
Location Risk Assessment
An area Risk assessment is where the areas surrounding each property has been assessed and checked so that all key facilities and danger zones can be highlighted in order to mitigate risk to any young person in the surrounding areas of the home. This will identify, rivers, bridges, stations, bus stops and any high crime spots that could be near by.
Local Amenities
As part of our unique selling points we have a list of local amenities that would support the young person with their independent skills such as local supermarkets, shopping centres and places of leisure and health.
In Order to Keep the House Legally Up to Standard
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Weekly house checks
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Young people moving/induction pack/ checklist (bedsheets x2, pillow cases, quilt/duvet, duvet cover, toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, soap,
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Room checks (weekly 2 staff members present, form gets filled out or update SF
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Fire safety check. (Is Checking that the alarms are working, the blankets are in the unit and in the right places, the signs are present and on the wall etc,
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Unit inventory (this is inventorying what’s in the house in order to be able to verify insurances).
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Weekly Maintenance
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House checks (this consists of checking each and every room in the house for safety regulations and if there is any need for repairs to be carried out)
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Fire drills (what to do incase of fire, making people leave the unit and directing ensuring they know where to go incase of emergency) every 6 weeks
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Key box - Outside of each unit is a key box where a key to the unit is stored. This is only to be used in emergency with managerial approval but the moment it is used it needs to be returned to the key box before the property is entered.
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Safe haven (this is an emergency security measure that consists of us leaving an envelope at other external trusted addresses on the roads where our units are, with small amounts of cash and all of our basic contact details such as managers number, directors number, website address, social media addresses, that can be called in case a mentor or keyworker is ever for some reason locked out of the unit without their phones or belongings and needs information as to how to regain access e.g. getting a key box code.)
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Young person inventory (what they move in with)
