Page : home > Planning for the Future > N.Ireland > Case Studies

N.Ireland - Case Studies

CASE STUDY: AARON

Aaron is nineteen years old, with a moderate learning disability and what is sometimes termed ‘challenging behaviour’. He recently moved from a specialist residential school to a small residential home specialising in caring for individuals with complex behavioural support needs.

Prior to his move, staff from the home regularly visited Aaron at his school and attended his transition meetings, which allowed him to get to know them. It was agreed that Aaron would not cope well with numerous visits, and so it was decided that he would visit his new home just once, the day before he left school, followed by a home visit. Staff at his new home also spent time preparing the existing service users for Aaron’s arrival, as this is always a time of upheaval and unrest for them as well: a new person completely changes the dynamic of a home.

When he first moved, Aaron regularly rang his school and often referred to his former staff team. This was encouraged, and helped to reassure Aaron whilst supporting his new staff team. Family contact was, and remains, vitally important to Aaron, and he rings his family numerous times daily. This is also encouraged as his parents reinforce the message the staff are giving and provide lots of support.

Aaron’s biggest personal challenge during his transition to adult services was adapting to a different approach to behavioural management. Aaron was accustomed to a number of behavioural techniques used at his residential school, and these were initially transferred with him to aid a smooth transition. He went through a difficult time behaviourally after his ‘honeymoon period’, but a consistent and positive approach eventually began to pay off as he grew to know and trust his new staff team.

At his new home, run by Home from Home Care Ltd, a very positive, non-punitive approach to behaviour management is used. The philosophy is to help the individual to manage their behaviour internally instead of relying on traditional ‘external’ methods, such as time-out and withdrawal from activities. Aaron receives a lot of praise when he manages his outbursts himself, and if his crisis is too great and he reverts to old behavioural patterns, this is seen as a ‘blip’. The important thing is that Aaron still feels liked and valued and knows that staff see him, and do not define him by his difficult behaviour.

Aaron has successfully transferred from children’s services and the rigors of educational boundaries. Initially, he was not interested in going to college as he felt that he’d had enough of education, but is now considering his options at the local college and is having a computer skills assessment. Nowadays, his behavioural outbursts tend to be the exception rather than the rule and his smiles and enthusiasm for life are infectious!

With thanks to: Home from Home Care Ltd
www.homefromhomecare.com

CASE STUDY: ANDREW

Andrew is a young man of 20 who has virtually no spoken language, but uses his own signs to communicate. He is a very active, energetic young man who has physical energy to spare. These two things taken together mean that he can sometimes become very frustrated. This has resulted in some behaviour which challenges those around him, to the extent that he has been excluded both from his local special school and from a specialist residential school.

Andrew was just 18 when he arrived back home, excluded from his specialist residential school, with no transition plan in place, and no idea of his future life from the local authority or school.

He was lucky in having his mother's determined backing, a ‘circle of support’ (group of committed friends and relatives) and senior staff in the local authority with new ideas about supported living and direct payments. He also had a person-centred plan, written some five years earlier.

Andrew’s ‘circle of support’ decided to become an independent living trust for Andrew, and negotiated a direct payment with the local authority. The support Andrew buys in with his direct payment now consists of a team of support workers, with a coordinator, who give him 2-1 support every day, and 1-1 support at night.

Andrew now lives in his own house, in the middle of a community of which he feels very much a part. The house was bought by Golden Lane Housing Association, with whom Andrew has shared ownership.

Andrew goes to college twice a week for cookery and music lessons. He is a member of his local sports centre where he goes swimming regularly, has a weekly massage, and he also joins the other young people at the village youth club. He enjoys making friends and loves to greet all his neighbours and everyone in his local community. A typical day will see him looking out of his window to greet the postman with an enthusiastic 'thumbs up' sign. He may then meet up with his brother who lives down the road, and take the dog for a walk over the fields.

‘It has taken over two years to get there, but it has been worth it,’ said Jan, Andrew’s mother. ‘The look on Andrew’s face now mostly says 'I am having a great time.’

CASE STUDY: LES

47 year old Les has a learning disability and autistic tendencies. His verbal communication skills are very limited but he can make his feelings and preferences known.

