Tag: residential care

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry announces Phase 9 of investigations

This announcement provides further information about a future Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) case study

Phase 9 of SCAI’s investigations concerns the provision of residential care in establishments for children and young people with long term healthcare needs, additional support needs and disabilities.

It is expected that public hearings will commence in spring 2025. This is an area of residential care that requires investigation as part of SCAI’s wide ranging terms of reference.

Investigation of this category of establishments has been ongoing throughout the life of the Inquiry and many relevant statements have already been provided by applicants.

The provision of residential care by the following institutions are being considered as part of the case study:

SchoolProviderLocation
Children’s Home, HumbieAlgrade TrustHumbie
Donaldson’s School for Deaf ChildrenThe Donaldson TrustEdinburgh
Harmeny SchoolHarmeny TrustBalerno
Ladyfield West Children’s HospitalNHS Dumfries & GallowayDumfries
Lendrick Muir SchoolSeamabRumbling Bridge
Lennox Castle HospitalNHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, and East Dunbartonshire CouncilLennoxtown, Glasgow
Linwood Hall Children’s HomeFife CouncilLeven
Melville HouseFife CouncilCupar
Monken Hadley / Corsbie Hall / Woodlands SchoolIndependentNewton Stewart
Ovenstone Residential SchoolFife CouncilPittenweem
Royal Blind SchoolRoyal BlindEdinburgh
Royal Scottish National HospitalNHS Forth ValleyLarbert
Starley Hall SchoolIndependentBurntisland
St Joseph’s HospitalDaughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul Rosewell
St Mary’s BalnakeilCongregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of GodGalashiels
St Vincent’s School for the Deaf and BlindDaughters of Charity of St Vincent de PaulTollcross, Glasgow
Woodfield Ladymary SchoolOur Lady of Charity of the Good ShepherdColinton, Edinburgh

Lady Smith, Chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry said: “The Inquiry’s wide-ranging Terms of Reference include requiring us to investigate the provision of residential care for children in healthcare establishments providing long term care and also similar establishments.

“Phase 9 will, accordingly, examine the provision of residential care for children and young people who had long term healthcare needs, additional support needs, disabilities or a combination of those needs.

“We plan to hold public hearings and expect that they will be able to commence in spring 2025.

“A range of organisations were involved in the provision of such residential accommodation including the National Health Service, local authorities, voluntary and private providers.

“Our investigations have been ongoing throughout the life of the Inquiry.

“A number of people have already come forward, but we would encourage anyone with relevant information to get in touch with the Inquiry’s witness support team as soon as possible.”

The Inquiry’s witness support team can be contacted on 0800 0929 300, or emailed at talktous@childabuseinquiry.scot

Individuals can also write to the Inquiry by post at SCAI, PO Box 24202, Edinburgh EH3 1JN.

SCAI launched a new website earlier this year and includes a range of features to improve accessibility such as “Recite me” and a series of short British Sign Language videos.

Cyrenians’ Keeping Families Together project advisory board holds first meeting

Cyrenians Keeping Families Together with Cashback for Communities project works alongside Scotland’s secure centres to support children to escape the cycle of homelessness and residential care. The first cross-sector advisory board meeting was held yesterday.  

The Promise Scotland, published in February 2020, is responsible for driving the work of change demanded by the findings of the Independent Care Review and sets out an ambition for Scotland ‘to be the best place in the world to grow up’ so that children are ‘loved, safe and respected, able to realise their full potential’. 

However, at any one time in Scotland, up to 84 children can be in secure accommodation. The aim of such secure care centres is ‘to provide intensive support and safe boundaries to help these highly vulnerable children re-engage and move forward positively in their communities’. 

Yesterday, experts from across the sector, including Cyrenians, The Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, Scottish Government, Aid and Abet, Police Scotland Violence Reduction Unit, University of Strathclyde, East Lothian Council, the Care Inspectorate and Good Shepherd Centre joined the first ever Keeping Families Together Advisory Board meeting to share best practice and ensure whole family support for those currently residing in Scotland’s secure centres, to help #KeepThePromise. 

The focus of the ‘Keeping Families Together’ Project is to support children and their families to rebuild relationships and return to the family home where possible.

Family contact has been highlighted as a specific area where more attention is needed for those in secure care and without support, the issues affecting families and children – whether the impact of earlier ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), low income and related stresses – can be left unchecked.

Communication can break down, and relationships can fracture, with devastating consequences for the child and the wider community.  

