Rostering and Handover


Contents

1. Introduction
2. Principles of Good Practice
  2.1. Practice Guidance – Covering a Shift
3. Management Support


1. Introduction

The Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards include requirements on staffing levels in children’s homes which must be met at all times.

The requirements expect the whole staff team and the staff on each shift to be competent to provide the care and service necessary for the children accommodated.

The home must be staffed at all times of the day and night at or above the minimum levels specified in the homes Statement of Purpose. The staff must be sufficient in number, experience and qualification to meet the needs of the children. The health, safety and welfare of children and staff should be safeguarded at all times.

The preparation of rota must take into account these requirements and if due to shortfall extra staffing is needed a system needs to be in place to ensure staffing levels are maintained at the minimum requirement.


2. Principles of Good Practice

The following guidance applies to any worker who is required to cover a shift because a worker on the rota is not available or an additional worker is needed. The guidance ensures that workers should not work excessive hours, shifts should be covered by staff who are familiar with the establishment wherever possible, and children are not put at risk by staff who are unsuitable or have not been fully vetted.

2.1 Practice Guidance - Covering a Shift

The following steps to cover a shift should be followed in the order listed:

  • Ask for a volunteer to change shift to cover the requirement;
  • Use the 48 hour rule to move staff shifts to cover the requirement;
  • If any additional cost is to be incurred in covering a shift the service manager must be consulted;
  • Offer the shift to a part time worker at the home;
  • Offer the shift to a relief worker (make this arrangement through the Relief Pool Manager at Moorfield);
  • Offer the shift to staff on an overtime payment;
  • Contact a staffing agency through Matrix.

Agency staff should not be put on rota without the approval of the Head of service or his deputy. Before putting an agency worker on shift the manager must obtain and keep an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, full employment history, evidence of training in food hygiene, first aid, restraint and child protection. They must also receive an induction into the home’s routines, health and safety procedures and children’s care plans.

The competence of a shift must be assured at all times and this consideration may influence who is asked to cover the shift. A culture of flexibility in covering shifts should be encouraged within the staff teams in children’s homes so that the health, safety and welfare of residents and staff can be assured.


3. Management Support

Professional staff need to have access to management support at all times.

Residential managers who are off duty frequently provide support to workers on a good will basis. This guidance is not intended to discourage such good practice. It does provide a clear process for deciding when management support is required, and who is available to provide it. The guidance requires management teams to reach agreement to share responsibility to share support, so that no individual manager is required to be available for long periods or on rest days. Management teams from similar homes may also wish to develop partnerships to allow mutual support at times of difficulty.

Rotas should, should as far as possible, be written to provide management cover on duty at all times. Each shift must have a designated shift-leader, either a RCCW level 3 or above or a suitably experienced and trained RCCW level 2 who agrees to lead the shift as development opportunity. The manager going off duty should decide, in consultation with the staff coming on duty who will lead the next shift and how decisions are to be made, and record this in the daily log. In circumstances where the shift-leader is an RCCW level 2, they should receive a thorough handover to ensure they have sufficient information and advice to enable them to deal with anticipated decisions during the shift.

An identified manager from the establishment will be available for support if needed, and this information will be recorded in the daily log. If it is not possible to identify a manager from the home, a manager on duty at another home will be identified to provide support and advice.

This ensures adequate management support in normal circumstances. If specific concerns exist a risk assessment should be carried out to determine whether additional management support is required. Where necessary the Homes Manager should report the need for addition management support to their Service Manager.