{{org_field_logo}}

{{org_field_name}}

---

Key Holding in Care at Home (Scotland) Policy

This policy sets out the values, principles and procedures underpinning this care at home agency’s approach to any key holding arrangements made with service users. The policy is written in line with the national health and social care standards set out in My Support, My Life, particularly statements made under Standard 3: “I have confidence in the people who support and care for me” and Standard 4: “I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support”.

This policy should be used in relation to the agency’s policies on Identification and Wearing of Identity Cards in Care at Home (Scotland) and Security of Service Users’ Homes (Scotland).

Policy Statement

Key holding by staff is sometimes an essential part of providing high-quality care to certain service users who are infirm or immobile or otherwise are assessed as having difficulty in getting to the door and letting in a home care worker. In such cases, it is far safer for the home care worker to hold a key to the home than for the service user to leave a door unlocked or use a similar strategy such as hiding a key outside the house in a known place. Such strategies represent obvious security risks.

This agency insists that home care and support workers should ensure the security and safety of service users and their homes at all times when providing personal care and that they must therefore take great care of a service user’s key. Any key held by staff to effect entrance to the home must be kept securely.

Procedures

During the initial assessment, when care is planned, the security of the home should be discussed and an agreement reached about how the home care worker will effect entrance to the service user’s home; the home care worker may be asked to hold a key to the service user’s home where the service user would find it difficult to open the door for a home care worker because of infirmity, disability, incapacity or mental state.

Such a decision should only be reached where this represents the best way of effecting entrance for the home care worker and where it represents the best way to ensure the safety and security of the service user.

If it is decided that the home care worker should hold a copy of the service user’s key, then the permission of the service user or their relatives should be made in writing and a suitable entry made to the service user plan; key holding should never be embarked upon without the express permission of the home care worker’s line manager or supervisor or without an entry being made to the service user plan.

Staff who hold keys for service users should:

• label the key with a code, never with the name and address of the service user in case the key gets lost
• be very careful that they keep the key in a safe place at all times
• inform their line manager immediately in cases of the loss or theft of keys
• always knock on the door and announce themselves before entering a service user’s home with a key.

Staff should never:

• agree to leave a key outside a house, in a safe place or on string by the letterbox
• attempt to effect forced entry to the home.

Some service users have a keysafe box outside their home which is a secure box containing their key. The box can only be opened with a combination or with a master key. This avoids the dangers of a service user hiding a key somewhere outside the house and means that the key is always available.

Staff who have to use a keysafe box should take care with the security of the combination number and keep it secret. In particular, they should never write it down next to the service user’s address.

Staff must also keep confidential any alarm codes that they might also need to use to gain safe entry into a home.

Training

All new staff are trained in home security procedures during their induction training.

Training is updated whenever new security issues feature and an annual training review is carried out for all staff.

---

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

Next review date: this policy is reviewed annually (every 12 months). When needed, this policy is also updated in response to changes in legislation, regulation, best practices, or organisational changes.

Copyright ©2024 {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved