The Resettlement Project is exclusively used by people with learning
disabilities who were formerly residents of Stallington Hospital in
Stoke on Trent. These service users range from people with a slight
learning difficulty who may only need moral support from an advocate
in certain situations to people with quite severe disabilities who
will always need support in almost every aspect of their lives.
The move from being in a large
institution to becoming a citizen living in the community has meant
major changes in all aspects of their lives. For some of these
residents the access to an advocate has been invaluable. Michelle
deals with wide ranging issues, including: accommodation concerns;
financial problems; mobility issues; friendships and partnerships;
support at meetings with doctors and consultants; liaising with
relatives; and support at reviews and care plan meetings.
As residents have moved away from
institutional life they have often become more empowered, more
accustomed to being given a choice and more aware of their rights.
Most of the care providers are keen to see this process develop and
encourage users to utilize an independent advocate to ensure they
receive the care that they are entitled to.
One of the concerns with the
resettlement project has always been around the area of
communication. Some of the service users on the project have severe
learning disabilities and Michelle has major problems interacting
effectively with them. Despite spending a lot of time getting to
know these residents and undergoing specialized training, Michelle has
only been able to develop very limited communication channels. Asist's
'Watching Brief' policy has been invaluable in these
partnerships ensuring that everyone involved in the project, no
matter how severe their disability, has access to their most basic
of rights. With the agreement
and co-operation of Stoke and Staffordshire Social Services, the
project has successfully moved to a "task centered" form of
advocacy and is now amalgamated within the Generic
Service.
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