Essential Standards
Your Chapter is an organisation with social purpose that seeks to transform the lives of children and young people who have experienced complex trauma and abuse. Our approach is grounded in the lived experience of the children and young people we support and by valuing their contribution.
As experts by experience, we ensure the services they receive are personal to them.
Your Chapter’s quality assurance framework will ensure that all children and young people have the absolute right to expect appropriate care within these standards.
Our essential standards are:
Individualised care
Children and young people will receive care and support that is tailored to meet their specific needs.
Dignity and respect
Your Chapter will ensure children and young people have privacy when needed and appropriate, are treated as equals, are given appropriate support to help them to be independent to fulfil their potential, and to be involved in their respective local communities.
Equality
Your Chapter is an inclusive organisation that works hard to ensure that children and young people are safeguarded and have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Your Chapter is committed to anti-discriminatory practice. In so doing, Your Chapter recognise the additional needs of children from minority ethnic groups and disabled children including the barriers they face.
Safety
Your Chapter will ensure that appropriate safeguarding practice is in place so that children and young people do not receive unsafe care or treatment or be put at risk of any potential harm. A robust risk assessment strategy will be in place to minimise harm during activities and delivery of care and support. Your Chapter will ensure children and staff have the appropriate knowledge, qualifications, experience, competence and skills to keep children and young people safe through appropriate learning and development opportunities.
Safeguarding from abuse
Children and young people have an absolute entitlement to receive care and support without suffering any form of abuse or improper care. This includes disproportionate restraint, unnecessary or inappropriate restrictions on freedom, bullying, neglect and remain free from abuse from their peers, carers and all professionals involved in their care.
Complaints
Your Chapter will ensure that the systems in place for handling complaints are followed by staff to make sure that all complaints are monitored and considered seriously and are responded to sensitively. Complaint investigations will be comprehensive and conducted in a timely manner including informing the complainant about the outcome of their complaint. Any areas for learning will be identified and discussed so that appropriate improvements can be actioned.
Whistle blowing
Your Chapter have a robust whistle blowing policy and staff have a duty of care to raise and report concerns. This is known by all staff and is supported by staff training. Your Chapter encourage the active reporting of any concerns raised by our staff, our children and young people and third parties and we ensure that all such concerns are addressed in a timely manner. Any learning from such reports will be embedded into continuing professional development and will inform professional practice.
Good governance
Your Chapter has an Independent Safeguarding and Quality Improvement Committee (ISQIC) to ensure that a robust governance framework is in place, including scrutiny and oversight of internal and external service audits. Good governance will help to improve the delivery of services, as well as identify and minimise risk to children and young people’s health, safety and wellbeing.
Legislative framework
Your Chapter will ensure that it complies with regulatory standards, regulations and government guidance that underpins its services relating to children’s homes, fostering service and schools in England and Wales.
Staffing
Your Chapter will ensure that our staff comply with these essential standards through appropriate levels of support, culturally appropriate training and supervision that is reflective, empowering and insightful to effectively assist them in their role.
Fitness to practice
Your Chapter will seek to recruit and retain staff that can evidence their competence, knowledge and professional practice to provide safe and appropriate care in line with their roles and responsibilities.
