learning disability | autism | mental health
Transition services Working with professionals and young people in transition
www.mcch.org.uk/transition
In this booklet • How we can support young people in transition • Mill House supported living transition housing (open May 2016) • Beatrice Hills supported living transition housing • Pengarth supported living transition housing • Transition Plus • Work experience opportunities • Types of support we can provide • Housing opportunities • Staff training • Working with families and carers • Working with commissioners • Purchasing support
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About mcch We are a registered charity and have been supporting people with a learning disability, autism, or mental health need since 1987. We deliver services across the South East including 11 London boroughs. Our services include: supported living, registered care, community support, housing, children’s respite and day services, employment and engagement services. We support nearly 2,000 people in over 200 projects or services across the region. We have experience in providing of a range of different types of services which are personalised for each individual.
Call us on 0800 028 28 15 to speak with our team and find out how we can support you. Visit our website: www.mcch.org.uk/transition
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How we can support young people in transition Our aim is to support young adults and their families/carers to find the support package they need as they start using adult services. We can support and advise young adults of the opportunities we can offer. We have a range of services which support people with learning and physical disabilities, autism and mental health needs. • • • • •
Supported living • Autism support services Registered care • Mental health wellbeing services Community support and activities • Housing support Employment and vocational services • Brokerage Transition Plus and specific services just for young people in transition (see pages 4-7)
It can be an exciting time in a young person’s life when they reach adulthood. They could be leaving school, college, or home and want to live independently, find a job, try new things and widen their circle of friends. We would like to be part of their journey by making this a positive experience with help and guidance from our experienced staff teams. We are able to offer a complete package of support, housing, employment and training opportunities. A young person can purchase our services using their personal budgets or direct payments and housing benefits. We work in partnership with other support providers, professionals, local forums, groups, parents and carers. We aim to make sure we are providing the best service we can deliver for the people we support.
Tuck by Truck is an enterprise which provides businesses with a snack tray. It’s a great way for people to gain experience in a real business as a volunteer or paid employee.
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Services for young people in transition We work in partnership supporting people, families/carers and communities using local resources to deliver different service types and support. Since 1987 we have been supporting people through transition and adults moving from long stay hospitals into registered care and living in the community. We have supported people to move from registered care into supported living and then to live even more independently, requiring a few hours of support each day/week, to no longer requiring daily support.
Mill House: 7 self-contained flats and a training flat, Maidstone, Kent, opens May 2016 This new transition service in Maidstone provides 7 individual flats and one training flat to support young adults with learning disabilities who are preparing to live independently. Each flat will have modern design features, an open plan lounge and kitchen area with the ability to include assistive technology suitable to meet individual needs. The service includes a communal space, individual parking and a shared garden. Individuals will have an opportunity to choose a selection of training opportunities from a programme designed to develop life skills which will support greater independence, social and emotional development. Our specialist staff team will work with individuals to design their personalised plan identifying the goals they want to achieve whilst mapping how, when and who will support them through their journey to independence. The programme will support a planned move-on within a realistic time frame. We can also continue to provide support, training and development when the young person moves into their own place. 4
Ground floor
First floor
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Beatrice Hills Close, Ashford Beatrice Hills is a new learning disability transition service for young adults aged 18-30. The service will prepare people to move into adult services, when they are confident and ready. It will also give people ongoing support after they leave, through drop-in sessions and training at Mill House in Maidstone. This 4-bedroom property is on a new housing estate and has communal areas, including a lounge, dining room, kitchen and garden. Bedrooms are on the first floor and there is a separate kitchen area that will be used for further training to help people live more independently. Each person will have an individual training programme that will build their confidence.
Pengarth Road, Bexleyheath This transition service will support 5 young adults aged 18-24. The aim is to prepare people to move into adult services, when they are confident and ready to do so. This may be around 2-3 years, but will depend on them. This 5-bedroom property has communal areas, including a large lounge, dining room, kitchen and a garden. Bedrooms are located on the first floor.
We have an active development programme designing personalised housing projects for people with learning disabilities or mental health needs. We are able to take on small or large building projects. We are currently redeveloping properties into selfcontained flats and making properties fit for purpose. 6
Transition Plus This service provides support for people aged 18-25 years old to prepare and enter into paid employment. We work with people in 1-1 sessions and in groups. We support them to gain skills and experience which could lead to paid employment. We believe that every person should be empowered to access employment with the right support. We can help people with: • CV building • interview preparation and practice • job searching • travel training and job taster/experience • paid employment.
