Leadership and Management
Scope of this chapter
Although there are no clear guidelines as of yet for semi-independent and/or supported living provision for young people, good practice and commissioners would expect that all leaders and Managers of Services meet certain requirements which are detailed below.
When establishing the Service or setting up a new property for use by the Service, the managers must ensure that it is suitably located so that young people are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans.
Considerations to be taken into account in carrying out a location assessment may include:
- Whether the location of the property influences the potential for an already vulnerable young person to be a victim of crime, such as being targeted for sexual exploitation;
- Whether there is a likelihood of young people placed in the Service becoming drawn into gang crime or anti-social behaviour in the local area;
- The suitability of the local neighbourhood as a location to care for young people who may have already been victims of abuse and neglect.
Location assessments are good practice tools which may also identify factors that would positively contribute towards a young person’s well-being e.g. leisure activities or services to support the young person’s ethnic or religious identity.
This location assessment should be kept under review and amended to take into account any new risks as these are identified. Please also see Visitors to the Service/Property Policy.
Where unable to secure information from the relevant partners the use of 'soft' information (i.e. knowledge of the area, verbal feedback from local neighbourhood policing teams or community safety partnership wardens etc.) will be used to inform the assessment.
Please also see Health and Safety Procedure.
The manager is responsible for leading a team which provides high quality care for all children and young people who are supported in the Service. They must lead and manage the Service in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the Service’s Statement of Purpose. They should also play a key role in shaping the ethos of the Service through developing a culture of high aspiration for young people which is demonstrated through the support resources and opportunities offered to the young people.
The managers should support staff to be ambitious for every young person in the Service and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each young person to achieve their potential. To ensure that staff understand and can meet each young person’s needs, in line with their responsibilities, the managers themselves will need to have a high level of understanding of the needs of the young people in their Service.
Senior managers should be:
- Of integrity and good character;
- Physically and mentally fit;
- Able to provide full and satisfactory information as follows:
- An enhanced DBS check which is renewed every three years;
- Two written references, including a reference from the person's most recent employer, if any;
- Where a person has previously worked in a position whose duties involved work with children or vulnerable adults verification, so far as reasonably practicable, of the reason why the employment or position ended;
- Documentary evidence of any relevant qualification;
- A full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment.
In addition, senior and operational managers must have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the Service.
The Service will be financially viable for the purpose of achieving the aims and objectives set out in its Statement of Purpose.
The managers must, for commissioning purposes, provide the following to the local authority/placing authority to approve any block contracts or contracts:
- Ensure that adequate financial records are maintained and kept up to date in respect of the Service:
- The annual accounts of the Service, are certified by an accountant;
- Information as to the financing and financial resources of the Service;
- Where applicable, information as to any of its associated companies; and
- A certificate of insurance in respect of liability in relation to death, injury, public liability, damage or other loss;
- Provide Policies and Procedures of how the Service works.
Last Updated: February 20, 2023
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