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 4 single bedrooms, for children between
the ages of 12 and 16+. There is also a study, lounge, a
dining room, kitchen, utility room and a garden.
The home is regularly inspected to make sure we are taking good
care of you.
Location
Redwood Lodge is a detached house with a good size
enclosed garden, situated at the end of a private
drive.
The home is close to the recreation ground, leisure centre,
middle and high schools. It is a five minute walk to the town
centre. There you will find a railway station, bus stops, a good
range of shops, cinema, library, restaurants and
takeaways.
There is also a youth club, boxing club, football teams and
drama clubs 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 noon to 1.00 pm |
| Evening meal |
5.30 pm to 6.30 pm |
| Supper |
8.30 pm to 9.30 pm |
Bed Times
There is no set bedtime but everyone is expected to be settled
in their rooms by 10.30 pm.
Pocket Money and Incentive Awards
You will be given your pocket money on Saturday mornings.
Incentive Schemes can help you earn additional money to put towards
a specific activity, interest or item. |
 |
Staff
The house is staffed at all times. Some staff 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 locked.
Keyworkers
All children have their own Keyworkers. Your Keyworkers
are members of staff who will take a particular interest in you and
make sure that any information about you is correct and made
available, as appropriate, to the people working with you. They
will help you put together your weekly plan and set the targets for
your incentive scheme. They will also help to make sure you
have the essential items you need such as clothes and toiletries;
make doctor’s, dentist’s and optician’s 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 there to ensure that all correct information is
available to help us support and care for you. The daily entries
made by staff are recorded in your daily file and you may look at
these and record your views if you wish to. Your yellow case file
is an official document and holds other paperwork relating to other
professionals work with you so to look at this you need to make an
arrangement with your Social Worker.
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 Redwood Lodge 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.
Be Healthy
At Redwood Lodge we encourage a healthy life-style. 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 Keyworkers to
help you.
To maintain your fitness level, good food is essential. Staff at
Redwood Lodge will prepare the main meal of the day during the week
and there are always plenty of different healthy dishes to choose
from.
Sometimes you may like to help prepare your own meals in the
kitchen, but take care as kitchens can be dangerous places.
You may need to be registered with a doctor, dentist and
optician in the local area if you have moved away from your
previous health services and your Keyworkers will ensure this
happens. You will also meet our Looked After Children’s Nurse who
does a health check with every child who comes to Redwood Lodge to
make sure they can get the right help and support to promote good
health.
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.
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 encourage other’s into
your room or at least to keep the door open, if another child is
with you, so staff can check you are ok.
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, 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, but staff are
trained to do this in a safe way and 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
month. If you are a victim of bullying, or a bully yourself,
staff will do something to prevent this.
We have an “I want you to know” system. This allows you to write
to any member of the team, the Manager or the Head of the Service
and tell us about any worry or concern you have, you will then get
a response from that person and hopefully this will help us put
things right for you in the shortest possible time.
We hope you will also let us know when things are going
well!
Make a Positive Contribution
At Redwood Lodge we recognise that each child will come here
during a very difficult time in their life and having had some very
upsetting experiences. We aim to work together with you as an
individual and as part of a group to deal with experiences such as
bullying, drugs, alcohol and relationship difficulties.
We want you to be able to have your say, ask the things you want
to know and discuss topics that are important to you. |
 |
We have children’s / house meetings every fortnight followed by
a take away tea this give us a chance to discuss some issues that
effect everyone and talk about the way the home is run. Any new
ideas or things you would like to happen are then taken to the Team
meetings for them to discuss.
You will have the opportunity to contribute to the Steering
Group. This is a group of interested people who aim to
support and help with the development of the work that Redwood
Lodge does. This group may include neighbours, local business
people, Councillors, staff, teachers and people from Social Care
and other agencies we work with, 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. 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
Everyone at Redwood Lodge is expected to continue with
their learning, though we understand that you may have experienced
some difficulties.
Your education is extremely important and staff, will do
everything they can to support you in maintaining your current
school placement, transfer to a new school or engage in alternative
learning environments.
In our study we have a computer, linked to the Internet, for you
to use for your homework. Staff are more than happy to help you
complete your homework or find other ways to support you in
completing it.
We have lots of art and craft things, games, pool table, play
station and many other things to do.
If you attend school regularly or follow your weekly plan, you
will be rewarded with incentive money. You can choose to
spend or save this. If you want help in saving your money
towards something special, Keyworkers 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.
As well as the everyday activities, we sometimes organise
holidays and camps for children, based on their behaviour and
achievement.
We also use any excuse to have a party, not just on your
birthday. There’s Valentine’s Day, Christmas and Easter,
Pancake Day, Bonfire Night and other special religious and cultural
days, when we like to have fun.
 |
Achieve Economic Well Being
If you are over 14 we will help you develop skills to look after
yourself in the future. You will be given opportunities to
learn how to cook 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.
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
The Children’s Rights Officer visits our home
regularly. You can also phone on 01473
583468 and discuss any problems or concerns you may have
about your care. These may be very private things that you
may prefer not to talk about with the home’s staff.
Amongst other things, the Children’s Rights Officer may ask you
if you would like to be involved in various things that may include
the training and selection of staff.
A Safeguarding Manager visits the home every month and produces
an independent report that goes into great detail about your care
and the way the home operates. The manager is interested in hearing
what you think about your care.
We have a named nurse who will meet with you soon after you
arrive. The Nurse will keep an eye on your health and will listen
to your worries and concerns. She can be contacted on
01449 776055.
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.