YOUR TENANCY AND SUPPORT CONTRACTS EXPLAINED...• talk to you often to find out what you need and want help you make a. plan. The plan will talk about: o what you want to do o the

©John Eaton, Meadow Court, Minehead Road, Taunton, TA2 6NS 01823 270845 www.jet-training.org.uk/[email protected]

T

YOUR TENANCY AND SUPPORT

CONTRACT EXPLAINED

Reviewed September 2015 Next Review September 2016

Fully Inclusive services includes

All repairs, renewals, refurbishment and replacements plus:

HEAT and LIGHT COUNCIL TAX, and WATER RATES

TV and TV LICENCE WIFI - IN YOUR ACCOMODATION

TELEPHONE USE POOL LOUNGE

CINEMA LOUNGE QUIET LOUNGE

VERANDA LOUNGE TRANSPORT COSTS

BED AND BEDROOM FURNITURE LOUNGE FURNITURE

FRIDGE FREEZER KETTLE

TOASTER MICROWAVE

CCTV FULL FIRE and SPRINKLER SYSTEM

LARGE LANDSCAPED GARDENS BAR-B-QUE AREA

OUTSIDE SITTING AREAS INFORMATION, ADVICE, GUIDANCE and COUNSELLING;

HELP WITH PERSONAL NEEDS and DOMESTIC TASKS; SUPPORT WITH MEALS -BUYING,

PREPARING and COOKING; HELP WITH LAUNDRY;

HELP WITH TRANSPORT; SUPPORT MEETINGS

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT; ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING

OUT-OF-HOURS ON-CALL; SERVICE, INCLUDING HELP LINES;

LETTER WRITING TELEPHONE CALLS DOCUMENTATION

SPEAKING UP AND ACTING ON BEHALF OF CLIENTS

Meadow Court

SUPPORTED LIVING

www.meadowcourt.org.uk- email: [email protected]/ 01823 270845

ABOUT YOUR TENACY

YOU HAVE A TENANCY AGREEMENT IN PLACE

Your legal rights are protected, you will not be moved on unless you are clearly asking to do so or you are evicted because you have acted against the tenancy rules.. In this agreement you have the same choice and control over your home as any other tenants would. Support staff are always aware that they are working in your home and are respectful of your rights, choices and control over your home The landlord and other people involved know the law regarding housing and other legal matters in relation to issuing your tenancy. Your tenancy and support agreement is easy to understand and if you have any problems understanding any part, either we or your representative (family, friends, solicitor etc.) will help you. Our support staff understand your tenancy agreement and your rights and are trained and guided to understand about how to support you in your own home

YOU CONTROL WHERE YOU LIVE

You are at the centre of our planning for you and our approach is to help identify with you where you want to live. You have had help to think about the type of house and location that is important to you. If you do not communicate with words, we can help in other forms of communication, putting your interests above all else in our approaches, helping you to think about what is important to you about where you want to live. Families, friends and advocates are involved in the planning process if you wish. You do not have to live in a place where you do not want to live. You have been provided information about your housing choices that you and your representatives can understand. Care managers, housing advisors and provider organisations know about the range of housing choices available, and can help you choose. There are regular reviews and you will be asked whether you want to move on and make this part of a service agreement. We can help you collect evidence on how you have chosen where you live, especially if you do not use words to communicate.

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YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER WHO YOU LIVE WITH

You have chosen who you want to live with (if anyone) or the type of people you want to live with. If you do not wish to, or normally communicate with words, someone will help you tell your reasons why you and who you like living with or what type of person you like to be with/don’t like to be with. If you find you do not like who you live with, you are supported to think about whether you want to move on. You will be regularly asked if you are happy or unhappy Managers of your service have a process for enabling you to make genuine choices about the people you live with, and there are introductions to housemates, and we have a notice board for events and introductions to potential sharers. We have put you at the centre of the process when supporting your needs, and you have a stake in who and what potential housemates are accommodated. Managers will create flexibility in shared housing so that you can more easily move on if you need to. We may need to provide evidence of how choices about who people live with if required by law

YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER WHO SUPPORTS YOU AND HOW YOU ARE SUPPORTED

As a tenant, you have genuine control over how you are supported and who supports you. You are the centre of everything we plan with you to determine the choices to make and to support necessary changes Recruitment and rota planning is based on your need/choice. You have real control over your finances, with or without support Ultimately, if you do not want a particular member of staff or the provider to support you, you do not have to. It is your home. Housing and support is contracted separately and support is not a condition of your tenancy. There is a support contract in place that states that you have a right to change support provider. We as Support providers work towards a system of individualised funding to meet the needs of personal budget holders and create flexibility in how we provide support

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YOU CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS IN YOUR HOME

