A counter-intuitive challenge we have at HFHC is when parents visit they often say, “my child is much more complex than that child over there – how are you ever going to be able to support them?”  or “these people are doing activities that my child won’t be able to do”

What they don’t often realise is what the person they are referring to was like when they moved in.  Most of the people that we support are extremely complex and many of them have come from placements with other providers that have broken down.  We have seen time and time again that these placement breakdowns are not because someone’s needs are too great, it is because they are not being supported in the right way.  Supporting someone involves:

• The right assessment
• The right group of people
• The right level of support
• Supporting rather than caring

If you get these right and maintain the right balance between then, then you get an outcome and for most people their behaviours will decrease.  It’s about understanding someone’s spirit, character, trigger points and behaviours. However, if you don’t get it right, those behaviours are simmering under the surface and can break through with varying degrees of disruption and pain.

One might think that offering good support costs more but that’s just not the case.  If you look at placements that have broken down, invariably, HFHC is no more expensive than the placement from which someone is coming, it’s just that HFHC do it differently.