Children's Homes Quality

🌟 Excited to embrace **New Ways November**! 🌟 As we step into this month, it's the perfect time to spark creativity and kickstart new routines. Whether it’s exploring a different approach at work, trying out a new hobby, or adopting healthier habits, let’s make this November a month of transformation and growth! Let’s challenge ourselves to think outside the box, collaborate with others, and bring fresh ideas to life. Remember, every small step counts! What new ways are you exploring this month? Share your thoughts! 💡👇 #NewWaysNovember #Creativity #NewBeginnings #GrowthMindset #Innovation #PositiveChange #NovemberGoals #Inspiration Action for Happiness

The clocks have gone back, so tonight is going to be a dark one. Make sure you look after yourself if you’re feeling a bit low 💙 It’s common for the changing seasons and weather to affect your mood. For example, as it gets colder you might find that your mood or energy levels drop, or notice changes in your sleeping or eating patterns. But if your feelings are interfering with your everyday life, it could be a sign that you have seasonal depression. Read more about seasonal affective disorder (SAD) ➡ https://lnkd.in/g5JuPqk

CHQ's final Registered Manager's training for 2024 is on Thursday, 12th November, in London! Spaces are still available https://lnkd.in/ej9u8R7x Let's reflect on our roles and regulatory responsibilities to enhance our practice. By sharing knowledge, we can foster a collaborative environment for managers and evaluate our personal development needs. 😊🎉👋 Valerie Tulloch Children's Homes Quality Eithne Staunton

LADO - Question time 🤓💡 What is best practice when a none recent sexual harm allegation is made against someone who works with children? As you all know working in public service means that you can receive information from multiple sources. colleagues, families we work with, friends, communities and sometimes “rumours”, or 2nd and sometimes 3rd hand sources. When someone “chooses” you as the person that they are going to disclose their most traumatic sexual harm history too. It’s common that this occurred when you don’t realise it’s coming, and it’s hard to know how best to respond, particularly when it’s about none recent sexual abuse. Often, adults disclose their harm history when triggered by that experience, which could have occurred 10, 20, 30, years ago. Often they have never spoke about it before. In the LADO world we see that trigger to disclose, can often be when a survivor becomes aware that the abuser now works or volunteers with children, and they are compelled to protect other children that the abuser could then harm. If you work or volunteer with children, and the person discloses to you, regardless of your relationship with them, or your relationship to the alleged abuser. This is the best practice I advise on all LADO referrals. 1. Listen. 2. Provide that person with safety & time to describe their story. 3. Reassure them, they have done the right thing in telling their story. 4. Be clear on why they have disclosed now. Where does that person work, gain as much identifying details as possible about the abuser. 5. Support them home, help them to ground & emotionally regulate. 6. Ensure you have put a check in with them. Often when people disclose,they have feelings of shame and guilt for telling. 7. Refer to the LADO THE MOST IMPORTANT PART 8. You have a duty to safeguard all children. Navigating this duty whilst responding sensitively is crucial. You must tell the person that you have a duty to report the crime to the Police, and have a duty to safeguard all children from risk, harm or abuse. It is good practice to support that person to help them report it to the Police But often they are not ready too. Regardless you still must. They may not want to report it to the Police. You can reassure them that the Police will contact them after your report, and it will be their choice if they wish to engage with the Police. It is the Police’s duty to investigate, speaking to the alledge victim & the accused. The Police may have lots of intelligence about that person, or other previous allegations against them. This might bring justice for more than one person. None recent sexual offences have strength in numbers. 1. We cannot safeguard children if we keep silent. 2. We cannot promise people we won’t tell. 3. That’s how abusers survive, under the veil of secrets. #bringingLADOintodiscussion #thinktheunthinkable #keepchildrensafeinorganisations

We are thrilled to announce that Children's Homes Quality has been nominated for a Social Impact Award for its work on Lovin’ Care. ❤️ ❤️ We are honoured and hopeful – winning would greatly validate our team's efforts. 😍 It would also help raise awareness that children in care need to feel loved and demonstrate the positive impact of opening our hearts and minds to make their experiences better and improve their life chances.  Most importantly, winning would recognise the incredible work done in many children’s homes. 👏 Would you please 🙏 take a moment to vote for us and share this with your networks? It only takes 1 minute to vote, so your support is greatly appreciated. Click the link - https://lnkd.in/geKfjqdf. Voting closes on 9th November at midday.  #SocialImpact #ChildrenInCare #MakingADifference Valerie Tulloch Margaret Davies Mary-anne Hodd Amy Robinson Matt Langley Eithne Staunton Rebecca H.

