Explore Independence recognizes that young people must be valued and given full autonomy to realize their individual self-worth and take full control over their lives in a safe and supportive way.  As such the “Young Person Service Users/Involvement Policy” was designed as a framework for Young People who come to reside at any of the many homes set up by Explore Independence.  The aim and objective of this policy is to provide young people with a voice and forum to state how they see and understand service delivery from their perspective.  The main aspects of the policy are really to focus on the following:

• Service Delivery
• Is the service conducive to the young person’s individual needs
• How can Explore Independence improve the services they receive

Once a placement has been identified at one of the Explore Independence properties, the young person will be encouraged to view the property with their respective Social Worker and asked to give feedback in terms of the following:

• Location
• Safety
• The overall presentation of the property
• Distance to get to local colleges or university

In addition, a young person is allowed to ask as many questions as possible to ensure that they are aware of the services to be offered to them and for them to seek clarity as to what is expected from them throughout their tenure at Explore Independence.  We would also encourage a young person to assess the location and the accommodation as it stands and how these can be improved if required. Feedback as to the overall presentation of the property and the actual distances to get back and forth to College and University will be deemed as very important to a young person and these will be measured by actual trial and error.

At Explore Independence we would encourage young people to form a coalition forum where they would meet with the Director and the Operations Manager on a monthly/quarterly basis where they would be able to raise issues impacting service delivery and also an opportunity to raise grievances issues as to the running of the organization as service users.  This will be seen as an important way for Explore Independence to hear firsthand how they are meeting the needs of the young people that are utilizing their services and an opportunity to address issues of poor practice and poor service delivery.  In essence, the policy will also allow a young person to do the following:

• Address areas of poor practices anonymously by completing a form that would be sent to Management
• Young people would present their representation and where appropriate have officers in their own right to put forth their case
• Young people will be encouraged to challenge the statuesque in a safe and respectful environment
• Management would be responsible for responding to any of the young people’s issues within 7 working days and offering strategies for the way forward
• Young people would be encouraged to write their agenda, take their minutes, and be empowered to become involved in the day-to-day management of the organization by way of due process
• This will enable a young person to take ownership and accountability for their position of being keen service users as part of an independent plus
• We would also encourage young people where appropriate to participate in staff interviews and selection processes to establish the right type of skills in working in the organization

Overall the “Young Person Service Users/Involvement Policy” is not a static document and we would fully encourage young people to use this as a tool to facilitate change appropriately, to raise concerns that they may have and to have these documented with agreed outcomes on both sides.  Where possible this can also be done independently to maintain a level of impartiality and transparency in which young people at Explore Independence become involved with how service delivery is being presented to them.

Explore Independence works in line with the Children Act 2004 to ensure that all Young people exercise their right to participate in decisions that affect them. We aim to ascertain the wishes and feelings of each young person when making a decision that will affect that young person. All young people are also encouraged to attend and engage in any meetings or appointments where decisions about their lives are being made to provide the opportunity for the young person to have a say and contribute to whatever decisions are being made. In the event or circumstances where young people do not feel able to participate on their own accord, a representative either a key worker or independent advocate will be assigned to represent them.

Explore Independence provides crisis intervention facilities which can be more appropriate than placement in secure accommodation and with views of a long-term placement and eventual independence. Staff are specifically trained to deal with challenging behaviour and anger management. We allocate a key worker immediately on arrival of the young person and this can be reviewed after week one and to then allocate a key worker of the young persons choice. Once a placement is established, our emphasis are mainly as follows:

• To provide a continuing safe and secure environment for the resident/s throughout the duration of their placement. If any resident is unable to cope with peer group within the home an alternative single occupancy home can be provided.
• To register every young person with a local doctor, dentist and optician.
• To organise activity field trips from time to time
• To provide and encourage other activity pursuits such as swimming, snooker, ice-skating etc
• To comply with all special conditions as stipulated by the Court (if appropriate) and the placing authority.
• To provide a full assessment of the service users within the initial eight week placement period.
• To produce full monthly review reports
• To liaise fully with the Social Workers on all relevant care issues.
• To at all times act in the service users best interests.

We provide supported, quality and affordable accommodation to young people for the local authorities across the United Kingdom. We aim to help the young people 16+ toward achieving independent living by providing them with basic life skills training and outreach support when they move on.

Explore Independence objectives are mainly:

• To provide quality accommodation to young people.
• To offer assistance and support to young people through the transition stage to adulthood.
• To support young people in finding employment including through the use of organizations who provide training schemes and work placements.
• To provide young people with educational resources and other important life skill training.
• To help the young people to develop self-esteem and confidence as well as encourage positive behavior, respect for themselves, the environment and the wider community.

