2.2 Safe Working Practice |
Contents
- Introduction
- Assessment and Management of Risk Posed by an Adult
- Reception Safety
- Personal Safety - Office Interviews
- Personal Safety - Home Visits
- Lone Working
1. Introduction
Violence, threats and abuse to staff are unacceptable. Wandsworth Children's Services takes this very seriously.
As an employer we try to prevent any incidents and protect staff from harm.
If you think that you are at risk of violence, tell a Manager immediately
Your Manager has a responsibility to keep you safe.
Always report and record incidents. If you don't you could be endangering others. Use the Incident Form.
See CS Intranet
You are entitled to immediate support after an incident.
Managers must devise a 'Management Plan' containing a clear strategy for working with service users who have been predicted to pose a risk. See the section below "Assessment and Management of Risk posed by an Adult"
The plan must be recorded in Frameworki. Reception and duty staff must be briefed, particularly if the adult posing a risk is likely to present in reception. All staff must be briefed if the adult posing a risk is likely to be waiting outside the building or has made specific threats.
The Plan should consider whether a name should be added to the Aggressive Persons Register and whether parks police or police assistance should be requested.
Keeping Safe Training is a priority for all.
2. Assessment and Management of Risk Posed by an Adult
The Assessment and Management of Risk Posed by and Adult document can be found in Frameworki by clicking on People, New Episode on the Child/Young Persons Record.
See Frameworki HOW 2 Guides on the Wandsworth Intranet if you are unsure how to access episodes or documents or talk to your Team Manager or Team Administrator.
Consideration must be given to the potential risk posed to staff by adults associated with all children and young people receiving a service.
At the point of first contact an Assessment and Management of Risk Posed by an Adult Frameworki episode must be opened on the Child/Young Person's record in respect of adults associated with the child/young person with whom staff are likely to come into contact.
A Frameworki episode must be opened regardless of known risk. If however there are no known risk indicators this can be noted in the first section of the document and the episode finished.
If there is information to indicate that the adult might pose a risk the assessment needs to be completed and following consideration of the evidence, an assessment of risk recorded. If the assessment is that a risk is present then the Management Plan needs also to be completed.
The Team Manager should be made aware of the assessment and agree the risk management plan and, if necessary, involve Senior Management. A warning must be entered on the Frameworki Personal Details Screen of the child and adults concerned.
The Assessment and Management of Risk should be reviewed annually. End the Frameworki episode by selecting the outcome of "Review and Finish".
3. Reception Safety
See Section 4, Personal Safety - Office Interviews below.
Staff conducting office interviews in Welbeck House should ensure blinds in interview rooms are open to enable the receptionist to see what is happening in the room.
If you are undertaking a planned sensitive interview then reception staff can book the family or interview room 3 for you, both of which are private and have CCTV surveillance. Reception staff will also try to relocate you to these rooms if your caller is unplanned and in a distressed state.
All staff must respond to the Welbeck House receptionist's request to see people in reception within ten minutes of their arrival. The '10 Minute rule' is successful in minimising incidents, waiting time and congestion in reception all of which leads to frustration.
All new staff should arrange an induction session with receptionists, to ensure that they understand the rules and familiarise themselves with the environment.
All staff must support reception staff. They must be given full co-operation and respect at all times.
If there is a threatening incident in the reception area a debriefing must take place led by a senior manager. The reception area risk assessment should be updated if necessary.
The Welbeck House reception area closes at 5.00pm and planned meetings should not be arranged after 5.00.pm. If in exceptional circumstances, the reception interview rooms are required for a meeting then the social worker must obtain permission from their team manager.
Permission for usage must be recorded on Frameworki by the manager and reception informed. It is the responsibility of the officer arranging the out of hours event to ensure that the attendees are met and escorted to the room and exit the building safely afterwards.
The team manager must ensure that there are staff from the team available to assist the worker should any difficulties arise. Please remember that there is no reception cover after 5.00pm and the numbers of staff in the building are substantially reduced. It is for this reason that we only allow meetings here after 5.00pm as an exception and staff should seek alternative venues in the first instance.
4. Personal Safety - Office Interviews
Most office interviews are not a matter of concern but it is important to remain alert about your personal safety.
Do a risk assessment prior to interviewing someone for the first time. See Assessment and Management of risk posed by an Adult" above. Check the Council's Aggressive Person Register (APR)
Decide whether it is safe to interview alone. Discuss any concerns with your manager. If you have some concerns that don't warrant a joint interview agree that a colleague will be available whilst you conduct the interview to assist if required. Arrange to interview with a colleague if necessary.
Talk to your manager if you have concerns. Ask them to be on standby.
If there is a serious threat to personal safety arrange a police presence.
Make sure there is a clear view into the interview room.
Make sure there are no objects in the interview room that can be thrown.
Inform the Receptionist or a colleague as you go into the interview.
Arrange the seating in the interview room. Give yourself quick easy access to get out in an emergency. Don't block the door with your own chair.
Check if there is a panic alarm. If there is make sure that you can reach it easily if required.
Inform the Receptionist or a colleague if you have to leave the interviewee alone - if this is for a prolonged period ask the interviewee to wait in the reception area.
Inform the Receptionist or a colleague when the interview has ended.
Focus on the reason for the interview and politely and assertively terminate the interview if you are worried.
Never be afraid to say you are concerned about an interview.
5. Personal Safety - Home Visits
Most visits are not a matter of concern but it is important to remain alert about your personal safety.
Do a risk assessment before visiting a family or young person for the first time. See "Assessment and Management of Risk posed by an Adult" above. Check the Council's Aggressive Person's Register (APR)
Decide whether it is safe to visit alone. Discuss any concerns with your manager. If you have some concerns that don't warrant a joint visit agree that a colleague will telephone you whilst you are on the visit to confirm that you feel safe. Arrange to visit with a colleague if necessary. Notify the local police of the address if needed
Leave details of your visit, your contact telephone number and your expected return to the office with your manager or a colleague.
If you are not returning to the office after your visit make an arrangement to let your manager or a colleague know you have left the visiting address.
Think about where you position yourself in the family home. Have a mind to how you might exit if necessary.
Focus on the reason for the visit and politely conclude the visit if you have any concerns for your safety.
If you experience a threat to your personal safety talk to your manager about putting the person you have visited on the Aggressive Person's Register to support Council colleagues in other departments who may also have to visit.
Never be afraid to say you are concerned about a visit.
6. Lone Working
The sections above refer to lone working in specific situations; home visits, office interviews and out of hours use of the reception area and meeting rooms where staff are required to carry out a risk assessment and construct a risk management plan.
Welbeck House is open between 7am and 7pm. Staff are discouraged from working alone in the building outside of the core hours of 8am and 6pm. This applies to any other buildings used for social care, Ram Street for example.
Staff who find it convenient for travelling or have a work reason to arrive before 8am or leave after 6pm should discuss this and their personal safety with their line manager. They should assess the risk to the staff member's personal safety and agree any actions that need to be taken. If there is a risk to the staff member's personal safety a decision should be made that they have to arrive and/or leave the office during core hours. The discussion and decisions should be recorded and stored in the staff member's supervision record.
If a staff member who has an arrangement to work in the building outside of core hours becomes subject to a personal threat from a member of the public their time of arrival and departure and work must be reviewed by their line manager and appropriate actions agreed and recorded in a risk management plan.
Council buildings are secured using access control cards.
Staff must not allow anyone without an access control card and Council ID into the building. This is always important but particularly important outside core hours.
Staff must report lost or stolen access control cards and ID cards immediately to the Resource Support Team. (telephone extension 6268).
Lone working in buildings is not permitted at weekends.
End