Enterprises We have developed a range of innovative enterprises supporting people with a learning disability, autism or mental health need to access work opportunities. Enterprises give people valuable work experience, whilst also earning an income to support the enterprise and those in paid positions. Our enterprises enable people to grow personally as well as develop work related skills including: • support to find work experience and paid work • enterprise specific skills (money handling, stock control and business management) • CV building and interview training • improved confidence and self esteem • communication skills • improved mental wellbeing. These are some of our current social enterprises: • Tuck by Truck - snack trays delivered to local businesses weekly • Growing Concern - garden maintenance, watering plants and growing/selling vegetables • Creative Cards - designing homemade cards and sales • mcch enterprises - garden and building maintenance, painting and decorating
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mcch Jigsaw project: Raising awareness of disability hate crime
Support Supported living services help people to be independent and as self-managing as they can be. Individual needs will vary and through assessment the level of support required will be determined and delivered. We provide: • 24 hours support • Waking nights • Sleep-in
• A specific number of hours each week • A set number of hours each day • On call
We have some shared supported living services which provide the opportunity to live independently within a shared house. The support provided is based on individual need following a joint assessment approach. In some cases a number of individual and shared hours may be allocated.
Personalised Support In line with the personalision agenda, our staffing model enables us to deliver services which are focused on individual needs rather than service led. Each person we support will have a key person who works closely with them to identify their support needs, goals and aspirations. Together personalised plans are devised which reflect the person’s choice, goals and outcomes. The staff team will coordinate and deliver support. As a support provider who promotes personalisation we recognise that a young person may wish to purchase services from more than one provider. We have experience of working successfully in partnership with other providers. With the increased opportunity for individuals to have a personal budget or receive direct payments to purchase their own services, we have mechanisms and strategies in place to accommodate collaborative working. 8
Specialist support Positive Behaviour Specialist Team (PBS)
Our PBS team provides specialist training for staff to support people, recognise behavioural cues, manage environments and identify why people challenge, responding appropriately and safely. When a person presents with behaviours that may raise concerns staff can refer to our PBS team. The PBS team work with the person, staff, carers and professionals, to carry out a functional assessment and produce positive behaviour support plans.
Safeguarding
We have an experienced corporate safeguarding specialist who reviews our safeguarding policies and procedures, delivers training and provides advice and support. Our policies and procedures include safeguarding adults, safeguarding children and young people, health and safety, risk assessment, positive risk taking and complaints procedure. As part of induction, all staff attend our Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Level 1 course and must complete a workbook assessment based on safeguarding and protection. All teaml eaders and managers receive Level 2 Safeguarding training. We also have a 24 hour safeguarding support line managed by senior managers available to all who use our services.
Mental Health First Aid Trainers
Our Mental Health First Aid Trainers provide staff with specialist training in Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health Keeping Safe (bespoke in-house training for managing complex behaviours), Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Aspergers and Autism.
Specialist Nurse
We have a corporate specialist nurse who delivers generic and bespoke training tailored to service/person specific needs e.g. epilepsy, peg feeding and diabetes training.
Brokerage
We have specialist staff trained in brokerage who support people to control and choose the support they receive using personal budgets and brokerage. We are experienced in working with benefit agencies and supporting people to obtain and manage personal budgets.
Training
We have our own training department with internal trainers and assessors. We are an accredited Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) centre providing QCF levels 3-5. Support staff work to achieve level 3 in Health and Social Care, and team leaders and managers work towards levels 4/5. 9
Housing opportunities Supported living can offer a range of housing opportunities: general needs housing, private rental or shared ownership.
Supporting people to find the right housing We have the skills and expertise to guide people, families and carers through the steps involved in finding the right housing solution within mcch or with external agencies like housing associations, councils and private landlords.
Self-contained flats and shared accommodation We have both self-contained flats and shared accommodation models of housing within supported living. We understand that some people may want to have their own home and independence, whilst others may want the independence but choose to live with others.
pPrivate landlord pSelf-contained flat
pShared accommodation
pRental accommodation Private landlords We have also worked with private landlords. Liaising with local estate agents and the young person, family or carer, we can help find suitable properties. We can provide a housing and support package through sub letting if preferred. Our housing department will manage the rental arrangement, tenancy agreement and housing benefit support. Whilst our operations team arrange support assessments, personalised plans and delivery of the support service required.
pShared ownership scheme pGroup living/ownership
Rented accommodation We can work with individuals to find the best housing solution option which suits their needs. We have supported people moving from temporary supported living accommodation into rented accommodation through Choice base letting.
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Shared ownership schemes With shared ownership schemes offered by housing associations, a person can buy a share of a property (between 25% and 75% of the home’s value) and pay rent on the remaining share. Our experience and networks with housing associations helps us to advise and signpost people interested in this option. We have helped people to successfully pursue purchasing a home through shared ownerships.
Group living/ownership We can support families/carers that need advice and support to help people who want to live together by pooling their budgets to rent or buy a property. For group living/ownership, we would look at the private housing market and advise how to make pooling budgets work.
