AQW 39600/22-27

Miss Nuala McAllister
Alliance Party
North Belfast

Tabled Date: 02/02/2026
Answered On Date: 24/02/2026
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail why Lindsay House, in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, has not reopened for short breaks, despite the registration and opening of Redwood Children with Disability Residential Facility from January 2026.

Answer:

Redwood Children’s Home, was issued with registration from RQIA during December 2025.

The current registration allows for one placement to be used as a shared care arrangement. This will be revisited by RQIA when the home is fully staffed and internal works to the stair case are completed. The South Eastern Trust plans to have these works completed by the 22nd of February 2026 and to be fully staffed by the first week in March 2026.

Currently Redwood accommodates one young person on a shared care basis for three nights per week. The family and the young person report positively upon this shared care arrangement.

The second planned admission to Redwood will be in respect of one of the young people currently residing in Lindsay house. The final planned admission to Redwood is for one young person who will have a shared care arrangement.

The South Eastern Trust continues to work with RQIA and officials within my Department to facilitate the re-opening of Lindsay House for short breaks. This is a complex undertaking, requiring a focus upon the individual needs of the young people currently placed in Lindsay House. These discussions are taking place against a background where options for transitions to alternative placements are also limited.