Health and Safety

Contents

1. Principles
2. Fire Precautions
3. The Home’s Health and Safety Policy
   
   Further Information

1. Principles

The physical environment for children must be safe and secure and protect them from harm or the risk of harm.

The manager and responsible individual must ensure that the physical environment is maintained to a high standard, meets the needs of the children and feels and looks like a family home for children. Any damage or wear and tear should be quickly and regularly repaired.

Risk assessments must be regularly reviewed and updated and comply with statutory requirements. See Risk Assessment and Planning Procedure

2. Fire Precautions

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority for the area in which the Home is located, the registered person must:

• Take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the Home;
• Provide adequate means of escape from the Home in the event of fire;
• Make arrangements for persons working at the Home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and
• Ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the Home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire.

A record must be kept of every fire drill or fire alarm test conducted, with details of any deficiency in either the procedure or the equipment concerned, together with details of the steps taken to remedy that deficiency.

3. The Home’s Health and Safety Policy

Health and Safety

Each home’s Statement of Purpose and Function has a statement about Health and Safety. All homes have risk assessments covering all aspects of health and safety. These are contained in homes’ specific files and the home Registered Manager ensures that these are maintained, up to date and regularly reviewed.

A Building Risk Assessment is completed by the Home Manager on a yearly basis. This is reviewed on a minimum of a six monthly basis. This identifies any potentially ‘danger areas’ (places where residents can hang ligatures from, places where there are cables or other potentially hazardous equipment etc.) so should an Individual Risk Assessment state that there are issues in this specific area, staff are able to put measures in place to remove that hazard and reduce the risk for the young person.

• Each member of the team is responsible for a specific room/role in the house so any maintenance issues can be identified and reported quickly;
• The Manager of the home completes a Locality Risk Assessment which serves to identify and deal with any potential problems or hazards in the vicinity;
• The Senior Staff at the home have introduced themselves to local residents and encouraged them to come and talk to us should any problems arise.

Fire Precautions and Emergency Procedures

All Children’s Homes fully equipped with the latest Fire Detection, Prevention and Fighting equipment in line with the national requirements and as such, the implementation of a comprehensive Fire Risk Assessment is also in place.

All staff and residents receive instruction and training in accordance with ‘The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005’. The fire alarm system has been commissioned by the FPC (Fire Protection Consultants), a qualified and recognised organisation and the system has been passed by the Fire Officer. All fire doors are in place in line with regulations and fire exits, escape routes and safe assembly points are clearly signed. We also have the added benefit that all the rooms are fire-proofed – so it is not solely the door that affords the required 30 minutes of safety but the whole room.

All equipment, systems and fire drills are regularly tested, monitored and recorded. Each new young person receives their first Fire drill within the first week of living with us and then they are conducted regularly thereafter. All intervention and recording evidence is frequently checked and approved by the Fire Officer and the Registered Manager regularly audits, monitors and evaluates the fire precautions, procedures and emergency information to ensure it is effective.

Further Information

Useful Websites

Health and Safety Executive