Our Guidelines for Good Practice

Core Principles

The aim of the guidelines are to encourage high standards in all areas of our work. Growing Roots’ core principles are:

To consult and involve others so that individuals’ needs can be met most effectively
To promote and demonstrate best practice
To offer a safe and stimulating environment
To put things right when they go wrong
To regularly review and monitor services and policies and implement improvements
To use resources effectively and sustainably

All project participants or person responsible for them will be asked to complete a referral/need to know form so that needs, abilities and wishes can be identified
Where appropriate in clinical settings, a baseline assessment of needs will be made and a programme which is centred on the needs of the participant will be negotiated with the child/young person where appropriate and drawn up and followed. Such a programme will be regularly reviewed and changes implemented as appropriate.
End of project report will be sent to partner agencies and funders. Children and young people taking part in the project will be involved in evaluation of how their needs have been met in a manner appropriate to their age and developmental stage.

All leading staff will have appropriate qualifications and experience in horticulture, planning and delivering and evaluating sessions, meeting individual needs and have knowledge of / training in therapeutic horticulture. Staff will demonstrate skills in management of projects, therapy and horticulture.
Staff will be encouraged to engage in Continued Professional Development to ensure that practices and knowledge are kept up to date and that there is an awareness of developments within therapeutic horticulture. This may include attending further training, visiting other projects and reading journals and articles related to Therapeutic Horticulture and reports on issues related to children and young people, networking and attending conferences.
All volunteers will have appropriate skills in horticulture and able to work with children and young people who are in disadvantaged circumstances.
Staff and volunteers will be familiar with Growing Roots’ policies and codes of conduct. These will be regularly reviewed by the Directors of Growing Roots.
Therapeutic horticulture projects will be based on established models of practice which may be : educational, vocational, rehabilitative or social.
Growing Roots has policies on: Confidentiality, Data Protection, Equal Opportunities, Recruitment, Health and Safety, Lone Working, Safeguarding and Volunteers.

Growing Roots will ensure the health and safety of participants in projects by ensuring that activities are tailored to the needs and abilities of each participants. Risk assessments and dynamic risk assessment will be carried out before activities take place. Participants will be made aware of how to carry out activities and use tools in a safe way.
Activities will be adapted to particularly promote children and young people’s self-esteem, independence and social skills. A variety of activities will be offered which relate to a person’s interest, build on their existing skills and extend. Flexibility will be built into sessions to ensure that activities that are not meeting needs or which are not enjoyable may be adapted or replaced with others.

Growing Roots Horticultural Project Leaders will regularly self-evaluate sessions in order to improve what can be improved
Growing Roots will take note of what can be improved from evaluations done by participants and supporting staff
The directors of Growing Roots will investigate and respond to any complaints made about the organisation and to any incidents especially those involving off-site medical treatment.

Regular evaluation of projects will take place to ensure that Growing Roots’ policies and Code of Conduct are being implemented and that the organisation’s goals and objectives are being met.
Regular evaluation of projects will take place to ensure that they are as sustainable environmentally and financially as practicable.
The organisation’s policies will be reviewed at least on an annual basis to ensure that they are current and take account of any changes in social or legal situations.
Accounts will be kept up-to date and resources will be regularly audited to ensure they are fit for purpose.
Repeat session plans will be critically evaluated before use to ensure that they still meet criteria for best practice.

Where possible recycled resources will be used.
Time will be allocated at the end of every session to ensure that tools are cleaned. Blades and handles will be maintained every few months in order to prolong the life of the tools.
Growing Roots will use human resources effectively, recruiting volunteers in the first instance to assess need for a paid employee.

Volunteers and staff will receive “in-house” training to ensure that they are able to work to best practice.