Introduction
We want you to be happy in your home. You
are welcome to bring friends in provided their behaviour is OK and
does not cause problems for others, but please check with staff
first. We do ask that your friends do not visit during school
hours and that they leave by 9.00 pm.
The house has eight single bedrooms, including a preparation for
leaving care flat. The home is for children between the ages of 12
and 16+. Here at Bury Children’s Home there are lots to do,
to keep yourself occupied.
For those who like sports, equipment including footballs, pool
and table tennis tables are available, we also have fishing
equipment. For the arty type there are paints, craft kits, and clay
which are available for you to make your own creations!
The home is regularly inspected to make sure we are taking
good care of you.
Location
Bury Children’s Home is a large detached house with its
own garden situated in Bury St Edmunds.
The home is situated near to the town centre which has a popular
shopping centre, swimming pool, sports centre, cinemas, theatre,
bowling alley, railway station, fast food shops, etc. There
are also youth clubs, dance classes, football teams and drama
groups that you could join if you wish.
Routines
For any home to run smoothly we need to have some sort of
routine, however, times have to be changed when activities or
outings are arranged or something special is happening.
Meal Times
We like to be quite flexible but do try to have our meals all
together.
Mealtimes are
usually:
| Breakfast |
7.30 am to 9.00 am |
| Lunch (weekends/holidays) |
12.30pm to 1.30 pm |
| Evening meal |
5.30 pm to 6.30 pm |
| Supper |
8.15 pm to 9.00 pm |
Bed Times
Bed times are age dependant and all children are expected to be
in their rooms by 10.30pm. If they are unable to sleep, they can
read or listen to music quietly. All rooms have a television but
this is switched off on a school night by the night staff.
Pocket Monies and Incentive Awards
Whilst living at Bury Children’s Home you will receive pocket
money, days are on a stagger system. You will be told which day
this will be for you. You are able to earn incentive money, which
you can spend when out with staff.
Staff
There are, staff in the house all times. Some are there in
the mornings to get you off to school, some are there when you come
home and others are there all night to keep you safe. At
night, all the external doors are kept closed.
Keyworkers
Every child will have their own Keyworkers. Your
Keyworkers are members of staff who will take a particular interest
in you and make sure that things work out for you. They will
also help you to buy your clothes and toiletries, make doctors,
dentists and opticians appointments if you need them and provide
support for you at school. They will also attend your Reviews
and help you keep in touch with your family, friends and Social
Worker.
Records and Files
As you probably know, we do keep files about all children.
The files are to help you, so you can look at them if you wish and
put in anything you think should be in them. The files are
very helpful in making sure nothing gets forgotten at your Review
meetings but they are private to you and only those people who need
to know are allowed to see inside.
Fire
When you arrive at Bury Children’s Home you will do a fire drill
to make sure you know how and where to get out of the building as
quickly as possible if there is a fire.
If you hear the fire alarm, you will need to quickly but calmly
make your way out of the building by the nearest fire exit and stay
in the back garden on the grass. You will be told when it is safe
to return into the home.
Be Healthy
At Bury Children’s Home we encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Your fitness is important to you so we will help and encourage you
to take part in sport and other activities. If you would like
to join a sports or activity based club, just ask your Keyworker to
help you.
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To maintain your fitness level, good
food is essential. We have a cook to prepare our main meal of
the day and there are always plenty of different healthy dishes to
choose from. Sometimes you may like to prepare your own food
in the kitchen, but take care, as kitchens can be dangerous
places.
The house is a non-smoking building for everyone and there’s always
plenty of help for young people who want to give up smoking. Just
ask staff and they will put you in touch with people who can help
you. |
We do not allow drugs or alcohol in the house and, if we find
any, we will take them away. Information about giving up
smoking or the real health and safety risks associated with drug
and alcohol abuse is available to you in the home. Just ask
any member of staff to help or advice.
You will need to be registered with a doctor, dentist and optician
and your Keyworkers will help you do that.
Stay Safe
For your safety, it is very important to tell staff
where you are going when you go out and what time you will be
back. If you know you are going to be late, please phone
us.
Your bedroom is your own private place where you can lock the
door and have time and space to yourself. You will have your
own television, but please think of others and don’t have it on too
loud. You will also have a special place in your room where
you can lock away anything that is really valuable to you.
For everyone’s safety, we prefer you not to take visitors in your
room.
To keep everyone safe, we do not allow children to have any
weapons. This means such things as guns or imitation guns,
knives, swords, catapults or bows and arrows. Any weapons
brought into the house are confiscated.
Sometimes, children get upset or angry and out of control.
Staff always put your safety first and will not let you harm
yourself or others. They may have to hold you to stop you
and, at times, this can be upsetting for everyone. It helps
to talk it all through with somebody of your choice after things
have calmed down.
Bullying at the home is not acceptable, whether it is
name-calling, teasing, pushing or pulling, fighting, ignoring or
leaving others out or spreading rumours. If you feel you are
being bullied or you see any bullying, please speak to a member of
staff or the Children’s Rights Officer, who visits us every
week. If you are a victim of bullying, or a bully yourself,
staff will do something to prevent this.
Make a positive contribution
If you are unhappy or have any problems or worries you can’t
share with the staff, you can use an, ‘I want you to know’ form and
give it to the Manager who will always answer you. You can
also speak to the Children’s Rights Officer, who visits us every
week.
You will have the opportunity to join a Steering Group.
This is a group of children, parents, neighbours, local business
people, staff, teachers and people from Social Care who meet
regularly to talk about the various issues and goals of the
Home.
The Children’s Home is the place where people can feel
safe, relax and be comfortable. Although we have a cleaner,
everyone is expected to help keep our home looking nice and a
healthy place to live. Your bedroom is your private place so
it is up to you to keep it clean and tidy.
Living together can sometimes have its difficulties. We
are all unique with different habits, likes, dislikes and
expectations so we must respect each other for what we are and
treat everybody with the same respect.
Children, who continually disrespect others or our home, will
sometimes be given sanctions. These could be deductions from
pocket money, being left out of activities or doing household
chores, but there is always the opportunity to earn these back.
Enjoy and Achieve
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Everyone at Bury Children’s Home is expected to
go to school. Your education is extremely important and
staff, especially your Key workers, will do everything they can to
support you in your school and help you keep up with your
studies.
In our education room we have three computers,
linked to the Internet, for you to use for your homework. We
have lots of art and craft things, games, a karaoke machine, dance
mats, play stations and lots of things to do. |
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If you attend school regularly or follow your weekly plan, you
will be rewarded with incentive money on top of your pocket
money. You can choose to spend or save this. If you
want help in saving your money towards something special, Key
workers, will help you to open a bank account.
Everyone loves to read and, as well as the selection of books
brought here by local library staff, you can select a magazine of
your own.
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As well as the everyday activities,
we sometimes organise local and foreign holidays, activity based
holidays and camps for children. Their behaviour and
achievement during the year will be assessed for the suitability of
each holiday/activity.
We also use any excuse to have a party, not just on your
birthday. There’s Valentine’s Day, Christmas and Easter,
Pancake Day, Halloween, Bonfire Night and other special religious
and cultural days, when we like to have
fun. |
Achieve economic well being
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During your last year at school - Year 11 - we
will help you learn how to look after yourself in the future.
You will be given opportunities to learn how to cook, pay bills and
generally care for yourself which will help you when you leave
here. There is a book and resource pack called ‘Sorted’ that
will help you do this.
When you are 15 and working towards your first job or career, you
may be able to move into our independence flat where you
will have your own kitchen, sitting room, bedroom and
bathroom and practise looking after yourself. Staff
and other people will provide help and advise you during this
time. |
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You may want information and advice about a job or career, so we
will be working closely with you and your Connexions advisor.
People who can help
We have a Children’s Rights Officer who visits
our home regularly. You can also phone on 01473
583468. Once a week they visit the home and will
discuss any problems or concerns you may have about your
care. These may be very private things, which you may prefer
not to talk about with the home’s staff.
Amongst other things, they may ask you if you would like to be
involved in various things, which may include the training and
selection of staff.
We also have a Safeguarding Manager. She
visits the home every month and produces an independent report,
which goes into great detail about your care and the way the home
operates. She is interested in hearing what you think about
your care.
We have a visiting Looked After Children
Nurse. She will keep an eye on your health
and will listen to your worries and concerns.
From April 1st 2007 we will be inspected by OFSTED. Each
Children's Home have a designated OFSTED
Inspector. OFTSTED is a government organisation that
inspects all children's homes to make sure they are run well and
follow your care plan. They visit twice a year. Before
they come, they will send you a questionnaire to fill in and during
the visits and may ask you questions. The phone number is
08456 404040.