Area Islington provides 24-hour care for young people who would benefit from living within a residential care setting that is as near to a family home setting as possible.
Area Islington comprises of a large 4 story townhouse situated within the diverse borough of Islington which offers access to an abundance of schools, transport links, museums, recreational/leisure facilities as well as being home to Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium.
The home is spread over 1700 sq ft of high quality accommodation with capacity for 5 young people of a mixed gender, the entrance to the home is wonderfully landscaped with hedging surrounding the front of the house for added privacy. The ground floor provides a versatile living room, dining and kitchen area as well as a conservatory with access to a bright landscaped garden, the ground floor also has a staff office and a WC.
The first floor comprises of two double bedrooms (one en suite) filled with natural light and a further WC. The second floor provides two further double bedrooms and bathroom with bath tub and shower, the top floor comprises a large en suite double bedroom with fitted wardrobes and far reaching views over central London.
Young people will be encouraged to personalise their room and will have a choice of feature wall decorations. All soft furnishings and bedding are flame retardant to promote fire safety. Young people will have a lockable cabinet in their room for personal belongings as part of their bedroom furniture.
Young people will have a desk in their own bedrooms to complete homework or study in.
Places can be offered to large sibling groups to enable them to stay together provided that appropriate risk assessment supports the viability of this proposition. Area Islington can offer 52-week placements and short, medium or long term placements with the provision for emergency placements regulated by a strict process of risk assessments to ensure the safety of other children placed within the home.
Area Islington will guide and assist each young person to achieve their personal best, to prepare them for their future and to help them to deal with their past. Each young person will be given every opportunity to be successful in educational and life skills achievements.
Area Islington believes that each child and young person is entitled to a safe living environment under the protection of a high quality and well-trained staff team. The home offers a stable, caring family environment, which promotes positive attitudes and proactive support to each young person in its care. Our emphasis is on creating a holistic environment where young people are encouraged to explore their potential and develop their personality.
Overall we believe that these aims will be achieved through positive re-enforcement, nurtured in an atmosphere of fun, and laughter, (where appropriate), also through empathy and non-judgemental support when working through difficult issues. In summary we believe that Area Islington is available as a resource for our young people at a time that is often characterized by crisis in their lives.
Our Approach
Many of our young people have experienced a number of placement moves that are both unsettling and disruptive to their lives. As a result, the need for a safe and consistent approach is an integral part of providing them with quality care.
Education and Care Planning
Area Camden believes that education is essential for intellectual, social, emotional and physical development and can be a stable factor in the young person’s life. Education nurtures self-esteem; confidence and resilience and enables integration, future choices and independence.
Our commitment is to ensure educational stability and progress.
Consultation with Young People
We encourage the young people to have an active involvement with the running of the home. We believe that all young people have valuable opinions, which need to be taken into account. I
It is fundamental to the ethos of Area Camden that no decision is made without full consultation with the young person concerned. Consultation will be encouraged on a range of issues.
Behaviour Management
We believe that it is the responsibility of all staff to communicate with young people about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. It is the responsibility of staff to maintain safe and appropriate boundaries with, and between, staff and young people.
Consistency and fairness are key ingredients to developing a safe and positive atmosphere.
Recreation
Area Camden believe that it is extremely important for young people to be actively encouraged and supported in their choice of recreational and cultural activities and the promotion of leisure, sport and cultural activities for young people.
We believe that team building and group activities help promote self-esteem and help those in our care to grow in confidence and give our full support to educational activities and visits.
Religious and cultural needs
We are committed to supporting the religious and cultural needs of each young person who lives in the home. We believe that a young person’s cultural identity & ethnic heritage are an integral part of their character and should be promoted. Young people have the right to grow up with a full sense of their identity and that this will be achieved by promoting diversity and creating an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance.
No young person will be discriminated against on the grounds of their age, gender, ethnic origin, core beliefs or sexuality. Staff at Area Camden will endeavour at all times to offer young people real choices that reflect their age, maturity, understanding and cultural background.
Positive relationships
Area Camden will agree during Placement Planning meetings with the Placing Authority the arrangements for individual child to see their family and friends as per their individual relevant plans.
Staff will promote opportunities to build positive friendships in the home and out in the community, and friendships that may have a negative impact on young person would be discouraged. Staff will support young people to gain understanding what makes healthy relationships, and what relationships can be damaging and exploitative so they can develop skills to have positive relationships with others.
Staff will work with each individual young person to build positive, nurturing, warm and meaningful relationships with them. At Area Camden we believe that positive relationships with our young people is the foundation of promoting positive behaviours.
Child protection
One of our primary aims is to provide a safe and empowering place for all young people to live in. Child protection procedures are a key to keeping young people safe.
Area Camden will work in accordance with all guidelines set, to ensure that safeguarding issues are maintained as a top priority for the staff at the home. A Risk Assessment will be undertaken with each young person and this will be regularly reviewed and monitored as part of the placement planning process.
All young people within the home will be protected from discrimination and bullying by our anti-discrimination and anti bullying policies.
Staffing
No staff member will be permitted to commence working at Area Camden until a full-enhanced DBS check has been received and we follow government legislation in regards to this. Suitable references, written and telephone, will also have been received and approved.
Area Camden is committed to providing excellent standards of care for all the young people who live in our homes. To promote this level of excellence, it is the company policy that all staff members will be qualified to the required level relating to their roles.
Bullying
Bullying behaviour is not tolerated at Area Camden. Our staff teams will be constantly vigilant and aware that bullying can be present in residential care, and that it causes great misery for the victim.
As part of the initial assessment process, the issue of bullying will be discussed with each young person admitted to the home and it will be made clear that bullying behaviour, whether verbal or physical, will be challenged and if habitual, could lead to the cessation of the placement.
Complaints and representation
Area Camden supports the young person’s right to make complaints about any aspect of their treatment whilst living at the home. Young people will always be made aware of their right to complain should they feel they have been treated unfairly or disrespectfully.
Our policy is for any child or young person who makes a complaint to do so without fear of retaliation or reprisal.
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