Young person's guide to Broad Park Centre - Print version

Lots of children and young people come to Broad Park House for a Residential 'Short Break'. This means you get to have a break here with us and the people at home who take care of you also have a break.

Statement of purpose

The statement of purpose describes the benefits enjoyed by the children at Broad Park House; it outlines the care we provide and how we are organised to provide the care. It includes an overview of the facilities, services and practices that we adopt to make sure that we are continuously delivering effective services for the benefits of the children.

Your first visit

On your first visit to Broad Park House you will be invited to have a look around with whoever you would like to bring with you.

After you have visited, you can come and have tea with us so we can get to know you and you can get to know us.

After you have had tea a few times, you can stay a bit longer, maybe for the whole day?

When you’re feeling happy about spending time at Broad Park, we can look at you staying overnight, in your own bedroom!

When you come and stay with us at Broad Park we try to keep you feeling happy and safe.

What will I do at Broad Park Centre?

There are lots of things to do here:

• toys
• games
• DVDs
• internet
• football
• trikes/bikes
• X-Box
• Playstation
• Wii
• arts and crafts
• cooking
• independence skills
• day trips
• holidays
• short break activities

and much, much more...

We also visit lots of places in our minibus.

Your stay with us

While you’re staying at Broad Park House, your family might want to come and visit you. If they do you can have your visit in a room by yourselves.

You can also phone friends and family.

If you need support to dial a number a staff member will help you, then leave you in private to talk. Your friends and family can also phone you here at Broad Park.

When it’s a school day you can come to Broad Park on the school bus with your friends. You then go to school each morning on the bus and come back to Broad Park when school ends.

If you go to an after school club, don’t worry you can still go, we will arrange for you to come back afterwards!

About you

When you come to Broad Park your Mum, Dad or Carer will have told us about how you would like/need to be looked after. If you are able to tell or show us how you like to be looked after, we will also write this down and make up what we call a ‘Care Plan’.

We might also have other plans that we write depending on how you need to be looked after, by writing these plans it means that we can care for you in the very best way possible way.

Bedtimes

Your usual bedtime routine will be followed as closely as possible. We will ask about your bedtimes, this includes whether you like to have a bath or a shower before going to bed, whether you like to have your door left open or your light on also if you have a favourite toy or teddy that you like to take to bed with you or have a story or a book to read. We know some of you will go to bed at different times to other young people of your age and this will be agreed in one of your plans.

Bathtimes and personal care

We will ask about what you can do for yourself and what you need help with to look after your personal needs. This includes keeping yourself clean and using the toilet.

Keeping healthy

We will ask about anything that you need to keep you well and who your doctor is, just in case you should be poorly when you are with us. You will need to bring your medicines with you to Broad Park with signed consent form from your Mum or Dad/Carer.

Meal times

We like all children and young people to contribute to our meal plans. We will ask you in the young person’s meeting what you like to eat and also what you don’t like or perhaps can’t eat.

You will have choices each day from a range of healthy foods along with the occasional treats!

We also have regular cooking activities where you can take part and make some food yourself.

Behaviour

At Broad Park we expect all children and young people to be kind and to respect each other. However if we encounter any form of bullying it will be dealt with appropriately. Please see our anti-bullying policy for more information.

When you are at Broad Park there are lots of things to do so we hope everyone will find activities interesting.

If someone should feel bored, angry, over stimulated or frustrated this can lead to negative behaviour, should this happen, staff will look at your relaxation /behaviour plan so we can find out how to help you manage your behaviour during your stay. This means that you can then enjoy time in the group or activity once again.

Positive behaviour will be rewarded here at Broad Park, we love to give praise and value you taking part in all of the fun activities.

Bullying

Bullying is hurtful physical, verbal or emotional behaviour towards others with the intention or causing distress and/or intimidation.

At Broad Park the level of supervision should mean that incidents of bullying are minimal. Bullying in any form will not be tolerated and will be challenged.

We will make sure that any incidences of bullying are recorded and dealt with by staff.

If you feel that you are being bullied then you must tell a member of staff who can support you with dealing with the problem, and also talk to you if you are not sure.

If bullying carries on in the home, we will organise a meeting with parents/carers and social workers to make sure that it stops and that things are in place to make sure we can all live together happily.

Getting involved

When you arrive we have a 'Young Person's meeting'.

At this meeting you can choose and decide what activities you would like to do for the week and what kind of food or meals you would like to eat.

It's important that you make your views known and we can help you do this by using lots of different communication tools.

You can also find out more about getting your views heard on the next page.

Link worker

When you come to Broad Park you will be allocated a 'Link Worker'. Your link worker will write and sort out your care plans and other things that you need to make it a nice stay at Broad Park. They will talk with your parents/carers and your social worker to make sure everything is in place for you. They will also attend your school reviews and short break reviews.

