Statement of Purpose

Background

Each children’s home is required to produce an individual Statement of Purpose, specific to that home.

The Statement of Purpose, which must be regularly reviewed, should include the following information:

Quality and purpose of care

1. A statement of the range of needs of the children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation;
2. Details of the home’s ethos, the outcomes that the home seeks to achieve and its approach to achieving them;
3. A description of the accommodation offered by the home, including:
   • How accommodation has been adapted to the needs of children;
   • The age range, number and gender of children for whom it is intended that accommodation is to be provided; and
   • The type of accommodation, including sleeping accommodation.
4. A description of the location of the home;
5. The arrangements for supporting the cultural, linguistic and religious needs of children;
6. Details of who to contact if a person has a complaint about the home and how that person can access the home’s complaints policy;
7. Details of how a person, body or organisation involved in the care or protection of a child can access the home’s safeguarding and child protection policies or the behaviour management policy;

Views, wishes and feelings

8. A description of the home’s policy and approach to consulting children about the quality of their care;
9. A description of the home’s policy and approach in relation to:
   1. anti-discriminatory practice in respect of children and their families; and
   2. children’s rights.

Education

10. Details of provision to support children with special educational needs;
11. If the home is registered as a school, details of the curriculum provided by the home and the management and structure of the arrangements for education;
12. If the home is not registered as a school, the arrangements for children to attend local schools and the provision made by the home to promote children’s educational achievement;

Enjoyment and achievement

13. The arrangements for enabling children to take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills;

Health

14. Details of any healthcare or therapy provided, including:
    1. Details of the qualifications and professional supervision of the staff involved in providing any healthcare or therapy; and
    2. Information about how the effectiveness of any healthcare or therapy provided is measured, the evidence demonstrating its effectiveness and details of how the information or the evidence can be accessed.

Positive relationships

15. The arrangements for promoting contact between children and their families and friends;

Protection of children

16. A description of the home’s approach to the monitoring and surveillance of children;
17. Details of the home’s approach to behavioural support, including information about:
    1. The home’s approach to restraint in relation to children; and
    2. How persons working in the home are trained in restraint and how their competence is assessed.

Leadership and management

18. The name and work address of:
    1. The registered provider;
    2. The responsible individual (if one is nominated); and
    3. The registered manager (if one is appointed).
19. Details of the experience and qualifications of staff, including any staff commissioned to provide education or health care;
20. Details of the management and staffing structure of the home, including arrangements for the professional supervision of staff, including staff that provide education or health care;
21. If the staff are all of one sex, or mainly of one sex, a description of how the home promotes appropriate role models of both sexes.

Care planning

22. Any criteria used for the admission of children to the home, including any policies and procedures for emergency admission.

The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is equipped to care for. Placing Authorities should always refer to the Statement of Purpose when deciding whether a placement in that particular home is the right one for a child, and whether the home will be able to respond effectively to the child’s identified needs.

Emergency admissions should not be taken unless the home’s Statement of Purpose allows for children to be placed at short notice.

Accessing the Statement of Purpose

Children and young people, parents and carers, social workers and other professionals will be provided with a copy of the Statement of Purpose and Children’s Guide for information.

Any pictures of the homes environment contained in the Statement of Purpose should be updated as and when changes are made to the interior or exterior of the home.