About the service Cheviots Children's Centre provides a respite, short break and home sitting service for parents so that they can take a break from their caring role. The service provides personal care and support to children with learning disabilities including autism and complex physical disabilities within their own home. At the time of the inspection there was only one child receiving a service.
The home sitting service forms part of a combination of services to support and enable children and their families to lead ordinary family lives. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The relative that we spoke with was complimentary of the care and support that their child received. We were told of how they received support from two regular home sitters who knew their child very well and supported them safely and with dignity and respect.
Risk associated with each child's health and care needs had been identified and assessed with clear guidance available to staff on how these risks were to be managed to ensure their safety.
Currently the service was not supporting any children with medicine administration. However, systems were in place to ensure the safe management and administration of medicines where required.
Safe recruitment processes followed, enabled the service to recruit staff that had been assessed as safe to work with vulnerable children.
Home sitters were trained and skilled to safely and effectively support children with their needs. Home sitters received appropriate support to effectively deliver care.
Children were supported with eating and drinking where this was an identified and assessed need.
The service currently supported children and young people under the age of 18. At the time of the inspection the service was not supporting any child over the age of 16, therefore, the legal requirement to consider mental capacity and ability to make decisions was not required. However, care records had been signed by parents confirming that they had been involved in the planning of care and consented to the care and support that their child received.
Care plans were person centred and detailed. Children's support needs, likes and dislikes, the things they liked to do and how care and support was to be delivered was clearly documented within their care plan.
Parents knew who to speak with if they had a complaint and told us that their complaint would be addressed immediately.
Processes were in place to monitor and oversee the quality of care delivery. Where issues were identified these were addressed and discussed with the team to promote further learning and improvements.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 4 August 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.