We currently have a total of four 24/7 Placement Units located at various parts of London.

Young people are encouraged to personalise their room once they have settled in placement. The staff have the master keys in the staff key bunches to allow staff access to carry out room checks and to check on the safety and activities of the young person when we are concern.  We also have a garden space at the front and the back of the building. Most of our placements are centrally located and close to local shops and larger shopping centres which are easily accessible either by walking or public transport. Activities such as swimming, cinema, gym and sports centres are also within easy reach.

As a minimum, Young people will have a bed, hanging space, draw space for personal possessions, window covering, pots and pan, plates and other utensils and a welcome pack which contains a towel, tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant and shower gel etc. Young people will also have free use of the home WIFI (note there are strict restrictions to accessing inappropriate materials or the dark web etc.)

Young people will have the option to personalize their room and contribute to the feel of their home.

Security of the Building

CCTV Surveillance at the Placement

The security of young people and their possessions is taken very seriously. The buildings have fitted CCTV at the front, side, rear and communal areas of the buildings. This is used as an additional security measure to help ensure uninvited people are not gaining access. It may also be used on occasions to identify clothing worn if a young person goes missing or if an incident has happened within the communal areas or on the grounds of the premises. Recordings are backed up on the hard drive and staff can view this data but images are only assessable for downloading by the Registered Service Manager and Senior Management Staff.

Fire Precautions

Explore Independence has a building and location risk assessment that is reviewed on an annual basis.  Any risks that are identified are minimised as much as possible. Explore Independence has fire alarm system and fire equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets etc. that are tested and serviced regularly, and any maintenance carried out as quickly as possible.  Fire exits are clearly marked.

The fire points are tested on a weekly basis, and fire drills are carried out at least four times a year, including one at night as required and a drill is carried out when we have new young person in the home. All fire tests & drills are recorded

There is a procedure for emergency evacuation, ‘In Case of Fire’ directions, which all staff and young people are made aware of. There are smoke and heat detectors throughout the building, including bedrooms, and they are regularly tested and inspected yearly. The health and safety checks are carried out at the beginning of each shift and at night, it involves the removal of all electrical plugs from sockets when not in use. Doors and windows are secured at night time.

The security of the building including security of the keys is the responsibility of all staff, ensuring that the building is safe from intrusion. In carrying out this responsibility it is important to explain its importance to young people. They are made aware that the building needs to be safe from any possible intruders and also that young people’s bedrooms needs to be safe from intrusion from one another. In this sense, staff enlists young people’s support and understanding about the need for security of the building. Clearly it is necessary that parts of the internal home be locked, such as the office where confidential information is kept. It is therefore necessary for staff to carry keys to the building throughout their shift. The security of the keys is also an important responsibility.

At Explore Independence we believe that the more we consult young people and get them involved in the decisions that affect their lives, and the more they can contribute to the life in the home, the more likely they are to have successful placements. We want the young people to be involved in every aspect of their care and at Explore Independence we routinely seek the views of the young people. We ensure that as much as possible, young people’s views are taken into consideration when taking decisions that affect their personal lives.

The young people are encouraged to contribute to most recording processes particularly their risk assessment and internal pathway plan. Young people can read through the recordings made about them by staff at Explore Independence. This includes, their review reports, key work session report, incident reports, sanction and reward, etc. Young people can write any concerns they have about what has been written about them.

House meetings are held weekly, and are opportunities for young people and staff to discuss any issues brought by either the young people or the staff. Any issues that cannot be resolved will be taken to the staff (team) meeting, and feedback given to young people about any decisions made.
Young people are welcomed to challenge any working practice, and are encouraged to make any suggestions for change.

Staff are trained to respect, advocate and inform the young people of their individual rights and choices. Adequate policies, supervision and control are put in place to monitor and deliver personalized services that are not intrusive, but one which recognize vulnerability, complexity and the support needs of young people. Young people are provided with a manual that outlines what they are to expect from the placement during the admission. Their views are sought during the monthly house meeting and these views are used to inform decisions during staff and senior management meetings.
We value and nurture the unique qualities of young people as such aim to provide high quality, person-centred support for our young people. We also strive to recognise and invest in every opportunity that will enable each young person in our placement to develop, feel protected from harm, be healthy, achieve and succeed. We create a safe and secure environment, which is warm and empowering for young people to live in and flourish until they are ready to move on at the end of their placement. Explore Independence is committed to ensuring that the allocated Key Worker provides the day-to-day support that includes making sure that the young people are safeguarded.