About
鶹Ƶ Group
鶹Ƶ Group provides exceptional services for people with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs, including behaviours of concern through its registered schools, college and care homes. We provide both education and care for children up to the age of 19, along with registered residential care and supported living services for adults aged 18 to 65. All of our residential care homes are registered with the Care Quality Commission and are regulated under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We also supply 24-hour support and management via our Supported Living Services – An Darach Care.
Introduction
The original 鶹Ƶ School was established in The Old Vicarage, in Swinderby, in 1977. Pronounced “kishmul”, the name comes from 鶹Ƶ Castle, which overlooks one of the safest harbours in the British Isles. Like their namesake, 鶹Ƶ School is a safe haven, providing care and protection for their pupils whilst preparing them for the journey ahead. The original school building still accommodates many of the children of our Lower School.
A need was identified to provide care on a longer-term basis for our young school leavers and in response to that need we expanded our services to provide care and residential accommodation for adults aged 18 to 65.
The 鶹Ƶ standard
- Respect for individual needs
- Caring for and supporting each other
- Qualified and experienced staff
- First-class living accommodation
- A relaxed, homely atmosphere
- Family-style group living
- Effective language programmes and therapies
- A comprehensive service provision – from school to adulthood
Continuity and consistency of care
Quality care, support and education has been provided by 鶹Ƶ to young people for more than 40 years. We pride ourselves on our ability to consistently demonstrate success in our positive approach to challenges that face the individuals who use our services. In the continued development of our services we ensure the requirements for the provision of services to people with a learning disability and/or autism are in accordance with “Registering the Right Support” and “Building the Right Support”.
鶹Ƶ Group is working alongside the Transforming Care initiative in offering services that will enable people with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges to live in whilst receiving 24-hour care and support within local communities without the need for hospital admissions.
As a provider we recognise that there is continued need to drive forward in developing new opportunities as too many people remain in hospital services despite the Winterbourne view case and the Transforming Care agenda. People with learning disabilities have the same intrinsic rights to live where they choose, receive health support in their local community and get treatment as and when they need it.
Our schools and children’s homes
Residential placements are available from 38 to 52 weeks per year. Our aim is to provide a warm, caring environment in which a child can flourish and develop skills to his or her full potential. Residential and school staff work as a team to provide a consistent 24-hour approach. Day placements are also available.
The schools offer a very high staff ratio, small groups, and a consistent, structured and multi-disciplinary approach basis and are committed to a non-aversive approach. We follow a broad and balanced curriculum including a modified National Curriculum, and offer an extensive range of therapeutic and developmental programmes.
Adult provision
鶹Ƶ Group offers continuing care and support for young adults from the age of 18+. This means that many of our 鶹Ƶ School leavers can now remain in the area they have grown up in, with the people they trust; embarking on their adult life in a 鶹Ƶ Group home. We are in a position to offer the same high-quality, tailor-made service to authorities throughout the UK.
An Darach Care is our own supported living service. This agency provides an exceptional level of service in specially-designed individual properties to hypersensitive autistic individuals with a significant range of needs, for whom group living has proved too challenging.
High quality staff
Our staff are amazing, caring and passionate about the work they do. Couple those qualities with our excellent staff training programmes and you’ll see why 鶹Ƶ Group has a skilled internal talent pool which we are keen to grow and develop.
We recognise the importance of investing in our staff so they are equipped to do their role to the highest standard, therefore staff training is an essential aspect in providing the quality care which we set out to achieve from day one.
All new staff are required to attend and complete a relevant corporate and service-specific induction programme matched to the role being undertaken. These are aimed at meeting national legislation, guidance and standards such as the Care Certificate, Level 2 diploma in Care, Level 3 Diploma in ‘Children’s Residential Services’. We also offer additional leadership and management programmes to ensure managers have the knowledge, skills and abilities to lead and manage effectively, this includes, relevant qualifications such as, Level 5 in Care or Leadership and Management.
All staff attend training in our Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) programme called Meas, which is Certified by Bild ACT against the RRN Training Standards. It is a crisis prevention and management programme that strives to keep the individuals we work with at the center of everything we do, whilst reducing the need to rely on high-risk interventions wherever possible. The use of physical interventions are the absolute last resort.
Positive behaviour support
鶹Ƶ Group provides care and support to people with complex needs and behaviours of concern to meet their needs effectively by using a framework of positive behaviour support (PBS)
PBS is a person-centred way of providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autism, who display behaviours of concern.
Working within a PBS framework helps us to make sure that the quality of life of everybody we support increases during their time with us.
We think that this means that the people we support should:
- stay safe
- be healthy and active
- be involved
- make choices
- be independent
- communicate
- be happy
To do this we:
- provide physical and social environments that are supportive and meet people’s needs
- teach people new skills to replace behaviours of concern
- we support people to achieve their goals
- provide behavioural and therapeutic assessment and interventions based on really understanding each individual’s needs
Despite this, life can sometimes be difficult and stressful for the people we support. We take an active approach to supporting people to deal with this by understanding the signs that they are becoming distressed or anxious and helping them develop and use coping strategies.
After an incident we think it is important that we take time to reflect and learn together from what has happened. We use different ways of de-briefing with the person we support and their staff depending on each situation.