So how is Little Oaks offering care and support to our young people and our amazing staff who journey in everyday to offer a home? Well first and foremost we acknowledge that the feelings that we are experiencing are those that our young people have experienced for most of their lives and that has led them to our home.  In order to help our young people repair, replenish and thrive we offer clarity, consistency, care and flexibility.   It is these same values that we are using in order to manage the impact of Coronavirus, strongly believing that despite the infection, vulnerable children , young people, staff and our visitors still require a safe and appropriate provision. 

 

Clarity:    Little Oaks is closely monitoring, and following updates provided through Government and recognised Health providers.  To ensure staff and children/young people are safe, we have introduced general and specific measures to minimise disruption to our services and maintain safe levels of staffing.

 

The management team will ensure general measures such as :

• The current government guidance on COVID-19 is always freely available to staff.

• Staff follow infection control guidance.

• Places frequented by children/young people have a policy and strategy in place in relation to COVID-19.

• Face-to-face contacts with customers/suppliers are reduced as the COVID-19 virus becomes more widespread.

• Visitors are vetted against risk criteria.

• Hand washing guidance is available and displayed prominently within our services.

• COVID-19 prevention supplies are available within Little Oaks (e.g. soap, hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol, tissues, bins, and disposable facemasks in case someone becomes ill.)
  

 

• use online tools to report capacity for bed vacancies (such as Children's Cross Regional Arrangements Group CCRAG) to support system resilience.

• Use tools for the secure transfer of information, such as Contracts Finder; Tender Electronics Daily and Procontract and Egress (secure Email).

• Increase the use of Microsoft Teams/ Zoom/ Facetime and other tools for secure virtual conference calls, to ensure advice from GPs, acute care staff, and community health staff can be given and Social Care/ educational meetings attended.

• Virtual Job Interviews and Inductions will occur for staff and the limitations of this will be recognised in having a longer probation period.

CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE

Children/young people must wash their hands on entering the building; before and after eating and being outdoors and guided with appropriate toilet hygiene. This will help prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

 

If a child/young person shows the symptoms outlined above, the manager must ensure that Public Health and NHS Guidance is followed. Children and Young People will be involved in discussions around their care and helped to understand the significance and implications of the virus on themselves and others.  Relevant Local Authority Social Workers (and parents if appropriate to do so) will be notified. 

 

Little Oaks will follow Public Health Guidance and will implement isolation precautions when someone in the home displays symptoms of COVID-19 . If isolation is needed, a child/young person’s own room can be used.  Each young person has their own individual bedroom and with three bathrooms for three young people, we will be able to dedicate a bathroom specifically for anyone with the virus.

 

Children and Young People will still have access to dedicated and experienced staff, some of whom will have a teaching/educational background to support home learning.  Young People will be able to continue outside physical activities such as horse-riding lessons, visits to local forest and outside games.  Internal provisions include IT; gaming area; board games; baking; creative arts and similar. As a home for our young people, we have been limited in what we can offer but we have creative and resilient staff and young people who have all worked so hard in remaining positive and eager to plan and participate in all that we are able to do.  (We have probably joined most of the nation in putting on weight with all our cooking and eating!!)

 

 

In adherence with Public Health information, Little Oaks will use new personal protective equipment (PPE) for each episode of care if the child /young person is symptomatic. Little Oaks will consider itself as its own ‘Bubble’.   General interventions may include increased cleaning activity to reduce risk of retention of virus on hard surfaces and keeping the properly ventilated by opening windows whenever safe and appropriate.

 

If PPE is required we will ensure that used PPE is stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags will be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste within the room. This will be put aside for at least 72 hours before being disposed of as normal.

 

Little Oaks staff will clean frequently touched surfaces. Personal waste (such as used tissues, and other items soiled with bodily fluids) and disposable cleaning cloths will be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags will be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste within the room. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being disposed of as normal.

 

 

Staff must wash their hands on entering the building; before and after eating and preparing food and being outside. This will help prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). If a member of staff shows symptoms of new coronavirus, or if they have been in close contact with people who have contracted new coronavirus, they:

• must leave their place of work immediately if they have already started their shift.

• must not come to work if they have not started their shift.

• If a member of staff is concerned they have COVID-19 they should follow the NHS guidance.

• If they are advised to self-isolate at home they should follow the Public Health guidance.

• If advised to self-isolate at home, they should not visit or care for individuals until safe to do so.  This is to ensure children/young people and other staff are protected as far as possible from the transmission of the virus. 

 

To minimise the risk of transmission, Lavender Grove Cares has reviewed our existing visiting policy.  Consequently, we are requesting that no one visits who has suspected COVID-19 or is generally unwell. 

 

Any visitors to the home must wash their hands/ use hand sanitiser on entering the building. Staff will direct the visitors to the nearest facilities. This will help prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

 

Contractors on site will be kept to a minimum and we will continue to emphasise good hand hygiene for all visitors.

 

Social Distancing will be adhered to wherever possible.

 

It is understood that the mental and emotional wellbeing of our Children and Young people will be affected in these challenging times and that they may have concerns for their own close friends and family members who reside elsewhere.  It is acknowledged that there is a  positive impact of seeing friends and family and if ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-isolation’ means that pre agreed contact has ceased, Little Oaks will encourage and ensure there is virtual contact through Facetime, What’s app and similar platforms.

 

Little Oaks was fortunate enough to open in April 2020, just at the height of the pandemic and so in responding to the increased risk of more people being in the building due to the first placements, we have ensured that there is a 3 hourly turn around disinfecting and cleaning regime in the entire house.

 

Little Oaks will maintain vigilance of any changes in Public Health guidance and NHS advice and will ensure that we maintain flexibility to continue meeting the highest standards of care for all within our home.

Risk Assessments of activities and following events such as missing from care episodes will be completed to ensure that health risks are minimal and that we do not become complacent in all that we do.

 

Thank you

 

Here at  Little Oak’s we thank our neighbours, friends, families and wider community for supporting us in such difficult times and wish you all the best of care and health.