This policy explains how Nehemiah works to provide safe and healthy accommodation and environments for residents, staff and visitors.

Key points

·       Nehemiah identifies and manages health and safety risks across its residential properties and activities.

·       Property risks, hazards, incidents and maintenance concerns are assessed, recorded and followed up.

·       Responsibilities are shared between Nehemiah, staff, residents, contractors and landlords, with Nehemiah maintaining oversight of matters within its control.

·       Residents are expected to follow reasonable safety instructions, report hazards and contribute to maintaining safe communal environments.

·       Significant or recurring concerns are reviewed to make sure agreed action is completed and lessons are learned.

Where a health and safety responsibility is shared with an external landlord or contractor, Nehemiah will establish who is responsible, exchange relevant information and monitor necessary action.

This policy explains how repairs to Nehemiah-managed accommodation are reported, prioritised and followed through to completion.

Key points

·       Nehemiah aims to keep its residential accommodation safe, secure and appropriately maintained.

·       Residents and staff should report repairs or hazards promptly.

·       Repairs are prioritised according to their urgency, risk and impact on residents.

·       Reported repairs are recorded and monitored until they have been resolved or another appropriate action has been agreed.

·       Where a repair is the responsibility of an external landlord, Nehemiah will report the issue, monitor progress and escalate delays where appropriate.

Emergency issues presenting an immediate or serious safety, security or property risk are escalated immediately.

This policy explains how Nehemiah prevents, manages and responds to anti-social behaviour within its accommodation and surrounding communities.

Key points

·       Residents are expected to behave respectfully towards other residents, staff, visitors, neighbours and the wider community.

·       Anti-social behaviour can include harassment, intimidation, serious nuisance, violence or threats, property damage and behaviour that significantly affects the safety or wellbeing of others.

·       Nehemiah will normally seek to address concerns through early intervention, clear expectations and appropriate support.

·       Serious or repeated behaviour may require formal action.

·       Racial harassment and other hate-related harassment or abuse are not tolerated.

Concerns are considered fairly and proportionately, taking account of available evidence, their impact on others, previous concerns and any relevant safeguarding or support needs.

This policy explains how Nehemiah receives, assesses and decides referrals to its residential recovery programme.

Key points

·       Referrals should be considered fairly, consistently and on their individual circumstances.

·       Assessment considers a person's recovery goals, needs, circumstances and ability to live safely within shared recovery accommodation.

·       Nehemiah considers identified risks, safeguarding concerns and whether those risks can reasonably be managed within the service.

·       We also consider whether Nehemiah's staffing and service model can safely and appropriately meet the person's needs.

·       Decisions are based on the overall assessment, and complex or uncertain referrals are escalated rather than decided on assumption.

Before or during admission, residents are given information about their Licence Agreement, House Rules, programme expectations, payments and Housing Benefit, safety arrangements and how to raise concerns or complaints.

This policy explains how Nehemiah identifies, assesses and responds to health, risk and safety concerns affecting residents.

Key points

·       Nehemiah considers the wellbeing and safety of the individual resident, other residents, staff and the wider house environment.

·       Health and safety concerns are considered individually and cumulatively so that emerging patterns are recognised.

·       Risk assessments are reviewed when circumstances change, following significant incidents or where new information becomes available.

·       Staff work with health services, emergency services, safeguarding agencies and other professionals where their expertise is needed.

·       Significant concerns are recorded, communicated and escalated so that agreed risk-management actions are followed through.

Nehemiah provides supported housing and recovery support. It does not provide regulated care, clinical monitoring or 24-hour supervision. Where a resident's needs or risks significantly change, Nehemiah will therefore review whether the placement remains safe and suitable.

This policy explains how Nehemiah manages and supports residents who are leaving its accommodation and recovery programme.

Key points

·       Resident departures should be managed fairly, consistently and with dignity.

·       Residents may leave through planned move-on, an agreed managed exit, a decision by Nehemiah to end their accommodation, an unplanned departure or abandonment.

·       Wherever reasonably possible, residents are supported to plan their next steps and access appropriate accommodation and other services.

·       Where Nehemiah requires a resident to leave, the formal decision-making and notice process must be followed.

·       Exit records include the reason and date of departure and any important housing, safeguarding, financial or follow-up matters.

