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Residential - Nursing - Education - Domiciliary - Enterprise - Transition
Supporting small private homes in the community
About Richmond Care Group
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Shelton Care Ltd is the overall operational company for Richmond Care Group which was established in 1989 and specialises in Learning disability and Autism Residential Nursing and Education for those on the Autistic Spectrum (ASD) including ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, Complex needs, Physical disability Special needs education (SEN) Special needs residential and nursing homes. All homes Services and facilities are community based and range from individual self contained apartments to self contained homes accommodating between three and five people with the purpose built high dependency unit Wellesley View accommodating eight individuals with private ensuite bedrooms and a range of supporting facilities.
Richmond Care Group is committed to providing specialist placements for individuals with complex needs whether that be a diagnosis of learning disability or on the autistic spectrum perhaps complicated by epilepsy, physical disability or other associated medical issues. In order to meet every individual's needs in the most appropriate way for them, we undertake a thorough assessment process to fully evaluate every potential service user and determine the best possible support package for them.
Typically, the assessment process will be started following an initial enquiry from an individual's social worker or family. First of all we gather as much background information as possible about that individual: from support plans, psychiatry reports, person centred reviews, person centred plans, school reports and any other relevant documentation. We would then speak to the people who know that individual best, be they residential support staff, teaching staff, the individual's family or other professionals, in order to build a more personal perspective about what is important to, and for, the individual. Many service users may be non verbal or have limited verbal skills but there are many ways to support choice and involvement and those include technical aids, pictograms or Makaton
Once we have an approximate impression about the individual, we would visit them in their residential and educational settings, as appropriate to them. The structure of this visit will be completely dependent on the person themselves but ideally we would aim to observe them participating in normal day-to-day activities. Such a visit also offers the chance to discover more about the individual from their immediate support staff. Whilst this process takes place we endeavor to maintain existing continuity of care through our assessment approach which is quiet and non intrusive and we would withdraw for a time if any anxieties are observed.
Based on what we have learned about the person we will then create an Initial Assessment document. This will inform our understanding of their particular needs and contribute to our decision about whether or not we would be able to offer them a suitable placement. It may well be that we see an opportunity to target community based living as a future goal and we facilitate this through to domiciliary care if there are clear advantages for the individual. The group has enjoyed considerable success regarding settling people into their own homes alongside appropriate the support.
Changes in peoples lives can often be a source of anxiety and worry, and few changes are as big as moving home. For those on the Autism spectrum change can be extremely difficult and the transition process must take the individual resistance to change very seriously. We believe that enabling someone to make a good start in a new placement is of the utmost importance and can have lasting benefits for that individual but that will depend on a flexible transition process that is truly person centred. Yet any transition plan should be subject to rapid change in order to follow the individual's responses.
The first stage in the transition process is a meeting involving people who know the individual well and have their best interests in mind. This is called a Multi agency review. The people involved in each meeting will vary from individual to individual but is likely to include parents, social workers, teachers, support workers, medical professionals and other specialists. The meeting will normally be led by a transitions worker and/or home manager. The Richmond Care Group's focus on providing homes for people with learning disability or Autism aims at determining the best course for each individual's transition to take. Such a transition meeting is important for us to gain a consensus opinion on what is important to and for the individual and tailor a transition plan to best suit their needs.
Following the Transition meeting, we will prepare an accessible information pack about the new service for the individual and their current staff team to look at. This may include staff photographs, pictures of the placement, surrounding area and activities as well as a visual timetable of the transition plan.
Typically, the transition plan will involve members of a small core team of staff visiting the individual several times a weeks and working with them alongside their current support team. This allows us to gain valuable information on how best to work with an individual and also allows that individual to get to know their new support team and begin to build good working relationships.
In the latter stages of the transition, we would hope to support the individual to visit the new placement and participate in activities during each visit. If appropriate, these visits should also offer the opportunity for the individual to be involved in preparing their room; shopping for furniture, curtains and bed clothes, for example. An over night stay is often helpful to experience meal times and evening activities including a new bedroom and the ability to influence change within it. Ultimately, we aim to support the individual to make the move to their new home as positive an experience as possible.
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