Membership review for Winsford Supported Living
By – Date of visit:
The membership review is intended to reflect the experiences of the visitor who might be looking for a placement. The review is subjective, consistent and impartial, representing the impressions of our team member on the day of the visit. It is a snapshot view only.
The contents of this review are intended to cover some of the subjects and issues which an individual, their relatives or their placement officer might ask.
This review has been published with the written agreement of the home owner, or an authorised representative of the company.
Summary of findings
The service comprises of two large houses on a very quiet street in Winsford, Cheshire. iMap only recently purchased the accommodation and both houses, on the day of the visit, both were in the process of being renovated although both were in a good state of repair. Although iMap owns the buildings and will act as landlord, individuals who are considering the service can choose to have a different provider of their care should they wish to.
Seeing the properties and the management expertise and plans in place I feel both houses would be very much suitable for tenants on the autistic spectrum who require a degree of support to live independently.
Introduction
iMap is an established provider of educational and residential services for children and adults with autism. iMap has launched a supported living service to create a pathway to independence.
On the day of the visit, the accommodation was undergoing some minor renovation and restructuring, but both properties I visited were of a really high specification and they were located on a really tranquil quiet road. Both properties were going to be staffed 24 hours a day to support each individual in their tenancy.
First impressions
Both houses are situated on a quiet road on the outskirts of Winsford.
Both are detached properties with sizeable rooms on both floors.
The first house I visited had four bedrooms and several reception rooms with ample outside space. The downstairs bedroom in the first house I visited was going to be made into a separate flat-let to allow an individual greater opportunity for independence.
The second property had three bedrooms all with access to their own bathroom, again the property had a large outdoor space to the rear.
All in all I was very impressed.
The Environment (External)
As previously mentioned both houses are situated on a quiet residential road. Both properties have large outdoor spaces to the rear which are enclosed and are not overlooked.
The Environment (Internal)
The first house I visited was the 4 bedded residence. Part of the house was being sectioned off, in effect, into a flat-let to allow the individual to live even more independently as a next step. The rooms are all very spacious. Some work was still being completed internally to ensure the environment is as safe as possible.
iMap was furnishing all communal areas of each house and both houses already had quite modern fitted kitchens.
Individuals moving into each house are responsible for furnishing their rooms.
The aim is for each individual to have their own bathroom in both houses.
The Environment (Wider Environment)
The houses are within walking distance of Winsford town centre and there are regular buses to Northwich and Chester. Paula Welsh, the Registered Manager, has established many links in the local community and it is hoped that each individual would be supported to attend vocational or work placements locally.
Understanding Autism
At the time of the visit the services were only just being set up and staff members were still being recruited; however, I was able to meet with the Manager of the service Paula Welsh. Paula is very experienced in working with individuals with autism and had set up the policies and procedures and the framework around that.
iMap, as an organisation, specialises in working with individuals on the autistic spectrum and as such has an excellent support structure of knowledgeable staff and therapists who are very focused on autism.
Health and Wellbeing
iMap employ a qualified nurse on a full time basis and she was tasked with delivering training to staff around medication competency and also with conducting regular medication audits in both houses.
All individuals moving into the service would have a speech and language and sensory profile constructed, again with significant input from specialist staff within the organisation.
Individuals living in the property
On the day of the visit both houses were not quite ready to accept tenants. It may be that some individuals who were residing at iMap’s main site would move into the service as part of their pathway plan; however, that was only a possibility.
One house accommodates 4 individuals and the other accommodates 3.
It was hoped that the houses would be ready to accept their first tenant by October 2012.
Staffing
No member of staff is allowed to work at the home without a Criminal Records Bureau or Protection of Vulnerable Adults check.
Staff would be issued with a staff handbook upon commencement of employment.
It was planned that both properties would be staffed 24 hours a day.
Staffing levels would be maintained to ensure individuals are supported in terms of living skills, financial management and emotional well-being.
Management of the property
As previously mentioned Paula Welsh is overseeing both properties. Paula went through the policies and procedures for the service with me. It was planned that only essential paperwork would be kept onsite which would include Behavioural Support Plans, Activity Plans, Activity Risk Assessments, Daily Records and Incident Recording. The paperwork has evolved to be as minimal and straightforward as possible, the main files relating to individuals would be located at iMap’s headquarters in Cuddington.
A programme which equips staff with techniques around de-escalation of situations and which enables them to manage their own and the safety of others in difficult situations was being put in place. This programme is PROACT-SCIP (Positive Range of Options to Avoid Crisis and use Therapy, Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention).
Conclusion
The Winsford supported living service comprises of two large houses on a very quiet street in Winsford Cheshire. At the time of the visit, iMap had only recently purchased the accommodation and both houses were in the process of being renovated, although both were in a good state of repair and seemed ideal.
The staff teams for each house were still being recruited. Therefore, I could not comment on that area at the time of writing other than to say the infrastructure in terms of training policies and systems were in place.
Going on the experiences on the day and seeing the plans outlined, I believe that both houses would be excellent settings for tenants on the autistic spectrum who require support to live independently.
At the time or writing, Living Autism was expecting to visit the accommodation again once the accommodation was ready to receive tenants. However, from what I experienced on the day, I would not hesitate in recommending the service.
Visiting Officer - Craig Godding – Director of Compliance and Client Liaison,
Living Autism