Business Continuity Statement

Summary

This document outlines Seven Steps Support Ltd’s Business Continuity Plan, which covers various emergency situations such as extreme weather, epidemics, and damage to the office. The company has measures in place to ensure the safety of both clients and workers, as well as maintain the continuity of services provided.

Plan Overview and Directors’ Responsibilities

Seven Steps Support Ltd’s Business Continuity Plan takes into account, but is not limited to, cases of extreme weather and epidemics of illness. Both company directors are responsible for oversight of the Business Continuity Plan.

Office Relocation

In a situation where our office base is unusable through damage caused by fire or flood, or otherwise extensively damaged, we would be able to re-locate safely into other office space. As we primarily provide support out in the community – utilizing universal / community venues – we can maintain flexibility from a range of locations.

Core Team

We have a moderately small business operational size and have a core team of people involved in delivering the support we provide. This core team includes Managers / Care Co-coordinators, Quality Checkers, Key Workers, and Support Workers.

Communication and Contact Details

All workers and clients have access to a mobile phone and/or landline which can be used in the event of an emergency. In the event of alterations or contingency changes, clients will be contacted immediately by Management and alternative services will be arranged - dependent on the needs of the client. We can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via telephone.

We hold contact details for workers and clients in both a paper log and secure electronic database. Paper copies are stored securely at our main office site. Electronic copies are stored encrypted and only transmitted over secure protocols. We are fully compliant with relevant data protection laws and GDPR.

Logistics and Infrastructure Planning

We routinely run logistics reports and maps of our entire infrastructure. This includes a geographical plotting of the location of: individuals we support and where they require it, businesses premises, and the home address of workers. This allows us to plan contingencies and ensure continuity in the event travel is affected by severe weather.

Emergency Response

We would contact people at the first indication of an emergency to establish people’s whereabouts and their safety in order to determine what initial action should be taken. We would endeavor to contact families to ensure that they are aware of any situations and emergent issues – and what the plans are to keep people as safe as possible – and that any needs of care are met.

In the event of a significant risk to someone’s safety – for example being stranded due to severe weather and requiring essential medication – we would immediately plan an appropriate response and its deployment. In order to do this effectively; we would liaise with family health professionals, and emergency services as required.

Epidemic Preparedness

In cases of epidemics through illness, we will ensure any advice given in advance by a public or government health body is strictly adhered too (such as workers accessing vaccinations). Workers already carry necessary resources to uphold hygiene and safety standards (such as sanitizer gel and disposable gloves). In the event of further required resources; they will be provided.

Preventive Work and Workforce Continuity

We endeavor to do as much preventive work as possible – in order to prevent, to the best of our professional ability, the illnesses of people we support and workers. If a high number of our workforce becomes ill, we would look to access workers from a local provider we already work closely with.