Les was taken into full time care at the age of 5 when his parents, who have 4 other children, felt they were no longer able to cope with his behaviour. Les led a very insular life in care and shows classic signs of institutionalisation. Whilst in care, Les had no say in his life and almost no choices in his day to day activities. He was not even able to choose what he had to eat or what clothes to wear. He received little stimulation and any activities were conducted as a group with other service users, which Les often found upsetting.

One year ago Les moved into his own house where he lives independently, supported by United Response. The single biggest difference in Les’s life is he now has the choices which had previously been denied to him. Les is involved in the planning of all aspects of his new life. He goes to college two days a week where he is learning basic skills which he applies at home. He is offered a wide choice of activities which include swimming, activity centres, a lunch club, shows and concerts, music events, cinemas, pubs, several discos and clubs, museums and places of interest in the local area.

Les is encouraged and supported to join in with everyday tasks like shopping, paying bills, gardening and running the household. He even has his own sensory room at home. Les can choose when to go to bed, get up, come in, go out, what to wear, what to eat, when to eat, what to watch on TV, what music to listen to, where to go and how long he wants to stay.

Les now has much more contact with his family both visiting them at their homes and having them to visit him. He has had several parties which family and friends have attended. Les gets obvious joy from this contact and his family is overjoyed with his progress.

With thanks to: United Response
www.unitedresponse.org.uk

CASE STUDY: ANGELA AND COLIN

Parents Angela and Colin contacted the CBF to share their experiences in finding appropriate adult care for their son, who has severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour:

‘We have always believed that our son was entitled to a full life, just like us, but we tried many different types of residential schools, care homes, and providers but found them all unsatisfactory. Our son was always blamed if things went wrong, and he was moved from one provider to another.

We knew about Direct Payments but were put off by the work and the responsibilities. Eventually we realised all the effort and support we gave to the various services was making no difference. The worry stress and guilt we felt did not benefit us or our son.

So last October we helped our son set up his Direct Payment Service. This has produced work and responsibilities that at times have been testing. We are now responsible for recruitment of staff, staff training, payment of salaries, staff welfare, his tenancy and the maintenance of his car, to mention just a few!

But before when things went wrong, issues were ignored, abuse tolerated, our son was always blamed and often punished for staff errors or lack of planning. He had no voice and of course we were judged to be emotional interfering parents. Now all this has changed. Our son has a voice, and we address issues as they happen. He has his own home, car, staff team and a full life. He has helped us to appreciate what he wants to do every day. As a result, his activity plan includes ten pin bowling, swimming, visits to the Jacuzzi, trips to the beach, to local events, pop concerts, holidays and much more. And guess what – far less challenging behaviour!

We have seen his confidence grow and he is smiling again, making choices. It has been a steep learning curve for us and the staff but the results have exceeded our expectations. Our son continues to astonish us and the staff on a daily basis.

At last he has a life - not just a service! Our son is now in his early thirties. Our only regret is that we left it so long.’

CASE STUDY: DANIEL

Daniel is twenty-one and attends a mainstream Further Education college. He shares a house with three other students.

This apparently very ordinary life in fact represents a major achievement, as each of the four students was previously placed in an out of area residential service, Daniel since the age of nine.

All four young people who share the house have severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. The house was chosen to be large enough to give each individual the space they need. The house has been adapted to their specific needs, with furniture and fittings all specially selected to be safe and destruction-proof, while at the same time appearing as ordinary as possible. Daniel chose his own room and colour scheme. The house itself is in an ordinary residential street, with a large garden screened from the neighbours. Care staff give round the clock support, with 1-1 care during the day.

During the week, Daniel attends the local Further Education College, which also has had work carried out to some of their classrooms to create a suitable environment. The students follow a specially designed curriculum. Care staff and school staff meet regularly to ensure that they are both working to agreed objectives.

When not in college, Daniel may go shopping, night-clubbing, swimming or take part in any other ‘ordinary’ activity. His family lives just a couple of miles away and often ‘pop in’ to see Daniel at weekends, or to pick him up if they are going out together.

For ten years his mother campaigned for a specialist local service, and finally her hard work and perseverance gained success.

‘The opportunities and the kind of life Daniel has today are just the same as those his sisters enjoy. That is all I want for my son – it shouldn’t be impossible.’