Caring for Children
At Mayfield Lodge we want to ensure that all our childen feel valued, secure and part of a family.
Caring is at our Core
Mayfield Lodge is a home away from home for both adults and young people. We will achieve this by welcoming the children, supporting them to settle and offering a secure and a safe place to reach their full potential.
To promote independence for all children within our care we will support their needs through an individualised, person-centred care model and communication methods adapted to support their requirements and/or diagnosis including PECS, Sign along and Easy Read. We want to provide a nurturing environment and therefore practice the PACE model of therapeutic parenting which was designed to support and care for children who have been through trauma.
The provision of stability and constant role modelling from a stable staff team is imperative to develop a clear framework of needs for the child and implementation of strategies that will contribute to improved outcomes, including preparing children for stable transitions throughout life.
Our Progressive Ethos
A strong and positive culture and quality will underpin the work at Mayfield Lodge. Shared beliefs, theories, appropriate training and progressive staff attitudes will ensure excellent outcomes. Objectives will be promoted by the management and staff team and supported by an infrastructure that reflects our values.
Leadership is further strengthened by investing in quality resources and highly trained staff working in a positive and caring environment. We strive to involve our children in planning for their care by involving them in creating their own placement plans, healthcare plans and targets along with using a reward system agreed with the child when targets are achieved.
We offer a minimum of one-to-one staffing with an ongoing highly trained reflective staff team, providing individualised packages of care dependent on child’s needs and longer term plans.
Enjoying & Achieving
A healthy lifestyle is encouraged for all children and we recognise that some will need to make additional efforts to ensure they access quality leisure time. Mayfield Lodge will actively support children to engage in personal interests and hobbies to enable them to find their strengths and to develop self-esteem, confidence and trust.
We have access to transport to increase the opportunities for everyone to enjoy leisure-based activities together. There is a significant emphasis on the benefits gained in participation of group-based as well as solo activities. These group activities take place both with those residing within the home and within the local community. We believe this helps build relationships and fortifies a sense of belonging.
Our children will be supported to create ongoing extra curricular calendar and there will be some special activities that will be linked to rewards and recognition of progress. All children are supported in attending important religious and cultural festivals if they wish.
Education
Aspirations and expectations around school attendance, participation in alternative education and learning are high priorities for Mayfield Lodge. It is our aim that children will continue their current educational placement where appropriate. We will ensure that we are supporting each child to achieve the outcomes identified in their Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP) and to support them with numeracy and literacy skills.
Mayfield Lodge will endeavour to ensure that all children are undertaking an education programme that is appropriate for them and will ensure that relationships with schools, teachers and education services are open, productive and effective. Keyworkers will regular link meetings with all school professionals, monitoring progress of PEPs and extra- curricular engagement and parent and carer meetings.
Children will have access educational resources, including the facility of IT-based learning support tools. All resources required for school will be provided by Mayfield Lodge and opportunities for further learning and development, such as visits to galleries and museums, will be encouraged.
Health
Each child is involved in creating a Healthcare Plan individual to their needs, so they take responsibility for their care and help us identify areas that require our assistance and attention. Staff are proactive in arranging appointments when required and ensuring any check-ups due are booked in a timely manner.
A full medical history of the child, including details of any prescribed medication and full immunisation history is maintained by Mayfield Lodge along with Medical Consent Forms authorising staff to action medical needs. All children will have a basic health check when registering with a GP as part of the admission procedure. Children will be encouraged to take six monthly check-ups and oral hygiene and eye health will also be regularly checked.
Promoting healthy eating choices and educating children about nutrition is an important part of healthy living. Sharing mealtimes and enjoying food together supports and educates children about making sensible diet choices. Each child will have the opportunity to lead on the main decisions around mealtimes, menu choices and grocery shopping in order to encourage independence and life skills.
Any children that require a special diet either for medical or cultural needs are catered for with all staff being fully aware of the individual need and how this is to be met. This will be clearly identified prior to admission wherever possible.
Cultural, Linguistic
& Religious Needs
It is important that children retain their religious and cultural identity. Full support and encouragement of religious observance in consultation with parents and local authorities will be given to achieve this.
Any specific religious belief or faith practiced by a child will be recognised, respected and every effort made to ensure that the appropriate local place of worship is available so that each child can participate in religious observance appropriate to their age. All information will be included in the child’s placement plan and additional training will be supplied to the staff team should the need arise.
Any specific cultural requirements will be considered and where appropriate will become a part of Mayfield Lodge such as cultural dress and dietary requirements.