Repairs and Maintenance


Contents

  1. Policy
  2. Key Points
  3. Procedure for Undertaking Repairs and Maintenance


1. Policy

The Home will endeavour to provide and maintain to a good standard the residential accommodation for looked after children.


2. Key Points

Essential Health and Safety maintenance will be carried out as a priority.

Every effort should be made to safeguard and protect Council property from wilful and deliberate damage.

Legislation

Regulation 31 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001, Children Act 1989, Sections (1) (2) (3) states:

The registered person shall not use premises for the purposes of a children’s home unless they are in a location, and of a physical design and layout, which are suitable for the purpose of achieving the aims and objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

The registered person shall ensure that all parts of the children’s home used by children are:

  1. Adequately lit, heated and ventilated;
  2. Secure from unauthorised access;
  3. Suitably furnished and equipped;
  4. Of sound construction and kept in good structural repair externally and internally;
  5. Kept clean and reasonably decorated and maintained; and
  6. Equipped with what is reasonably necessary, and adapted as necessary, in order to meet the needs arising from his disability of any disabled child accommodated in the home so as to enable him to live as normal a life as possible.


3. Procedure for Undertaking Repairs and Maintenance

The following should be adhered to in relation to undertaking repairs and maintenance.

  1. It is the responsibility of all staff to assist and help maintain a warm, welcoming and friendly environment that reflects the purpose and function of the home;
  2. All fixtures and fittings must conform to the Health and Safety recommendations and must be maintained in a good and safe order;
  3. All necessary repairs should be dealt with as soon as possible and the home maintained in good order;
  4. Rooms should be decorated to reflect the age, gender and cultural background of the residents. Young people should be encouraged to help in choosing colour schemes and furnishings etc;
  5. Young people should be actively encouraged to participate in choice of décor and furniture for their bedrooms and should be encouraged to personalise their rooms with posters and pictures that reflect individual interests. It may however be necessary for discussion and negotiation with the young person to determine what is accepted décor i.e. it is not acceptable for a bedroom to be painted totally black or display posters or pictures that cause offence to others;
  6. The home should periodically renew pictures, books and videos and the choice should reflect the multi-cultural society we live in. Topical and age appropriate weekly / monthly magazines should be available;
  7. The Home should, in general, ‘blend in’ with surrounding buildings and not stand out and be easily identifiable as an institution;
  8. It is the responsibility of all staff to help maintain the external environment of the property i.e. tidy garden, report defects and maintenance items. All aspects of external facilities within the boundary of the property must comply with Health and Safety requirements;
  9. Any external repairs i.e. broken windows, roof tiles, dangerous pathways should be dealt with as a matter of urgency;
  10. Young people should be encouraged to assist staff in maintaining the grounds by keeping the garden free of litter;
  11. All staff need to be aware that workmen do not all possess an enhanced DBS and should therefore be supervised if young people are in the building. Use of any machinery must be very carefully risk assessed;
  12. Staff should check that any work undertaken is to a satisfactory standard as would be expected in a family home.