Housing services We have an experienced housing team responsible for managing tenancies, building maintenance and developing new properties. Our housing team also has a wealth of knowledge and experience working with councils, private landlords and housing associations. We can support young people, families and carers explore the different opportunities and housing options available. We can: • provide an awareness of what is possible • explore what people are looking for and how it can be achieved • provide information about local options and signposting • discuss funding and benefits arrangements • use advocacy services to support people where there is conflict between them and funders, providers or parents.
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Staff training We are committed to providing a competent, diverse and motivated workforce to meet the needs of people we support both now and in the future. We ensure that our staff have the correct skills, knowledge and attitude to perform their roles, deliver a quality service and achieve our objectives. All staff complete a one week induction before starting work in a service. Our induction includes: • • • • • • • •
Health and safety Manual handling Personalisation and support planning Equality and inclusion Complaints handling Mental health Challenging behaviour Autism and Asperger’s
• Safeguarding of vulnerable adults level 1 • Mental Capacity Act awareness • Foundations of medication and healthcare awareness • Emergency first aid at work • mcch philosophy – values, standards and the role of an employee.
We have a full and varied staff training programme which includes mandatory and specialist service specific training e.g. epilepsy, diabetes, dysphasia, learning disabilities/mental health awareness, Lifeworx, GRiST, mental health first aid, positive behaviour support, and Proact SCIPr. All staff receive scheduled refresher training including annual safeguarding, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS) and Mental Capacity Act. We regularly monitor and review annually all staff training to ensure training is current and staff are skilled and confident in meeting the changing needs of the people who we support. 12
More reasons to choose mcch Working with families and carers We understand the importance of working closely with families and carers. We would ensure that they too feel supported and informed through the transition by arranging/facilitating planning meetings, sharing information and providing a named contact person. We will respond to any concerns or questions raised promptly. We hold events, such as coffee mornings, drop-in sessions and listening lunches so that people can get to know about mcch, the service and our staff teams. We encourage people who use our services, families, carers and professionals to provide input and feedback through customer satisfaction surveys and speaking to staff.
Assistive technology We work in partnership with assistive technology companies who can provide equipment that will enhance quality of life and increase independence. With the aid of assistive technology independence and safety can be achieved, and in some cases over time the need for paid support may reduce.
On call service All our supported living services have the support of a local on call service which operates out of office hours and weekends. The on call person is an experienced manager who will provide advice and support in an emergency.
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Working with commissioners Under the new Care Act April 2015, there is a greater emphasis on local authorities to ensure young people living in the area: • have a range of providers offering a choice of high quality, appropriate services • can get the information and advice they need to make good decisions about care and support • receive services that prevent their care needs from becoming more serious, or delay the impact of their needs. Local authorities provide and source services which are aimed at reducing needs and helping young people develop and acquire skills to promote independence, health and wellbeing. Local authorities work closely with communities to provide services and identify local support and resources available to young people along with information how to access them. We have in the past and are always willing to work with commissioners to develop new services which can address gaps in provision within the local area and where a need has been identified.
The Safe Haven cafe in Aldershot helps people with mental health needs in crisis
This new mental health forensic step-down service in Maidstone opens in June 2016
Holly Lodge is a unit with 5 self-contained flats for people who have challenging behaviours
We operate in the South East working with 16 local councils including: • • • • • • 14
Essex County Council East Sussex County Council Hampshire County Council Kent County Council Medway Council Royal Borough of Greenwich
• London Boroughs of Bromley, Bexley, Islington, Lewisham, Merton, Redbridge, Sutton and Waltham Forest • Surrey County Council • West Sussex County Council.
Purchasing support We can provide support options that are tailored to the needs of the person and can be purchased through direct payments from mcch. Core support provides the support and training to develop life skills which will lead to greater independence. Additional support covers personal care and any health needs support required to stay safe and healthy. People will also have the opportunity to purchase other additional support for our other services which could enhance their experience and opportunities. We provide a holistic approach to supporting a person’s independence, social and emotional development and enable them to reach their personal goals and aspirations. Each person will have a different level of need, and our support price will depend on the person’s assessed needs and requirements. A joint assessment will be carried out and agreed before support is provided.
Core support
Core support hours are provided at a fixed hourly rate which includes: • Brokerage • Travel training • Budgeting skills • Maintaining a tenancy • Managing personal budget/direct payments • Benefits • Support with appointments relating to employment • Employment skills • Self advocacy • Menu planning, shopping and cooking • Life skills • Socialising • Maintaining relationships and building friendships • Wellbeing • Keeping safe • Risk taking
Additional services
• Hourly rate for support • Personal care • Health care
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Are you looking for support? Call us free on 0800 028 28 15
mcch One Hermitage Court Hermitage Lane Maidstone Kent ME16 9NT t. 01622 722400 f. 01622 722450 www.mcch.org.uk
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mcch is a registered charity number 1156486 and a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales number 8971493). 04/2016