Bedrooms

Children's bedrooms should be pleasantly furnished, equipped and decorated in a manner appropriate to their individual needs, interests and choices.

Children should be encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, with posters, pictures and personal items of their choice.

Children of an appropriate age and level of understanding should be encouraged and supported to purchase furniture, equipment or decorations; preferably as part of a plan to prepare the child for independence.

Children should be provided with appropriate furniture, such as a lockable cabinet or drawers to securely store personal items, including any personal information. Children should have adequate, safe, storage for their belongings and medicines, if permitted to administer their own.

If it is necessary to do so, to protect children or their belongings or to develop their sense of independence, bedrooms may be fitted with locks or other forms of security. If locks are fitted, keys may be made available to children.

Children's privacy should be respected.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, staff should knock the door before entering children's bedrooms; and then only enter with their permission.

The exceptional circumstances where staff may have to enter a child's bedroom without knocking or asking permission are as follow:

• To wake a heavy sleeper, undertake cleaning, return or remove soiled clothing; though, in these circumstances, the child should have been told/warned that this may be necessary;
• To take necessary action, including forcing entry, to protect the child or others from injury or to prevent likely damage to property. The taking of such action is a form of Physical Intervention.

See the following procedures:

Searching Children/Bedrooms Procedure

Use of Restraint and Physical Intervention Procedure

Children should have separate bedrooms. It may be appropriate for siblings of the same sex to share.

Children may not receive visitors in their bedrooms unless this has been agreed by the social worker, the children's views and wishes have been obtained, considered and the arrangements are outlined in the relevant Placement Plan.

To ensure the safety of the young person or others, it may be appropriate to monitor exit and entry from a child's bedroom outside of normal waking hours with the use of a silent alarm that is triggered when a door is opened.

Such devices may only be used if outlined in the Home's Statement of Purpose and the arrangements set out in relevant children's Placement Plans.

If used, every effort must be made to ensure the child's privacy, dignity and rights whilst the system is in use:

• The use of these alarms is outlined fully in the Home's statement of Purpose;
• Their use is assessed on an individual basis and agreed to in the care plan by a social worker;
• The child is made fully aware of their use and the reasons why the decision is made;
• The use of the door alarms is reviewed regularly as to their appropriateness of use.

See Surveillance and Monitoring Procedure.