1.8.1 Children's Bedrooms

Contents

1. Bedroom Furniture, Facilities, Equipment and Decoration
2. Staff Presence in Bedrooms
3. Visiting and Sharing Rooms
4. Electronic Devices
5. Window Stays

1. Bedroom Furniture, Facilities, Equipment and Decoration

Also see Relationships, and Intimate Care Procedure - which contains procedures on Enuresis and Encopresis

Each child will have an individual bedroom of adequate size. Bedrooms will not open onto communal space e.g. living rooms and should be large enough for the young person to store any extra quantity of possessions they should accumulate over time. There will be a suitable bed and bedding, seating and storage for clothes, safe storage for personal possessions, a window with curtains (other window covering), appropriate ventilation, lighting sufficient to read, carpet or other appropriate floor covering, and heating. Their bedroom 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. For older children this should be part of a plan to prepare the child for independence.

Children's bed should be well sprung and in good condition with adequate clean bedding. The furniture, bedding and furnishings (including curtains and floor coverings) emphasise comfort and informality and avoid an institutional appearance. All bedding will conform with standards of flame retardant materials.

Children's room should be kept in good structural repair and be clean and tidy. The furniture should conform to standards of flame retardant materials as advised by trading standards.

Where a child's bedroom window is large enough for a child to climb out of, a risk assessment should be carried out as to the likelihood of the child putting themselves at risk by climbing out of the window. If a risk is identified, stays of an unobtrusive kind should be fitted to the window to dissuade the child from climbing out. The bedroom layout should take into account the possibility of the child bouncing on the bed and falling out of the window.

2. Staff Presence in Bedrooms

Children's privacy should be respected. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, staff should knock the door before entering children's bedrooms; and then only enter with their permission.

The exceptional circumstances where staff 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; though, 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.

See the following procedures:

Barricading Procedure

Behaviour Management Procedure

Searching and Confiscating Procedure

3. Visiting and Sharing Rooms

Children DO NOT share bedrooms. They may not receive visitors in their bedrooms unless it has been agreed Risk Assessed and by the social worker, the children's views and wishes have been obtained and considered, and the arrangements are outlined in the relevant Placement Plan.

4. Electronic Devices

Where electronic devices are used for the monitoring of children's bedrooms, the Statement of Purpose for the Resource and relevant Placement Plan will state the arrangements for the use of such devices as required by Children's Homes Regulations and Standards. Care will be taken to explain to children why such devices are necessary and all reasonable measures will be taken to protect children's privacy.

There will be a regular review of the necessity and purpose that will be recorded in the Placement Plan (see Placement Plan Reviews Procedure).

5. Window Stays

It is Clifford House's admission policy to assess from the information known about the child and the physical characteristics of the building, to assess foreseeable risk in relation to young people.

The presence of for example drainpipes, accessible roofs and ledges may constitute a foreseeable risk. The risk about intruders breaking in must also be considered. In circumstances where such a foreseeable risk is identified, it will be identified in the units Statement of Purpose and if necessary the child's Care Plan, that robust window restrictors will be used to prevent children climbing or falling out of windows. The restrictors will only be in place where there are other designated escape routes.

The restrictors are not meant to restrict liberty and where they are used, their suitability conforms with the advice given by the local fire service. It is important they should not prevent adequate ventilation. It is essential that there is a balance between avoiding accidents and an ability to escape in an emergency.

End