Kerry Watson, Service Manager at Cyrenians, said “At what can only be an enormously stressful and difficult period in a child’s life, it is only right that both the child and the rest of the family receive the support they need to maintain those relationships, and for the child, where possible, to return home with a positive route forward. 

“Bringing together experts from across the sector ensures that we are able to provide whole family support, meaning that any decisions made are in the best interest of the child, including returning home.”  

Dr Cara Jardine Chair of Keeping Families Together Advisory Group added: “The past year has added additional pressures with COVID impacting on family’s ability to visit and stay connected.

“It is imperative that as restrictions ease we focus on providing meaningful support that ensures the rights of the children we support are upheld and advocated for. By putting the child’s needs at the centre of any decision making process we will be able to break the cycle of inter-generational trauma, homelessness and disadvantage, ensuring more positive outcomes for all.”  

To find out more about Keeping Families Together, visit www.cyrenians.scot 

Concern over Edinburgh care home failings

An Edinburgh care home is failing to provide adequate care to residents despite THREE visits in September, according to the latest fortnightly report by the Care Inspectorate to the Scottish Parliament.

Guthrie House Care Home on Lasswade Road, which is operated by Four Seasons Healthcare Group, was first visited by inspectors on 1 September, when a letter of serious concern over failings was issued. This was followed up by a visit two days later with representatives from NHS Lothian.

Inspectors found ‘people did not have sufficient access to fluids and were not supported promptly when in pain or distress. We were concerned about the care of residents, cleanliness of the environment and equipment, compliance with infection prevention and control and staffing levels’.

When inspectors visited Guthrie House again on 23 September they found no improvement in the support offered to indivudals experiencing pain and distress. Medication procedures were weak and there was no improvement to the quality of documentation relating to the support provided.

Commenting on today’s report, Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “This is deeply concerning that Guthrie House still hasn’t made the necessary improvements to cleanliness of the home and residents who are in pain are still not being supported promptly.

“Full compliance with PPE guidance is crucial to ensuring that care home residents are safe and there can be no exceptions.

“Guthrie House has been repeatedly warned about cleanliness and following PPE guidance. Strict protocols must be put in place to turn the level of care at the home around.

“There are still a number of care homes in the Edinburgh and Lothian who are not following PPE and social distancing guidance fully and the message of full compliance must be reinforced.”

Scottish-Parliament-fortnightly-inspections-report-14-Oct-2020Download

LOVE Care expands into child residential care

A leading Scottish care provider has expanded into residential care after acquiring a new home in Airdrie, where it will offer residential care services for children.

The house is currently awaiting the green light from the Care Inspectorate to be used as a residential home.

Based in Hamilton but active across Scotland, LOVE Care have been offering a wide range of professional care and respite services, tailored to individual needs and undertaken by highly trained carers.

This step into residential care comes after a continuous expansion of LOVE Care’s service portfolio during last year amid the growing demand of their provision in Scotland.

LOVE Care aims to provide 24/7 tailored care services to kids with social, emotional and behavioural needs for whom residential care is the only option.

As part of SQA accredited learning and training centre LOVE Group, the care provider will complement its residential services with educational support in line with the services that it already provides in local authorities including South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh. It will also offer holistic therapy and wellbeing services to those in the home.

LOVE Care has previously been vocal about the need to improve the care sector standards in Scotland and ensure that not only the services offered are up to the highest standards but that carers themselves receive high levels of training and fair wages.

As such, LOVE Care train their staff following a unique hybrid model where workers are not only trained in residential childcare but also put through Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) accredited training in education delivery, providing them a greater level of formation to interact with children.

LOVE Care is a national living wage employer and facilitate internal routes to additional training and promotion within the organisation and the overall sector, making the prospect of a career in the care sector more attractive to possible applicants.

Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Care (pictured) commented: “We are delighted to expand our services into residential care. This will allow us to be providers of every tier of care services to vulnerable children in our country.

“Our aim as a social business is to bring love and support into children’s care services, ensuring that no matter what their background is, our children will be given the best possible start in life.

“We offer unique family support plans for children in our residential homes as well as a range of resilient support plans to enable their future success through a number intensive and holistic therapy and wellbeing services.

“We strongly believe in the need to improve the care standards of Scotland and urge all providers to raise their game and look at solutions to create a sustainable and successful care sector.

“As an example, the career pathway we provide through training supports individuals gain the qualifications to move through the ranks of the care sector and help establish this as a career of choice, helping to improve people’s lives.”