The crash pad is a unique facility funded and created by Bradford Cinderella Club at its premises in Little Germany Bradford to be used by those working with and caring/supporting underprivileged children within the Bradford Metropolitan area.
The facility has been carefully thought out as a caring family environment where a professional carer can spend some quality time with a child who is uncared-for, at risk, or generally needs a place to stay away from current home conditions for a couple of nights – a place to Crash’ in warmth and safety.
The facility is located within the main office building in Chapel Street Bradford. The layout has been crafted to use all available space as a pleasant home-styled accommodation unit with a capacity to accommodate two children and up to two staff at any given time. The accommodation is all on one level on the first floor with DDA compliant access from street level. A lift services the building at basement, ground and first floor.
The first floor Crash Pad is accessed via the rear to 16 Chapel Street. A lift will take users from ground to first floor. On leaving the lift the entrance to the Crash pad is to your right, immediately in front of you is the emergency fire escape which users will be shown during their induction of use of this very special resource.
When entering turning to the left will take guests to the open plan living accommodation with lounge and dining area with an open plan kitchen located to the rear, all complemented by main and mood lighting. The kitchen has been designed in a layout that will enable staff to share cooking duties with those experiencing the care of the Crash Pad.
Walking down the central corridor passing the entrance to your right is the main bathroom on the left complete with full bath and separate shower with an Amazon flood shower-head. The next room is the wet room with full disabled access.
To the right at this point is the quite area where youngsters can sit quietly and read a book or just ‘take five’, or simply ‘chill’ in the brilliant surroundings. The experience for the youngsters has to be one of care and time with no rush or pressure, just care, plentiful food and a clean bed to lay their head.
Ahead are the two single bedrooms for the children, these rooms are not to be used by staff/adults and are only for youngsters to use. Each room has a double bed, bedside cabinets, dresser and learning desk with internet access.
In ensuring all available space is utilised throughout this fully refurbished building a games room has been created in the basement which boasts a full-size table tennis and pool table.
The crash Pad is completed with staff accommodation that is located to the second floor within the roof space. While generous in floor area, the headroom is keen and the shared staff bathroom compact.
For over sixty years this Charity had its own holiday home which closed in the seventies. A lot of the older Bradford generation who visited the holiday home at Hest Bank still have fond memories of their visit, fifty years later. That spawned the idea of providing a similar experience to today’s underprivileged children that they could have some warmth and comfort, they could be put first, they would, have bedding, food and generally a feel-good experiences at the Crash Pad.
The Crash Pad is available for all those professionals who work with and look after underprivileged children in the Bradford Metropolitan area once their organisation has been approved and each individual who will be using the facility has been fully inducted in the use of the Crash Pad.
The Crash pad can only be used when looking after underprivileged children – it is not available at other times.
This charity does not have any employees and functions
entirely on the availability of time from our volunteers. Nor does it have anyone who is qualified to
deal with the many aspects professionally needed when dealing with
underprivileged children.
BCC have developed this facility for underprivileged children but are looking
at professionals who work in the same positions to make use of the facility.
Whilst BCC volunteers will, from time to time be using other parts of the building they will not be allowed to access the crash pad other than for cleaning and maintenance purposes when the Pad is not in use.
The use of the Crash pad is completely free, there are no charges, other than a (refundable) £25 per person deposit on keys for the facility.
Once a partner agency and subsequent individuals have been approved with a building usage induction they will be provided with a key fob for the security and a door key. It will be the individual key holder’s responsibility to ensure the key is kept safe and secure at all times.
The Crash Pad is there to be used seven days a week.
The only restriction being that no child can stay there for more than three nights in any one visit. BCC will operate a fair usage policy that so much as is possible each organisation is given equal access to the facility to ensure fairness of use across Bradford based on organisational structure [size].
Carers can use the facility either pre-booked or in case of emergency, at short notice – subject to availability – once they are on an approved list.
Firstly, you must be from a registered organisation that works with underprivileged children within the City of Bradford. The Organisation must register with Bradford Cinderella Club, which, following approval will be added to the organisation to the approved list.
Each individual applicant will be granted approval to use the facility once agreed by their emplyee organisation and a full building induction has been completed. The induction will be to ensure each competent individual is familiar with all aspect of the building’s use and for all emergency procedures. Each individual is then provided with set of keys together with security fob once the key holder deposit is paid.
The registration process will be available from early 2020
Bradford Cinderella Club carries its own insurances in terms of third-party liability for use of the building. Each user organisation must be fully insured for its own staff and or volunteers and thier work with children.