Wellbeing

Health and Safety

Fire drills are carried out routinely with all staff and Boarders led by our Fire Safety Officer. Regular Fire Warden training is provided to all staff. Boarders will be alerted to fire through a state of the art flashing sensor light system.  All bedroom doors are alarmed during the night to alert night staff of any issues.  We provide onsite security through the night and have CCTV in operation on the grounds.

House Management

House meetings and the Boarders Committee meet every two weeks forming an integral part of the running of the Boarding and giving valuable feedback. We operate an open door policy whereby boarders can approach any member of staff, keyworker or management.

The Boarders Committee is comprised of Senior and Junior Boarders and two members of Staff, with information being fed back to Management. This committee is designed to encourage organisational and leadership skills. Boarders are encouraged to become members of the Irish Deaf Teens and Irish Deaf Youth Association to further these skills.

Rights and Responsibilities

The Boarding Campuses have a set of House Rules which are signed off in conjunction with parents and Boarders on admission.  We have consent forms that parents are required to sign at the start of each school year. Permission is requested from parents/guardians in relation to unsupervised outings, activities, leaving the campus etc.

If a Boarder has a concern, we follow a complaints/grievance procedure. Posters are displayed throughout the house, informing the Boarders about this procedure.

The Boarding Campuses comprise of a team of social care workers, social care leaders, care managers, medical department, catering facilities and transportation staff. We provide ongoing training for continuous professional development, for example First Aid, Children First, Fire safety, ISL and Deaf Awareness.

Keyworking

A keyworking system is the prevalent model that we use in both Boarding campuses to support our young Deaf boarders. Each boarder is assigned a member of the social care team as their keyworker to support them and assist in the development of their life skills. The fundamental task contained within that role is to form a helpful, caring attachment relationship with the child during their stay in Boarding. Keyworkers liaise closely with parents/guardians and the school.