Created By Parents

Read Transition Step 2: Getting the Right Assessment

Read Transition Step 4: What Makes a Good Transition

http://www.phoenix.peterborough.sch.uk/

Fantastic Phoenix

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:35:20 +0000

Hugo and Kirsten plus some of the HFHC team joined Ann and me on Saturday night at a fundraiser for The Phoenix School, Peterborough. And what an evening it was! Over 300 people attended the Roman Themed Ball at the East of England Showground which was fantastically organised by Liza Schwarz, mum of Spencer who attends the school.

The overriding thing about the evening was the commitment of the parents for putting together an absolutely spectacular event. It just shows what parents can do, but also what a headmaster can do for a school. Phil Pike, Headteacher at The Phoenix School is an incredibly inspiring person who, through great leadership and a supportive staff team, has transformed his school into an example of how it should be done. His good leadership motivates staff, it motivates pupils, it motivates parents and it is infectious. The school lets people see the positive side of life; when you have a child who has a learning disability to you they are just your child – someone else gives them the label. At The Phoenix School they focus on the child, not on the disability. That’s why it works.

It’s also the way it’s done: Phil is totally hands on, he’s a big presence around the school and is always interacting with the pupils. On top of that, he supports parents sometimes visiting them at home or even accompanying them on visits to us or other facilities for their child’s future. Everything that comes out of him affirms positivity and that too, is infectious and creates an expectation of what people want to live up to.

Although the evening was emotional with speeches from both Phil and Liza, it was uplifting. This reflects the school exactly; it’s a happy school which, given the high support needs and the complexity of those needs, is no mean feat.

Always the sign of a good party, the vast majority of guests were still there at the end, having enjoyed two auctions, casino tables, a sweet stall and a great band with singing from Maurice Cannon from The Drifters who also provided us with a signed waistcoat which we bid for in the auction.

Paul

Transition Step 5: What Happens Afterwards

admin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:01:38 +0000

The process after move in will differ from provider to provider but at minimum, you should expect a review meeting after the initial six week settling in period.

This meeting should be to discuss your child’s progress and to agree any changes that need to be made to his or her plans. It is also your opportunity to bring up any issues you have identified during the settling in period that you would like to address and to discuss longer term plans.

After that, usual process is to have a six monthly reviews to ensure that your child’s needs continue to be met and to identify any further actions that need to be addressed.

Read Transition Step 2: Getting the Right Assessment

Read Transition Step 4: What Makes a Good Transition

Transition Step 4: What Makes A Good Transition Into A Home

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:03:40 +0000

*note that Transition in this instance refers to an individual’s Transition into a residential placement either from school, college or home

As we said in Step 2, the most important thing to ensure a smooth Transition is to get a good assessment in the first place. Second to that are the right choice of home, and then the right level of funding to ensure the right level of support.

Everyone’s transition is different. It can span several days or several months depending on the individual’s needs. Transition will progress at a pace at which the individual is able to manage and understand, avoiding any unnecessary anxiety.

A good Transition does rely on good planning e.g. who should be involved, how many visits should take place, where and when, how many times staff should visit the school or college, how often the individual should come to the home, how many overnight stays etc. After all this has been discussed, a flexible, tailored plan and timeline should be designed with the individual’s involvement and in line with his or her aspirations and wishes. This process should include the following people:

The individual
The care manager (social worker, nurse practitioner)
Family / carers
The Assessment Manager (Provider)
The Home Manager (Provider)
The Designated Transition Co-Ordinator (Provider)

As the Transition develops so should the personalisation of somebody’s room, adapting their room or communal areas, equipment and bathrooms and reducing the levels of anxiety due to change. Change is the big issue and the anxiety that comes from that change seems to be the common element with everybody.

What To Consider During The Moving In Period

Transition differs from provider to provider but in general, the the same team around a particular individual should be used. At HFHC we have something called the focus support team and we will draw people from other homes to support that person right through Transition. Then when the individual moves in that team will support that person whilst they settle in.

