1.7.3 Visitors

OUTCOME STATEMENT

There is careful selection and vetting of all Staff and volunteers working with children in the home and there is monitoring of visitors to prevent children being exposed to potential abusers.

AMENDMENTS

This chapter has been updated to include advice that visitors who are unchecked (Criminal records Bureau - CRB) must be chaperoned when on the premises.

a.	We wish to maintain an open and professional relationship with neighbours, agencies and interested people in the community. We also welcome and encourage visitors to all our homes but we understand that this has to be achieved within the context of protecting the interests and rights of everyone living and working within the home, particularly the child(ren).
b.	There is a potentially wide range of people who may wish to visit our homes and Staff need to be vigilant when permitting visitors to enter the home, ensuring identification is always authenticated. If the visitor is unable to prove their identity, the Manager must be consulted and give approval before contact is permitted.
c.	Visitors to homes fall into several categories: Social Workers, Parents, relatives or friends of children, perspective employees, inspectors, neighbours or representatives of community/agency groups, workers, delivery drivers, meter readers and the like.
d.	The degree of briefing they need should be appropriate to the risks to which they are exposed and to which they might expose children. We understand this must be kept in context. We want the children in our care to lead normal everyday lives and to learn how to assess and manage risks.
e.	The following applies to all visitors who are likely to remain in the home or come into contact with children: they should receive a visitors leaflet or other information about the service and Continuum's expectations , preferably before they arrive or on arrival. the visit should normally be planned/announced and agreed by the Manager or Staff (e.g. for Social Worker visits). Visits to children by Parents, relatives and friends must be planned. As part of the planning process, a risk assessment must be undertaken. Only people named in children’s Care Programmes may visit them. visitors should be welcomed by a Manager or a delegated member of Staff who should act as a reference person for the visitor for the duration of their visit. The Manager/member of Staff should ensure that the visitor’s identity is authenticated as described in b) above. The Manager/member of Staff must ensure the visitor has received and/or understands the key elements of the Visitors' Leaflet. visitors that are unchecked (Criminal records Bureau –CRB) must be chaperoned when on the premises the visitor should be briefed on what behaviour they are likely to encounter, what to do if an incident occurs, practical matters such as fire precautions, location of toilets, meal times, etc. their arrival and departure must be recorded in the Visitors' Log/Book. the visit and any observations or information relating to the visit which is relevant to individual children must be recorded in their daily records/diaries. visitors undertaking work in the home or on official/formal business should not be given unsupervised access to children unless they have a legal power to do so e.g. Social Workers, The Police, representatives of the Regulatory Authority, Independent Visitors, Advocacy.

Continuum Group senior Managers and those undertaking Regulation 33 Visits may have unsupervised access to children. Other Staff visiting homes may only have unsupervised access if their have enhanced Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) Checks and the access is agreed with the home’s Manager.

other visitors on formal business should not have unsupervised access even if they have CRB checks. Contractors or repair workers should be briefed to keep their tools or equipment safe/out of reach of the children.
neighbours or others living/working in the community may not have unsupervised access to the children.

End