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6.2.a Personal Property - Children

Last Modified: 31-May-2021 Review Date: 01-Jun-2019

 ‭(Hidden)‬ Legislation

Purpose

​​To provide procedures for keeping children’s personal belongings safe and secure.

Practice Requirements

  • ​​As part of the first introductory meeting, all children must be asked if they have any valuable or precious items in their possession. Children should be advised that there are secure storage facilities available to keep items safe. 
  • All residential care homes must provide suitable storage facilities for children’s personal property. Valuable or precious items which require secure storage must be stored in a secure container or secure area. 
  • All dealings with children’s property must adhere to the principle that even items which appear to have little intrinsic value may be very precious to the child. Residential care workers must remain completely non-judgemental about the value of items belonging to the child. 
  • All children living in residential care homes must be encouraged to recognise that respect for their own and other’s property is a part of their social responsibility. 
  • All property brought into the home by a child must be checked to make sure that nothing of a dangerous nature is brought into the home. This may need to be done on a regular basis if residential care workers believe that inappropriate or dangerous items are being brought into the home. Refer to 4.9 - Search and Seizure. ​​

Procedures

  • Overview
  • Overview

    ​​If the child wishes residential care workers to look after items of their property, these must be kept in a secure location. There should be a ‘personal area’ in the staff office for each child to store everyday items or items of minor value to prevent loss. 

    Residential care workers should identify and record all personal or valuable items which are being stored for children in a ‘properties book’ or virtual property file. Where practical, children should be involved in recording this information and may be asked to write a list of the items being stored. Residential care workers can use this list to check and sign items off. Residential care workers should copy the list, keep one copy and give the other to the child or, in the case of a very young child, his or her case manager. 

    If the child does not cooperate with such checks of their property and there is reason to believe a search to be necessary residential care workers should refer to 4.9 - Search and Seizure. 

    Children may take responsibility for their own personal property or items of value if they want to, however they should be advised that residential care workers cannot take responsibility for lost, stolen or damaged belongings. In this case residential care workers and children should consider and plan how best to keep personal items safe and secure together, for example, by locking the bedroom door, recording a detailed description or the serial number of the item, or by the residential care worker holding the item for a time.

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 ‭(Hidden)‬ Standards