Project Partners
The project is supporting the development of person centred support with 8 project partners across the UK.
This information has been written by people from these services. The project has made some small changes to the information so it is anonymous. This is because as a research project it is important for us to make sure other people don't know who is taking part.
Partner 1) The Young Persons' Unit is a ten-bedroom residential home for 16-24 year olds providing 24-hour nursing and support for disabled young people, enabling them to spend their transition years in a safe and stimulating environment. The accommodation is purpose-built throughout and includes networked computer facilities. The young people are encouraged to make their own choices and are given appropriate support in achieving their aims and ambitions. There are opportunities to take part in further education courses at local colleges and encouragement to develop independent living skills. As they approach the age of 24, we work closely with the young people and their families to identify their future options.
Partner 2) County Day Services (for a large rural county in England)
We work alongside people of working age and generally aged 18-64 years with predominantly physical and/or sensory disability to promote meaningful opportunities in terms of leisure, education, social support, work and inclusion in decision-making. The vehicles for accessing these opportunities vary and encompass both voluntary and statutory services.
The team comprises Disability Development Workers (DDWs) and Day Service Officers (DSOs). The DDWs are based across the county and work within their locality to link people with opportunities on the basis of their individual aspirations. They also develop local resources that meet the needs expressed by local disabled people where these are not already in existence. The DSOs are based at a day centre and work alongside the management committee, who are users of the centre, to promote and develop inclusive use of the centre as a local resource.
We are hoping that the project will provide some new ideas on how to further develop the service along the lines of a person centred approach.
Partner 3) A local Council working with the Primary Care Trust (in a town in the Midlands) would like better services for people with learning disabilities from ethnic minority communities. The plan has three main parts:
Carers, especially if non-English speakers, supported by a Carers group;
A self-advocacy & community support project for users who are hard to reach;
A local authority Access team is working with services and workers to provide more 'person centred' support so users and carers are able to access mainstream services.
We want to learn how we can make 'In Control' happen for families who need extra support.
Partner 4) A Primary Care Trust (PCT) in a city in England
The work will focus on end of life care for people living in care homes. We will examine how to empower people to make decisions about where they want to be and how we support them in those decisions. Empowerment and service user involvement is crucial.
Membership of the steering group currently includes representatives from the local hospital, PCT, social services, care homes and a Carer. Learning points may be around the methodology for involving service users in influencing end of life care services, what views service users and their carers have, how to enable staff to facilitate choice and how services can be configured to deliver choice.
Partner 5) A national charity helping disadvantaged people to take control of their lives and create a valued future of their choice. We offer day services and support to people living in their own accommodation or housing we provide. We support vulnerable people such as those with mental health needs, vulnerable families, and people who are homeless, or struggling with substance misuse. We have introduced Person Centred Planning (PCP) across all our services over the past three years and trained staff in this approach. Our clients have found PCP empowering, inspiring and enjoyable. We are keen to meet up with like-minded organisations to share ideas, training and successes.
Partner 6) A charity providing care homes, housing and support services for 8,500 older people throughout Britain. The Care Centre is an extra care housing development of 70 apartments with communal facilities, and a Dementia Day Care Centre. 24-hour staffing provide general and dementia care. Options to develop our person-centred care include:
This informal network has hosted awareness raising and training events focusing on the difficult areas of transition. The network meets on a regular basis. Each of the organisations and individuals involved provide time, skills and resources voluntarily.
The network is made up of 4 local service users with experience of PCP, a training & supported employment project, a housing association, the Council Learning Disabilities Services, local Careers service & the Association of Real Change.
Partner 8) The Care Services Department sets out to provide innovative housing, care and support solutions for vulnerable adults and older people. The focus of this project is to consider the development of services to vulnerable adults. Currently we have 4 residential homes for people with learning or physical disabilities, we are moving forward with a process of person centred planning to redefine these services into a more supported living model of housing, care and support.
We are asking the project to support us in this process, provide us with critical friendship and offer information and advice from the experience of others within the network.
The project is supporting the development of person centred support with 8 project partners across the UK.