Moving into a new home can be a confusing time for individuals until they become settled in their new environment. As they orientate themselves and get to know staff and other people in the home, our experience is that it is often best if during this period families and carers balance the frequency of visits.

Viewpoint of a Provider

“Each transition should get better and better as you learn from the last one you have done. Poor communications are the thing to watch out for. When you have a dispersed team coming together and more staff get involved as that person moves in communication is key. Even in a good organisation it does take a long time to make sure all staff (30 odd staff working in a home) making sure everybody who comes into contact with that person absolutely knows what the issues are. Also probably some of the biggest problems arise when we haven’t been given all of the facts about somebody’s behaviour, issues around individuals. We had a situation where we were not alerted about somebody and a behaviour which hadn’t been picked up in the transition because it hadn’t actually occurred during that time. It was very alarming because there was no awareness of this.

When people are telling you things, you are assuming they know all the information. We are on the backfoot. When someone comes from another organisation, you are relying on how well they are supporting that person, do they have all the information on that person?

Read Transition Step 2: Getting the Right Assessment

Transition Step 3: Access to Funding

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:02:03 +0000

Placements for residential care should be funded by your Local Authority i.e. the Authority in which you live not where the placement is. If that placement is outside your Local Authority (out-of-county funding) then it is likely you will have to put together a very stong case to secure that funding.

In some cases, parents have to go through a tough process to get this funding which may include proceeding down a legal route. If your child is over 18 then they are entitled to Legal Aid – click here to read a previous post on ‘Legal Aid for Out of County Funding’.

If your child has health issues then a placement might be eligible for part funding through Continuing Healthcare. In some Local Authorities, this is particularly important to consider if you are trying to secure out-of-county funding as the money comes out of a different budget from the Social Care pot therefore you are more likely to get a favourable decision. It is important to check whether this is the case with your particular Local Authority as a small percentage combine Social Care and Continuing Healthcare budgets under one umbrella.

Despite budget cuts, funding for out-of-county placements is available if you can prove that the service and provider you are going for is the only one that is going to be able to meet your child’s needs now and in the future.

Read Transition Step 2: Getting the Right Assessment

Read Transition Step 4: What Makes a Good Transition

Thank You to The Rock Foundation

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:59:17 +0000

Well done to our lads from The Old Vicarage for producing such a fantastic chair and a big thank you to The Rock Foundation in Grimsby for all their support. This is a fantastic organisation that (in their own words):

“Through a wide variety of practical workshops and supported work placements we aim to help our service users develop life and employment skills, to increase their self esteem and independence, and ultimately improve their quality of life.”

Transition Step 2: Getting the Right Assessment

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:27:35 +0000

Getting the right assessment for your child is one of the most important things you can do throughout the whole Transition process.

An assessment at this stage will often provide the basis of care plans, funding and access to services moving forward, particularly if your child is nearing 18 at which time they transfer into Adult Services, or if it is a provider assessing their needs to put together an offer letter (i.e. funding required).

During the assessement process it might be tempting to describe your child in a way that you think will give them greater access to services but don’t: see our earlier blogpost Why It’s the Bad Days that Matter which explains why it is essential to describe your child on their worst day.

Do not sign any assessment documents until you are absolutely happy with the contents. And be aware that over the Transition period your child’s needs are likely to change – an assessment at 17 is unlikely to provide an accurate description of your child’s needs (and therefore the right level of funding and provision) at 19.

Once your care manager has requested an assessment from a provider, the provider will contact you to discuss arrangements to

Meet your child at home
Agree whether there are other environments to assess your child in, and if so, visit those places e.g. school or college, day centres
Meet with you, your family, care workers, carers and any other relevant parties to gather information

This should be an in-depth assessment to determine whether that provider really can meet the your child’s needs and should be free of charge.

At Home From Home Care we only offer placements if we are confident we can support an individual and can meet their needs. If this is so, we issue an offer letter which contains details of the support package and funding levels required.

If you are not offered a placement by a provider it is important that you understand why. The provider should send you and your care manager a written explanation with the reasons behind the decision which the care manager should then discuss with you to help you plan what to do next.

Read Transition Step 4: What Makes a Good Transition