Your link worker will make sure that they are there for you and will help you with any problems that you might have when you stay with us.

Short break reviews

When you start staying overnight at Broad Park, you will be allocated a Link Worker and may also be allocated your very own Reviewing Officer.

The Reviewing Officer works outside of Broad Park and makes sure that you are getting the very best care possible. In the case where you are not allocated a Reviewing Officer your Link Worker will ensure that we are meeting your care needs. They will have a meeting, that you can also attend every 6 months and will look at your 'care plan' to make sure that your short break is still a good thing for you. You can tell your Reviewing Officer/ Link Worker all the things you like about your short break and also the things that you don't like so much.

They will listen to what you have to say and might change your care plan to make it a better experience for you.

Your parents and your Social Worker will also be at the review.

If you haven't got a review for a little while you can still contact your Reviewing Officer and they will listen to you.

You can contact them at:

Children's Reviewing Service
Broadgate House
Coventry
024 7683 3443

Your views

While you are at Broad Park we understand that sometimes you can feel tired, homesick, don't always understand what is going on or generally feel unhappy.

If something has happened to make you feel unhappy, please tell us and we will listen.

If someone has upset you we will do our best to help you sort out the problem.

If you are still not happy you have the right to complain to someone outside of Broad Park House. We have an Inspector whose job it is to visit Broad Park and check that everything is OK. You can tell the inspector when s/he is here or complete a form [/info/37/childrens_social_care/625/young_peoples_guide_to_making_a_social_care_complaint] or you can call them directly on the telephone. We can get someone impartial to help you.

Comments, compliments and complaints

Complaints from families and young people are taken seriously and recorded on the official register. All attempts are made to solve complaints at home level by the Registered Home's Manager, Sue Hollywood.

Children's social care complaints

If this is not possible an official complaints form is available either from the home or from our Children's Social Care complaints department [/info/37/childrens_social_care/625/young_peoples_guide_to_making_a_social_care_complaint].

Should you wish to Comment on or compliment on an individual or the home's practices please do so.

Ofsted

OFSTED
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
Telephone: 0300 1231231
E mail: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk [mailto:enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk]
For textphone/Minicom users 0161 618 8524

Barnado's Children's Rights Officer

We also have a visit every 6 weeks from a Barnado's Children's Rights Officer, who will come and have a chat to you. They will listen to you and give you some advice if you need it? It doesn't have to be about Broad Park, but any part of your life that you feel you need some help with.

You can contact: 024 7637 2596.

Guide to complaints

Full corporate complaints policy and procedure can be obtained from staff.

What is a complaint?

Any expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of service, actions, or lack of action by the Council or its employees, which the customer feels should have been provided.

Compliments and Comments

Service users may also provide compliments or expressions of gratitude to particular staff or services.

Making a complaint, compliment or comment

Visit our Comments, Compliments and Complaints page [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/5/contact_the_council/545/comments_compliments_and_complaints] for further details.

Who can complain?

Anyone receiving or seeking a service from the Council or anyone acting for those unable or unwilling to complain personally i.e. a 'representative' can make a complaint.

A 'representative' is someone acting on behalf of a complainant where that person is unable to make the complaint themselves, or has asked the person to act on their behalf.

There are two stages to the formal Complaints Procedure:

Stage 1 – service investigation

If it has not been possible to resolve the complaint informally at Broad Park House, further investigation and feedback will be given to the complainant.

All reasonable steps to resolve the complaint at Stage 1, and will respond within 10 working days. Where this is not possible, the complainant will be sent an update with an estimate of the likely timescale for a response.

Complainants will be notified in writing of the outcome. Whether the complaint has been upheld or not, the reasons and the complainant's right to a service investigation review (Stage 2).

If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation at Stage 1, then Stage 2 can begin.

Stage 2 - service investigation review

This will either be conducted by a senior manager of the service or, a senior officer or manager outside the line management of the service The Council will normally respond to the complainant within 20 working days. Complainants will be notified in writing of the outcome.

You can also contact:

OFSTED

Piccadilly Gate

Store Street

Manchester

M1 2WD

Tel: 0300 123 1231

enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk [mailto:enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk]

Complainant’s right to take their complaint seen by the Local Government Ombudsman, who might decide to carry out an independent investigation of the complaint.

Local Government Ombudsman
Tel: 0300 061 0614 or 0845 602 1983
Visit: http://www.lgo.org.uk/making-a-complaint/ [http://www.lgo.org.uk/making-a-complaint/]
Text ‘call back’ to 0762 480 4299
PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH

You can also speak with your allocated Social Worker (ask a staff member for the phone number) or the Independent Children’s Rights Officer of any complaints, compliments or comments on 024 7637 2596.