This information has been written by people from these services. The project has made some small changes to the information so it is anonymous. This is because as a research project it is important for us to make sure other people don't know who is taking part.
Partner 1) The Young Persons' Unit is a ten-bedroom residential home for 16-24 year olds providing 24-hour nursing and support for disabled young people, enabling them to spend their transition years in a safe and stimulating environment. The accommodation is purpose-built throughout and includes networked computer facilities. The young people are encouraged to make their own choices and are given appropriate support in achieving their aims and ambitions. There are opportunities to take part in further education courses at local colleges and encouragement to develop independent living skills. As they approach the age of 24, we work closely with the young people and their families to identify their future options.
Partner 2) County Day Services (for a large rural county in England)
We work alongside people of working age and generally aged 18-64 years with predominantly physical and/or sensory disability to promote meaningful opportunities in terms of leisure, education, social support, work and inclusion in decision-making. The vehicles for accessing these opportunities vary and encompass both voluntary and statutory services.
The team comprises Disability Development Workers (DDWs) and Day Service Officers (DSOs). The DDWs are based across the county and work within their locality to link people with opportunities on the basis of their individual aspirations. They also develop local resources that meet the needs expressed by local disabled people where these are not already in existence. The DSOs are based at a day centre and work alongside the management committee, who are users of the centre, to promote and develop inclusive use of the centre as a local resource.
We are hoping that the project will provide some new ideas on how to further develop the service along the lines of a person centred approach.
Partner 3) A local Council working with the Primary Care Trust (in a town in the Midlands) would like better services for people with learning disabilities from ethnic minority communities. The plan has three main parts:
Carers, especially if non-English speakers, supported by a Carers group;
A self-advocacy & community support project for users who are hard to reach;
A local authority Access team is working with services and workers to provide more 'person centred' support so users and carers are able to access mainstream services.
We want to learn how we can make 'In Control' happen for families who need extra support.
Partner 4) A Primary Care Trust (PCT) in a city in England
The work will focus on end of life care for people living in care homes. We will examine how to empower people to make decisions about where they want to be and how we support them in those decisions. Empowerment and service user involvement is crucial.
Membership of the steering group currently includes representatives from the local hospital, PCT, social services, care homes and a Carer. Learning points may be around the methodology for involving service users in influencing end of life care services, what views service users and their carers have, how to enable staff to facilitate choice and how services can be configured to deliver choice.
Partner 5) A national charity helping disadvantaged people to take control of their lives and create a valued future of their choice. We offer day services and support to people living in their own accommodation or housing we provide. We support vulnerable people such as those with mental health needs, vulnerable families, and people who are homeless, or struggling with substance misuse. We have introduced Person Centred Planning (PCP) across all our services over the past three years and trained staff in this approach. Our clients have found PCP empowering, inspiring and enjoyable. We are keen to meet up with like-minded organisations to share ideas, training and successes.
Partner 6) A charity providing care homes, housing and support services for 8,500 older people throughout Britain. The Care Centre is an extra care housing development of 70 apartments with communal facilities, and a Dementia Day Care Centre. 24-hour staffing provide general and dementia care. Options to develop our person-centred care include:
- Carer Support Groups
- Personal histories
- Source Housing with Care
- Best practice standards and values assessments
- Communicating with people with dementia
- Devise a training programme on person-centred care for Managers to implement
- Possible training for staff to target the five senses
This informal network has hosted awareness raising and training events focusing on the difficult areas of transition. The network meets on a regular basis. Each of the organisations and individuals involved provide time, skills and resources voluntarily.
The network is made up of 4 local service users with experience of PCP, a training & supported employment project, a housing association, the Council Learning Disabilities Services, local Careers service & the Association of Real Change.
Partner 8) The Care Services Department sets out to provide innovative housing, care and support solutions for vulnerable adults and older people. The focus of this project is to consider the development of services to vulnerable adults. Currently we have 4 residential homes for people with learning or physical disabilities, we are moving forward with a process of person centred planning to redefine these services into a more supported living model of housing, care and support.
We are asking the project to support us in this process, provide us with critical friendship and offer information and advice from the experience of others within the network.