Lone Working Guidelines

“Lone-working” is when an employee/volunteer undertakes duties not in the presence of, or easily accessible to other employees/volunteers. Lone working should be avoided as much as possible. Please try to work in pairs. For further advice and guidance please consider these lone working guidelines.

For example lone working policy see page 4 and if you want to understand SAFEGUARDING please see page 4 also.  

Stay Safe and Accountable

• Notify the office where you are going on a visit – giving an idea of timescale
• Take a mobile phone with you  
• Set up a WhatsApp group and check in and check out after each lone action.
• Report back using a visiting sheet  
• Debrief
• Follow your lone working guidelines
• Record your visit
• Be aware of and follow confidentiality guidelines
• Do not share your own personal information
• Do not invite residents to your home
• Do not lend money
• Do not meet 'off radar'

Spiritual Help

• Prioritise your visit list  
• Pray before you make a visit
• Remember to have a Bible with you
• Be aware of the environment
• Remain sensitive at all times to the person/people you are visiting
• Be prepared to pray with the person/people you are visiting
• Do not force your views on others
• Keep in mind that you are salt and light and keep in mind that you may be entering a spiritual battlefield

Practical Guidelines

• Prioritise your visit list  
• Be on time for your appointments
• Have a purpose for your visit
• Check your breath doesn’t smell before you visit
• It may be that information is revealed whereby you may wish to take particular action – check your intended acts out with you supervisor
• Become responsible for action required
• Do not make promises you cannot keep
• Do not give out money

If Cleaning or Doing Maintenance

• Follow ‘stay safe & accountable’ above
• Make sure you are in receipt of specific instructions
• Follow lone working guidelines if working alone
• Wear protective clothing where necessary
• Never pick up hypodermic syringes or toxic materials
• Do not tackle a job you feel uncomfortable about doing

Other

• Remain safe at all times
• In the event of an emergency contact your supervisor and contact the emergency services if necessary

If you employ someone to work with homeless people we recommend they have a DBS. With regards to volunteers we recommend you use your own internal system of assessing if they are appropriate to be involved in the project.  

Risk Assessment

When making a lone visit please conduct a risk assessment of lone-visiting for that individual employee or volunteer. Please do this in consultation with the resident’s paperwork you have on file. Please consider training your volunteers in conflict management.  

The key risk assessment question for lone-working assignments is; can the risks of the job be adequately controlled/managed by one person? Further suggested questions include:

• Does the workplace present a special risk to the lone worker?
• Is there a safe way in and a way out for one person?  
• Can all the people, issues and equipment involved in the work be safely handled by one person?  
• Consider whether the work involves lifting objects too large for one person or whether more than one person is needed.
• Is there a risk of violence?
• Are women especially at risk if they work alone?
• Are young workers especially at risk if they work alone?
• Is the person medically fit and suitable to work alone?

High-Risk Activities May Include:

• Undertaking work within isolated areas.
• Working/visiting residents within their own home.
• Lone working out-of-hours.
• Working with residents who have known risks e.g. violence and/or aggression.

Employers Liability Insurance

Green Pastures and all of its partners are required by law to insure their employees against workplace injury or disease and lone-workers MUST be included in this cover. Check the terms of the policy you have taken out to see if all of your work is covered.  

Visiting Residence in a Shared House

Prior to a home visit taking place the employee should:

• Review existing information regarding the client such as case files and/or confidential information sources, so as to familiarize themselves with the case in question.
• Review the last documented risk assessment, or if this is unavailable contact the referrer/keyworker to ascertain whether or not there are any relevant risk factors present and/or whether there is any reason why it would be advisable to visit the client alone.
• If the client is in unstaffed accommodation, contact the appropriate team to ascertain whether there are any known risk factors connected to either the other residents, or known visitors to the house.
• Access to any client’s property should be considered for potential personal risk – lighting, stairwells, lifts and parking facilities should all be considered.
• Depending on Whether any risk is identified, the employee should: -
• Consider whether or not it would be more appropriate to invite the client into the workplace, therefore avoiding the need to make a home visit.
• Consider whether it would be appropriate to arrange to have a 2^nd staff member present for the duration of the visit.
• For any visits to clients regardless of specific risk, employees should: -
• Always complete the booking out procedure. Ensure that fellow workers know where you are.  Such details should include: details of expected time of return, Names and addresses of the client being visited and time of appointments when visiting alone, mobile phone number.
• Ensure that visits to new clients must not be booked at the end of the day unless absolutely unavoidable.
• Workers making lone visits MUST always carry a mobile phone
• Make sure that they carry appropriate personal identification e.g. approved name badge/card.  Such identification should include a contact number to verify employee’s authenticity.
• Do not enter the property if you feel at risk from any type of pet, ask that they be removed.
• If the owner refuses to control or remove the pet that is posing a risk, arrange another meeting.

Checking Back In

Employees/volunteers must check back in (in person or by phone) once they have made a visit.  

