Members of Staff carrying out Night Duties, Waking Night Duties or Night Security

As part of the staff induction any staff that will be carrying out sleep-in and waking night duties, must receive an induction in the Home’s following policies and procedures prior to these duties taking place:

• Fire and Emergency Procedures;
• Statement of Purpose and Function;
• Safeguarding and Child Protection;
• Recording and reporting in day notes/daily observations via handover sheets;
• First Aid and Medication;
• On Call Arrangements.

The above must be covered and signed-off by the Registered Manager or supervisor as part of their induction. This is then recorded on the staff members record. Staff may be required to complete day shifts / night shifts as part of their induction.

In addition, the home manager or senior staff must ensure that:

1. Staff carrying out such duties are fully aware of each young person's particular care arrangements as detailed in the child's Placement Plan (Day to Day Care Plan). This will be discussed in supervision;
2. Via a completed individual Risk Assessment such duties are commensurate with the needs and safety of both the young people and staff carrying out such duties;
3. Staff have been inducted by the Manager and/or Senior staff in respect to duties involved in such tasks;
4. Staff always have access to "on call" support from a manager or Senior;
5. The Manager and/or senior staff debrief any staff after carrying out such duties for the first time. This will be to clarify any outstanding matters and to be assured that it is safe for such staff to undertake such responsibilities. These discussions are recorded in the staff's supervision notes;
6. The staff on shift have received the appropriate training in administering medication and have been assessed as being competent to do so. Further training will be provided to staff as necessary;
7. Staff are confident to support young people in completing intimate care tasks.

Staff undertaking such duties do have a primary role for the care and protection of young people. Staff must maintain the same professional standards as are expected during the day for young people. Home Managers or senior staff should also ensure that:

• Staff members are familiar with the Children’s Homes Policies and Procedures;
• Staff are familiar with the code of conduct;
• Staff are provided with contact details for Police, Emergency Duty Team (EDT), Hospital, GP etc.
• Staff are familiar with children’s health protocols;
• Staff record all events and report any concerns for example bullying, exploitation, suspected Physical Abuse and Sexual Abuse in line with organisational policy and guidelines;
• At the start of the shift, staff check that the building is secure, and that the children are where their handover has indicated they are supposed to be, in line with the child’s individual risk assessment/care plan. Checks should be made at regular intervals throughout their shift. The regularity of the checks on children will be in line with expectation of care plan / risk assessment of the child. Checks on the security of the building should be made during the shift.

In addition, staff:

• Must not go into bedrooms of children/young people without first informing a colleague;
• Should check the child/young person’s care plan for their staff preference when dealing with personal issues. This should be met where possible;
• Must maintain the level of supervision of child/young people as per their individual risk assessments;
• Must ensure that children/young people are not in each other’s bedrooms;
• Must not sleep on duty, unless they are sleeping in staff. Whilst on night shift duty staff must not sleep;
• Must ensure that door alarms / buzzers are set once all the children are settled (if applicable).

Waking night staff have a specific role within CBC Children’s Homes. With the support of the care staff, they ensure safe keeping and general well-being of children and young people throughout the night.

This could include:

• Carrying out a series of regular checks of the home throughout the night and recording significant occurrences in the young person’s day notes and handover log;
• Attending to the needs of any children/young people who experience distress or difficulty sleeping etc. during the course of the night. Night staff are expected to call on the sleeping-in staff in this regard if required;
• Carrying out observations on a child/young person to assist them to settle if indicated within their care plan;
• Dispensing medication in line with set procedures and guidelines as required within the child/young person’s care plan;
• Domestic tasks, such as cleaning, ironing and tidying;
• Waiting until daytime staff arrive before finishing their shift;
• Undertaking relevant training and supervision as directed;
• Attending specific meetings as required.

The household security measures that any member of staff would expect to take at home, also apply at work. These might typically include:

• All external windows and doors are to be locked and secure;
• All fire exits should be clear from obstruction;
• All house vehicles should be locked and secure;
• All car keys must be locked safely away;
• All toys and bikes should be tidied away and/or stored as appropriate;
• All external buildings should be locked and secure as per building risk assessment;
• All sockets are switched off that are not being utilised for equipment which needs to be kept on;
• Internal fire doors are shut;
• All offices should be locked;
• The laundry room should be locked;
• All knives and cleaning material should be locked away in appropriate cupboards;
• All keys and the house mobile telephone should be signed over and located with waking night staff;
• Door alarms to be set once all children/young people are settled where applicable.

Any unauthorised locking of a child’s/young person’s bedroom door by a member of staff will lead to disciplinary action which will be dealt with in accordance with CBC’s Disciplinary Policy & Procedure. It will also be seen as a Child Protection issue and will need to be referred as such.

However, the following security arrangements can be used to promote safety and security:

• Additional catches/window restrictors are fitted to bedroom windows as agreed in line with identified areas of risk;
• Each Home will have their own policy on children/ young people opening the door to visitors arriving or leaving the building. Staff need to be made aware of the Home’s procedure when joining the Home;
• Security will be enhanced by the amount of supervision provided by staff. This will be in line with the individual care plan / risk assessment;
• Door alarms must be set.

Please Note: Responsible Individual/Assistant Director/ Registered Managers complete unannounced spot checks regularly to ensure standards and expectations are being met at all times.