Extended Placements, 5 Star “Scores on the Doors” Award and Gold in Healthy Choice Awards

Posted by Mark Raw in Childcare Industry Harmony Childrens Services

26th June 2011

It has been another productive few weeks again. Every time I set out to write my blog I have more good news to share. This time it’s requests for placements being extended, achieving 5 Stars on the National Food Hygiene Scores and being awarded the Gold Level Award in the Kirklees Healthy Choice Award.

Without too much detail, confidentiality of course, I am very proud to say that we have been asked to extend the placement of our current resident for a further 3 months and to help into the initial stages of adulthood.  I have been advised that it is a first for the authority and is somewhat a reflection of the good work achieved by the individual, aided by ourselves and a great demonstration and affirmation of what we can achieve in a short space of time.   A big WELL DONE  to all the staff for their work in this, and especially to the resident for their efforts.

Still achieving, I am please to say that we have been given the highest award by Kirklees Environmental Health Services for our Food Hygiene Standards – that’s 5 stars. To see more about this you can access the national data base at http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk. You will can find us on there, but please don’t confuse us with the Harmony Children’s Centre – they only scored 4.   This is a nationally recognised award that carries a lot of value and demonstrates the high standards we provide in all areas, not just in the expected “care and support side”.   Here at Harmony we have high expectation in all areas and I hope that these standards and expectations are passed on to our residents to help ensure they lead a healthy and safe lifestyle.

From achieving this high level of recognition we were recommended by the authority to apply for the ‘Kirklees Healthy Choice’ Award.  I wasted no time in getting the application off, confident of the high standard of the food we offer and provide.  Today we have been informed that we have again achieved a Gold Level Award, scoring well in all areas. Further proof that Harmony House is not just a safe environment, regarding health and safety (as acknowledge by CHAS), and a safe place to prepare food (as recognised by the 5 stars), but now, as Gold award holders of the Healthy Choices Award, a healthy place to eat.

Following on from my previous blog, it was pleasing to see further arrests of the some of the torturous and abusive staff at the Winterbourne Hospital.  I hope they are charged and sentenced to the letter of the law.

There have been further notable documentaries on BBC3 called Kids Behind Bars (Thursdays BBC 3 9pm – you can catch up on the BBC iplayer if you missed them).  A very interesting watch, of which I am sure people have some differing views.   Having personally collected and worked with a resident released from Vinny Green in a past life, when I carried out my assessment visits I can say that it was an intimidating place to go as a visitor even as an adult.  I eventually collected the resident and you feel the permanent tension in air and see the excitement in leaving the secure unit.  I though the staff handled the situation well in what seemed to be a understaffed time, and also with the presence of TV cameras, of which I am sure caused the children to play up to.   I was particularly taken aback by Aimy, the teacher, who showed a great attitude when the chair was thrown in her class.  She noted it was not at her, but to the side of her and thrown for effect and acting out, hence addressed it in a professional manner and maintained the empathic approach.   More people working and thinking like Aimy will make the system a much better place for the kids to be, even if they are in secure units.  More understanding of what their needs are and how we can work better with them and then it’s a “win win” situation for the children and staff.

Panorama and Winterbourne View hospital

Posted by Mark Raw in Childcare Industry

I don’t usually watch these types of programmes as they anger me so much but I watched the Panorama expose of Winterbourne View hospital (31st May 2011), titled ‘Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed’. What it must be like to live with the daily torture that was freely dispensed by the sadistic staff I cannot even think.

As was stated during the programme unfortunately it was the all too common place. It is the result of an unskilled senior staff member being given, and having taken, too much power, along with being extremely poorly managed by his seniors. He did not even want to have a career in care, bullying the staff to work and copy his actions, giving praise when they did and I can only assume alienating when they did not.

You have to ask;
1) How he even got through what should have been a solid and robust recruitment process. Even the most basic of systems would have flagged him up as a concern.

2) How the Manager of Winterbourne Hospital did not even pick up any of these actions, behaviours and the institutionalised behaviours of the staff shown. This, even after the criminal proceedings and dismissal of a staff member two months before the documentary was made.

3) How did CQC not pick up anything even when given the blindingly obvious information of 24 restraints in a 7 day period. That would be the ones that were recorded. Surely that would have had alarm bells ringing.

My heart goes out to the parents of those shown, how they must be feeling I cannot even start to comprehend and to those not shown who have had their own children live there and will never know what, if anything, had happened to their children whilst in the care of these monsters.

I eagerly await the news that will hopefully come soon, giving the custodial sentences handed out to these highlighted.

I hope that all Res Workers, Managers, Senior Managers and owners linked to care homes, be it children, adults and elderly all take stock and question “Are they really happy with how there home run and operated by others?”. “Do the staff at all levels deserve to hold the very responsible role they have been given?” and the harder question……… if not “what will you do about it”?

[I am pleased to see that four people have already been arrested according to BBC News]