High Risk Home Visits

Known high risk visits, if unavoidable should be done in pairs.  

Interviewing Clients in the Office

When interviewing in the office consider the following:

• Use interview rooms with panic buttons where possible.
• Sit nearest exit.
• Staff should make themselves aware of locks, bolts etc on exit doors and observe how they work.
• Ensure that team members or reception are aware that an interview is taking place and all staff are aware of the procedure of how to handle a situation where panic buttons have been activated.
• If there is ever a need to take a client through a coded security door ensure that the client cannot see the code.

Transporting Clients Using Your Own Car

• Consider risks and if too great, make alternative arrangements.
• Consider any personal items that may be in the car, which may identify your home address, phone etc. or that of your colleagues.
• Consider the potential for personal items/equipment to be stolen.
• Consider whether any personal items may be used as a weapon.
• Consider whether there is any risk of the passenger seeing identifiable information whilst in transit e.g. whether there are any case files or work diaries.
• Recommended that clients should not be unattended within employee’s cars for any reason.
• Discuss with manager appropriate insurance cover and what to do in the event of breakdown.
• It is the personal responsibility of every employee to ensure they hold the appropriate insurance cover.
• It is recommended that single passengers travel in the front seat.

What To Do If Things Go Wrong

As already stated, be aware of the client’s mood, manner and tone – watch for signs of rising tension. If signs present themselves: stay calm; talk slowly, quietly and clearly and do not be drawn into answering back. If tension grows and calming measures have no effect, excuse yourself, and leave the property immediately. If you are unable to safely leave the property but have the opportunity to make a phone call, the following procedure is suggested:

During Office Hours

If you require assistance at the address you are visiting, ring and speak to a Manager or team colleague or ring the police on 999.

Out of Office Hours

Phone 999 and request urgent assistance, when no team colleagues are on duty. In the meantime stay observant and if there is an opportunity to leave the property – get out quickly and stay at a safe distance.

Example Lone Working Policy

The following precautions are intended to safeguard staff or volunteers who might need to be lone working.

Wherever possible, staff should avoid working alone. However, it is recognised that for Housing Management and Support Work this will be necessary. When it is, the following precautions should be taken.

• Anyone going to a premises to work alone with residents should make someone off-site aware of them being alone in the building and how long they intend to stay, and then advise them when they leave the building.  
• If the lone worker does not contact (and cannot be contacted) at the expected time, then the contact person should go to the premises to investigate with another person, one of whom holds keys.
• It is strongly recommended that anyone working alone should have a mobile phone with them in case of emergency.
• Anyone working alone should exercise caution when leaving the premises, and should not hesitate to call for assistance if they have any concerns.  
• If they are working alone after dark,they should ensure that their exit is secure, e.g. their car is parked in a well-lit, public place as close as possible to the building.
• In the event of the person working alone having any kind of accident, before attempting to treat themselves, they must phone a responsible person who would be able to access the building and offer assistance as appropriate.
• If accompanying a resident to an offsite appointment needing transport the Project Leader must ensure that the accompanying volunteer has insurance and a valid UK driving license.

Safeguarding

There are three ways the area of Safeguarding can impact the operation of a Green Pastures model supported housing project.

• The protection of children or ‘adults at risk’ who are part of our church family. Occasionally you might accept a resident who could present a risk to children or ‘adults at risk’ who are church members or part of the wider church family. Such situations are covered by your Churches Safeguarding Policy. Please follow the procedures outlined in this policy and liaise with your church’s appointed safeguarding lead.
• A resident in a Green Pastures model of supported housing is NOT usually considered an adult at risk.  The vast majority of residents are NOT ‘adults at risk’  in the 'safeguarding definition' of  ‘adults at risk’, which means someone who is not able to look after themselves: Some adults are less able to protect themselves than others, and some may have difficulty making their wishes and feelings known. This may make them vulnerable to abuse. This would usually be considered too high need to meet the criteria for your house.

The Care Act 2014 has replaced the term ‘Vulnerable Adult’ to ‘Adult at Risk’.  When a young person reaches the age of 18 the responsibility for their well being may transfer to adult service providers.  Although they cease to be subject of the Safeguarding Children Procedures, some adults may continue to be vulnerable.

An “Adult at Risk” is defined as any person aged 18 years and over who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental health issues, learning  or physical disability, sensory impairment, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of him/herself or unable to protect him/herself against significant harm or serious exploitation.

This is someone at risk of, abuse and neglect, and; as a result of intense care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect

An adult at risk may therefore be a person who, for example:

• Has a physical disability and/or sensory impairment
• Has a learning disability
• Has mental health needs, including dementia or personality disorder
• Is dependent on others to maintain their quality of life
• Has a long term illness or condition
• Lacks the mental capacity to make particular decisions  

Safeguarding volunteers from the residents.  

This is covered by lone working procedures and training the resident support team about boundaries.

Lone Working comes under Health and Safety Policy and Procedures, not safeguarding.