Articulating your values and culture enables you to describe what is the unique personality of your Children’s Home(s) and what matters most to you and the children and young people who live in your homes. This is important because it:

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• describes the unique culture of your Care Home(s) to potential recruits, enabling you to attract staff who share your values

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• contributes to inclusivity by attracting a more diverse range of staff who may not have experience of care work but who share your values

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• focuses your assessment and interview process on the values and behaviours that matter to the children and young people and to the culture of your workplace

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• contributes to the retention of great staff who feel connected to your vision and culture and understand how they can make a difference in their work with children and young people.

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How to articulate the values and culture of your Children’s Home

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1. Involve a diverse range of staff and children and young people in developing a set of values and behaviours for your Children’s Home.

 

2. If there are an existing set of organisational values and behaviours, reflect on how effectively they describe the culture and the behaviours you want to see from staff working in your Children’s Home to identify how you may need to articulate them in a way that has more meaning for people.

 

3. Describe the specific behaviours staff should demonstrate in their work under each of the values, so people know how to put them into practice in their day-to-day conversations, work and relationship with children and young people.

 

4. Share and communicate the values and behaviours with staff and children and young people in the Children’s Home using simple, accessible, visual and meaningful representations of your values and behaviours.

 

5. Communicate your values externally to potential staff on your website, on social media, in adverts, in recruitment packs and all your external marketing and information.