LADO - Question Time 💡🤓 What is the difference between “fact finding” and “investigating” when an allegation has been made? Fact finding occurs to establish the initial context and content of an allegation. It happens before an investigation. Employment Process: The term fact finding come from employment process, prior to a disaplinary investigation. It simply means, establishing all the facts available prior to making a decision that the threshold has been met for a disaplinary investigation. Children Services Process: Fact finding can also occur within a contact, referral or children Services Assessment (under section 17 only) prior to a decision being made that harm has occurred and threshold reached for a strategy discussion or Children Services Assessment under section 47. Police Process: Fact finding can occur within Police enquires prior to a threshold been reached for a criminal investigation for a specific offence. Fact finding usually means that there isn’t enough information yet. Within managing allegation procedure, common sense and judgement needs to be applied to each and every allegation referral, there needs to be no movement for error. Therefore, triangulating the presenting information is crucial to determine whether the scope of the managing allegation procedure has been met. Given the significant impact on the person subject to the allegation. Just because a parent or a child has said something happened doesn’t mean I would scope it into the procedure immediately. I need reassurance from the referrer that they have gathered as much info as possible to enable me to make an evidence based decision. Example: A parent rings a head teacher to say that their child came home and said they were punch in the face by their maths teacher at lunch time in the canteen and has a black eye. I would expect that the head has completed the following fact finding before referring that 1 piece of information to the LADO. I would also expect that they would have made a decision about whether it meets threshold for disaplinary investigation or a referral to the Police or children services. - Checked the CCTV - Checked if the staff member was in work - Checked any incident reports/CPOMs relating to the child - Checked if the staff member has previous allegations similar/other concerns re care and practice - Check the rota for lunch time to consider where the child and staff member should have been, establish who the relevant witnesses might be The head should have checked if the child needs medical attention, offered assurances to the parent that they will make enquires, invite both of them in in the morning to gain an initial account from the child. It is a second hand account. The parent child and head will then decided if a referal to children services or Police is required. They should also take guidance from their HR in completing the enquires. #bringingLADOintodiscussion

LADO - Question time 🤓💡 How should allegations in residential children’s homes be managed? I have recieved multiple messages on this topic, from different perspective sent by children’s homes managers, and social work managers within looked after children’s teams. Sorry for the delay in responding, I hope to cover all points in this one post. Regulated settings such as residential children’s homes, foster carers and early years settings do have an additional layer of complexity. I will offer advice below in bullet points, of what I expect to happen by each team who are investigating and implementing a safeguarding process that they have a duty too and which process it relates too. For the purpose of this post, we will use the senario that a child has alleged to the homes manager that they have been held down on the floor face down by 2 staff members during a physical intervention and they couldn’t breath. Preceeding the event the staff alledge that the child had punched 1 staff member in the face causing injury, leading to the physical intervention using team teach. Homes manager (employment law / Ofsted regs / safeguarding procedure’s) - Ensure child is safe, and consider if medical treatment is needed - Notify HR, implement safety via pre cautionary suspension risk assessment - Complete LADO referral - Notify OFSTED - Implement safety via staffing rota’s - Ensure staff’s welfares, do they need medical treatment - Inform staff allegation has been made, referral to LADO made, actions being undertaken via employment process to investigate and safeguard. - Commence fact finding, review incident reports, initial accounts by staff and child, review CCTV and identify witnesses. - Notify the child’s social worker / manager and share the above fact finding, and reassure them of the safeguards in place. Social work team for the child (safeguarding procedures) - Child protection procedure consider threshold of harm, plan strategy discussion - Child’s immediate welfare ascertained via a visit to see the child alone. Capturing thier lived experience, reviewing the fact finding presented by the children’s home manager, implement safety arrangements that are supported by the safety implemented by the children’s home manager, consider if it’s safe for the child to remain there. Strategy Discussion - Chaired by children’s social work team, attended by Police, children’s home manager, LADO, Health, Education - All fact finding information by social work team and children’s home presented. All info by other agency presented. - Decision made by all parties re: threshold for S47 joint harm enquiry met, or S17 assessment met. - Immediate investigation actions by Police/assessment actions by children services agreed included joint visits, gathering of evidence, and the immediate safety arrangements for all. The LADO will review the above agreed investigative actions within the initial allegation management meeting. #bringingLADOintodiscussion

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." — Helen Keller This quote beautifully captures the power of optimism in driving progress and success, reminding us that a hopeful mindset can be the foundation for overcoming challenges. #optimism #progress #success #mindset Action for Happiness✨🌟🌟

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Another fantastic discussion took place at the Manager's monthly meetup yesterday! Remember, we will be continuing these discussions into 2025. Rebecca H. and I are currently sorting out the dates. Feel free to comment below or send me a message or email (Eithne Staunton training@childrenshomesquality.com) if you have a burning topic you would like to discuss during one of the sessions. We would love to hear from you! Click the link for Risk Assessment Workshop Mon, 21 Oct 2024 https://lnkd.in/eY3cmthn #ManagerMeetup #2025Discussions Valerie Tulloch Children's Homes Quality