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  • policies
  1. About us
  2. Our Policies

Policies

Our policies and procedures help us ensure that our organisation is well run.  They provide a framework of appropriate controls and set out how things should be done, what is expected of our staff & volunteers, and what our service users can expect from us.

We are sharing the most important policies across the organisation that we believe everyone should be able to see and hold us accountable to.

All policies relating to our Children's Room and Children's Service are clearly named.

Adult Safeguarding Policy

This policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of Next Chapter in working together with other professionals and agencies in promoting adults welfare and safeguarding them from abuse and neglect.

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This policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of Next Chapter in working together with other professionals and agencies in promoting adults welfare and safeguarding them from abuse and neglect.

This policy is intended to support staff working within Next Chapter.  It does not replace, but is supplementary to the Southend, Essex, Thurrock (SET) Safeguarding Adults Guidelines (2015) available at www.essexsab.org. 

Policies linked with this will include: whistle blowing, complaints, information sharing, safeguarding children, disciplinary and equality and diversity. 

Safeguarding Adults Policy April 2019

Published: 12th July, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Child Friendly Privacy Notice

We are Next Chapter and we help you and your family while you are living in the Refuge. We want to give you the best service and to do this we must keep records about you and the services we have offered and provided to you.

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Privacy_Notice_-_Child_Friendly.pdf

Published: 12th November, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Admissions Policy

We aim to ensure access through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures and information and operate our admissions policy to ensure that the Children's Room is accessible to children and families from all sections of the Refuge community.

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We aim to ensure access through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures and information and operate our admissions policy to ensure that the Children's Room is accessible to children and families from all sections of the Refuge community.

Admissions Policy

Published: 10th July, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Positive Behaviour Policy

We believe that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met and where there are clear and developmentally appropriate expectations for their behaviour.

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We believe that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met and where there are clear and developmentally appropriate expectations for their behaviour.

As children develop, they learn about boundaries, the difference between right and wrong, and to consider the views and feelings, and needs and rights, of others and the impact that their behaviour has on people, places and objects.

The development of these skills requires adult guidance to help encourage and model appropriate behaviours and to offer intervention and support when children struggle with conflict and emotional situations. In these types of situations key staff can help identify and address triggers for the behaviour and help children reflect, regulate and manage their actions.

Positive_behaviour_policy_-_Agreed_July_19.pdf

Published: 10th July, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Privacy Notice

We are committed to ensuring that any personal data we hold about you and your child is protected in accordance with data protection laws and is used in line with your expectations. This privacy notice explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it and how we protect it.

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We collect personal data about you and your child to provide care and learning that is tailored to meet your child’s individual needs. We also collect information in order to verify your eligibility for free childcare as applicable.

Privacy_notice_Pre-school_-_June_2018.pdf

Published: 12th November, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Special Education Needs & Disability Policy

We provide an environment in which all children are supported to reach their full potential.

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Aims

  • We have regard for the DfES Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2014).
  • We ensure that our provision is inclusive to all children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
  • We support and involve parents (and where appropriate children), actively listening to, and acting on their wishes and concerns.
  • We have a clear approach to identifying, responding to and meeting the needs of children with SEND.
  • We work in partnership with the local authority and other external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children with SEND and their families.
  • We monitor and review our practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments.

Special_education_needs_and_disability_policy_August_2019.pdf

Published: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Room Valuing Diversity and Promoting Equality

We are committed to ensuring that our service is fully inclusive in meeting the needs of all children.

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We recognise that children and their families come from a wide range of backgrounds with individual needs, beliefs and values.  They may grow up in family structures that include one or two parents of the same or different sex.  Children may have close links or live with extended families of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins; while other children may be more removed from close kin, or may live with other relatives or foster carers.

Some children come from families who experience social exclusion, severe hardship; discrimination and prejudice because of their ethnicity, disability and/or ability, the languages they speak, their religious or personal beliefs, their sexual orientation and marital status. Some individuals face discrimination linked to their gender and some women are discriminated against because of their pregnancy and maternity status.

We understand that all these factors can affect the well-being of children within these families and may adversely impact on children’s learning, attainment and life outcomes.

We are committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all children and families using our setting.

Valuing_Diversity_and_Promoting_Equality_August_2019.pdf

Published: 10th July, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Safeguarding Policy & Procedure

Children’s Rights are part of the core values and principles of the Refuge. We believe that children have the right to protection, provision and participation as laid down in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Underpinning all our work is that the welfare of the child is paramount and, to this end, staff aim daily to implement Article3. The rights- based approach places the child’s best interests at the centre of all our planning, policy initiatives and interact

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Principles

We adhere to the following principles:

  • Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility: for services to be effective each individual and organisation should play their full part.
  • The welfare of the child is paramount.
  • A child centred approach: for services to be effective they should be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children.

  Aims of the policy & procedure

  • To Safeguard and promote the welfare of children
  • To enable staff and volunteers to have a clear understanding of what to do if they have concerns about a child or young person
  • To explain how allegations against staff and volunteers will be dealt with

Safeguarding_Children_Policy_-_Nov_19.pdf

Published: 12th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Children's Service Compliments and Complaints Policy

We want to hear as much feedback on our services as possible as it helps us understand what we are doing right as well as what we could do better, or issues we need to fix

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Compliments are a way of telling us that people like what we do, they help to motivate our staff and tell us that what we are doing is helpful.


Comments are useful in giving us feedback about things that we should continue doing, stop doing or change. We welcome constructive suggestions.


Complaints tell us if people are not happy with a service or the way we are doing things. Complaints are equally important to us, we need to know when people are unhappy with our service and we will try to put things right if they go wrong.

Complaints_procedure_-_August_2019.pdf

Published: 10th July, 2019

Updated: 15th November, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Compliments and Complaints Policy

Next Chapter welcomes all feedback about our services, it helps us to change and improve on what we do. We welcome feedback from women and children who use our services and from other organisations with whom we work.

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Next Chapter welcomes all feedback about our services, it helps us to change and improve on what we do.

We welcome feedback from women and children who use our services and from other organisations with whom we work.

Compliments are a way of telling us that people like what we do, they help to motivate our staff and tell us that what we are doing is helpful.

Comments are useful in giving us feedback about things that we should continue doing, stop doing or change. We welcome constructive suggestions.

Complaints tell us if people are not happy with a service or the way we are doing things. Complaints are equally important to us, we need to know when people are unhappy with our service and we will try to put things right if they go wrong.

We will not treat anybody less favourably for making a complaint.

We will make it easy for people to make their views known to us and respond to them in a timely way.

Compliments and Complaints Policy - January 19

Published: 12th July, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Service Intake Policy

Service users can expect the same high quality service from Next Chapter regardless of the service they access or the length of time for which they access the service. Next Chapter is committed to delivering a service to victims of domestic abuse, which is needs-led and builds upon the individual strengths of the service users and promotes their independence.

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Service users can expect the same high quality service from Next Chapter regardless of the service they access or the length of time for which they access the service.

Next Chapter is committed to delivering a service to victims of domestic abuse, which is needs-led and builds upon the individual strengths of the service users and promotes their independence.

Service Intake Policy - March 2019

Published: 12th July, 2019

Author: Beverley Jones

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Next Chapter is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales under number 02266883 and registered as a Charity number 1058295. Registered office Next Chapter, P.O. Box 40, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2XJ © Copyright 2019 The Next Chapter (East of England). All rights reserved.