A setback or isolated incident does not automatically mean that a resident must leave. Relevant circumstances, risks, previous interventions and whether continued residence remains appropriate are considered.

This policy explains how Nehemiah manages empty rooms between residents.

Key points

·       Nehemiah aims to minimise unnecessary empty-room periods while ensuring accommodation is safe, clean and ready for the next resident.

·       A room is not treated as available simply because the previous resident has physically left.

·       The previous resident's occupation must first have formally ended and relevant housing-management matters must have been addressed.

·       The room is then inspected and any required cleaning, repairs, replacement items or redecoration identified and arranged.

·       Operations confirms when the room is physically ready before it is offered to another resident.

Where work is the responsibility of an external landlord, Nehemiah will report and monitor it and will not confirm the room as ready until relevant safety and repair issues have been completed or otherwise appropriately managed.

This policy explains Nehemiah's commitment to equality, dignity and preventing discrimination, harassment and bullying.

Key points

·       Nehemiah is committed to treating people fairly and with dignity and respect.

·       We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination, harassment, bullying, intimidation or degrading behaviour.

·       People should not be treated unfairly because of protected characteristics including race, religion or belief, disability, sex, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, or marriage and civil partnership.

·       Staff and volunteers are expected to behave respectfully and to raise concerns about discriminatory or bullying behaviour.

·       Nehemiah will make reasonable adjustments where required to remove barriers caused by disability.

Concerns about discrimination, harassment or bullying should be raised so that they can be considered and appropriate action taken.

This policy explains the rights residents have while living at Nehemiah and the responsibilities that come with living within a shared recovery community.

Key points

·       Residents have the right to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

·       Residents have the right to live in a safe environment, receive clear information and have their personal information handled appropriately.

·       Residents can raise concerns, give feedback, make complaints or seek review of significant decisions without fear of unfair treatment.

·       Residents are expected to treat others respectfully, follow their Licence Agreement and House Rules and help maintain a safe shared environment.

·       Residents are encouraged to contribute to the development of house life and services through meetings, surveys, discussions and other feedback opportunities.

Where Nehemiah consults residents, we will be clear about what can genuinely be influenced and what is determined by legal, contractual, safety or organisational requirements.

This policy explains how residents and others can raise concerns, complaints and feedback about Nehemiah's services.

Key points

·       Nehemiah aims to make it straightforward to raise a complaint.

·       Complaints will be listened to, taken seriously and considered fairly.

·       A person does not have to use the word “complaint” for dissatisfaction to be recognised.

·       There is no requirement to try informal resolution before making a formal complaint.

·       Nehemiah operates a two-stage complaints process and provides clear reasons for its decisions.

·       Complaints and feedback are used to identify service improvements and organisational learning.

Residents can complain about housing-management matters including repairs, accommodation conditions, anti-social behaviour management, payments, delays, resident involvement and the way accommodation or enforcement processes have been handled. Nobody should be treated unfairly because they have raised a complaint.

This policy explains how Nehemiah works to protect adults at risk and children who come into contact with its work from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Key points

·       Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

·       Staff must recognise, report and record safeguarding concerns and take them seriously.

·       Immediate and continuing risks are considered and appropriate protective action taken.

·       Nehemiah works with local authorities, police, health services and other relevant organisations where their involvement is needed.

·       Adults' wishes, rights and desired outcomes are considered wherever possible, alongside the need to protect them and others from harm.

·       Concerns involving children are reported and handled through the appropriate safeguarding arrangements.

A person does not need proof before raising a safeguarding concern. A disclosure, suspicion, observation, pattern or credible information may be enough for the concern to require action.

This policy explains how Nehemiah manages resident service-charge payments, arrears and associated debt.

Key points

·       Residents are expected to pay the service charges and other agreed payments for which they are responsible in full and on time.

·       Residents are given clear information about what they need to pay, when payment is due and how to make payment.

·       Nehemiah keeps records of payments and balances and identifies arrears so that problems can be addressed early.

·       Where a resident is experiencing financial difficulty, staff will seek to understand the reason and consider appropriate support.

·       Repayment arrangements should be realistic and affordable but must also reduce the outstanding debt.

·       Where arrears continue to increase or agreed arrangements are not maintained, formal action may be required.

Support does not remove the responsibility to address arrears. Persistent failure to deal with outstanding payments may ultimately put a resident's accommodation at risk.