Learning Disabilities

Our personalised services support people with learning disabilities including physical disabilities, mental health needs, Autism, Down’s Syndrome, complex health needs such as cystic fibrosis, long term neurological conditions such as Huntington’s disease, dementia and cerebral palsy and acquired brain injury (ABI). Our specialisms also include support for people with sensory and communication impairments, such as being deaf and/or blind and those who have limited or no verbal communication.

Our support always varies according to individual need in accommodation ranging from people’s own flats or family homes to supported living and residential services, including nursing. For many of the people we support with ABI, our supported living services represent their first step back to their communities from rehabilitation hospitals.

We understand that transition can be very daunting and we overcome this by providing an extremely person centred approach to the support and care that we provide, ensuring that transitions are tailored to meet individual needs and by providing individualised support packages which include 24 hour support where required. Our dedicated Placement Support Team provides additional transition help if required.

Everyone we support is assisted to develop a Person Centred Plan (PCP) that focuses on enabling each person to achieve their individual dreams and aspirations. These may include making friends, achieving increased independence and gaining education and/or employment.

Service users are supported by our teams to develop lifestyles of their choosing through our Person Centred Active Support (PCAS) approach. Our dedicated PCP and PCAS Co-ordinator is on hand to ensure that our teams and everyone they support continue to develop and achieve better outcomes.

Where alternative methods of communication are appropriate we support people to develop individualised communication strategies using our Total Communication approach. Alternative communication methods such as PECS or talk mats are used to help people to express their feelings and wishes and to make choices. In addition, our staff are trained to use a variety of communication support systems including Makaton and British Sign Language. We also employ a dedicated Communication Psychologist who makes sure all communication strategies are appropriate for each individual.

We also support people to develop individual Health Action Plans which help them to live healthy and safe lifestyles. Our Healthcare and Therapy team support the development of these plans and liaise with GPs and hospitals where necessary