SAFEGUARDS AND BUILT IN FLEXIBILITY Direct support providers and residential staff have an important job. It’s their responsibility to make sure they maintain the appropriate level of supervision for all residents at all times. Depending on the ways that the residents’ levels of supervision fit together, that allows for a lot of flexibility. One staff member can attend to someone within arm’s reach and still be supervising another individual within their line-of-sight. THE IMPORTANCE OF STAFF TRANSITIONS Each staff member should make sure they know who is supervising which individual in the residence. When a staff member who’s supervising someone needs to step away, or pay attention to something else, there should always be an explicit hand off so that all staff know what the plan is. For example, a staff member might turn to their colleague and say, “Can you stay within arm’s length of so-and-so while I go to the bathroom?” While the wording is not important, it is crucial that: • An explicit, spoken exchange takes place, and both staff members understand what is about to happen • The program has a policy that ensures that staff know to communicate with their colleagues when they can no longer meet a resident’s level of supervision EMERGENCIES When there is a crisis, even high quality programs may occasionally fall below the appropriate level of supervision. Emergencies in a residential setting can happen quickly and affect everyone in the residence. A staff member who is meeting your child’s level of supervision may have to make a real time decision to jump in and help. On the other hand, this flexibility might be a good thing. Consider the scenarios where your child is the one with the emergency: Perhaps they are choking on a piece of food, they have fallen and hurt themselves, or an electrical fire has started in their room. It can be reassuring to know that, even when someone else has the staff’s attention, the staff will be able to help your child in a crisis.
| 5.
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online