You are not denied or restricted access to any part of your home that you have a right to as stated in the tenancy agreement. You choose how the house is furnished and decorated where permitted in the tenancy agreement. We wish the home to look like your home and reflects your personality, rather than a stereotype accommodation. There are agreements in place if support staff need to hold keys. The landlord does not hold keys and does not visit the property excessively unless necessary (the tenancy agreement outlines this) so that your experiences 'quiet enjoyment' of your home and clearly enjoys your personal space. You answer your own phone, door and open your own mail (with support if necessary) This is your home and is not called anything else, therefore, language in contracts, agreements and training and induction reflect the fact the person’s home is not the service. The service is the support provided

There is not an office and unnecessary paperwork and equipment owned by the support provider in your home. We have a separate office space for staff meetings etc. Support providers and landlords do not have mail addressed to the your home

I have read / been told about my rights to have accommodation in the information supplied above and understand that in this flat-let and under my tenancy agreement I can have my support from any other Support

providers which I can choose from

I understand that: (Reach Standards)

� I choose who I live with � I choose where I live � I choose who supports me � I choose how I am supported � I get good support � I choose how to take part in my community � I get help to make changes in my life � I choose what happens in my own home � I have my own home � I make friendships and relationships with people on my

terms � I am supported to be healthy and safe on my terms � I have the same rights and responsibilities as other

citizens

Signed _________________________________ Tenant

Signed _________________________________ Representative

Date_____/_____/_____

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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR SERVICES

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INFORMATION ON THE SUPPORT WE WISH TO GIVE YOU

The information tells you what care and support you should get from our services.

What are our services?

Meadow Court staff give you care and support to live in your home.

Staff can care and support you to do things like

• learn to cook • look after your money • have a job.

1. Staff

What care and support you should get

This is what should happen for all services • Staff should get the care and support and training they need to do

their jobs well. • Staff should treat you in a good and fair way and listen to what you

say.

2. Before you start getting care and support

Everyone should have the chance to get the care and support and care they need a You should get all the information you need to decide if a care service is right for should happen for all services

• You should get easy to understand information about the service and how it can help you

• how to get care and support from the service how decisions are made about who gets care and support.

• If you cannot get care and support from a service, staff should tell you why and where else you could go.

• You should be able to complain about any decision you are unhappy about

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• Where possible, you should be able to visit the service and meet the staff before you start

Staff should also do things like • give you lots of easy to understand information about all the

services in your local area that could help you • ask you what you think of this information • make sure where possible you can meet other people who use

the service before you start.

Staff should also do things like • look at what people in the local area need and make sure the

service can meet their needs • ask you how you would like to get information about the

service and try to make this happen • give you the chance to help make the information

about the service if you want to.

3. Making sure you get the care and support you need

Staff should • talk to you often about what you need and want • help you make a plan about what you need and want. • You should be able to see the information staff keep

about this. Staff should • talk to you often to find out what you need and want help you make a plan. The plan will talk about:

o what you want to do o the care and support you need at the time o any problems that could happen o make sure you understand the plan and are happy

with it o help you do things for yourself.

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o And help you do new things you want to do that you have not done before

Staff should also

• give you a copy of your plan and any information that staff keep about your care and support

• make sure you know that you can ask staff at any me for a talk about any new care and support.

Staff should also do things like

• make sure you can do and learn new things as long as they are not too dangerous

• look at all the care and support you need, even if this care and support comes from other groups or people in your area

staff should also do things like • ask you what you think about the rules and the way

things are done. And see if they can be changed • work well with other groups in the area to make sure

you get all the care and support you need.

4. Listening to what you want and think

Staff should

• ask you what you think. And listen to what you say • tell you what is going on • help you do the things you want to do

This is what should happen in all services Staff should

• listen to what you think about your care and support and change things if they need to

• ask you what you think about any big changes they want to make

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• make sure you can make choices about things.

Staff should also • help you do what you want to do in your life.

For example, you may want a job or to learn new things make sure you can do things that are important to you.

For example, if you enjoy doing certain things in your spare time. Or if you follow a religion or can only eat certain foods

• make sure you are treated in a fair way. Staff should also • help you keep in touch with family and friends. And let you

choose who you want to be friends with or have a relationship with

• help you get out and about and do things you want to do. Staff should also do things like

• help you see your family or friends when you want • give you lots of chances to say what you think about your

care and support in an easy way for you • help you get out and about and take part in things in your

local area.

Staff should also do things like make sure • you know about other groups in your local area who could

give you care and support • you can help make decisions about the service and the

group that runs the service. Staff should also make sure • you can meet with other people who use the service to talk

about what you all need and want • you can meet with other people from the group that runs the

service to talk about what you all need and want.

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5. Keeping safe

Staff should make sure • you are safe • you know what to do if something bad happens.

Staff should make sure you know and understand • all the rules for keeping safe and well • what to do if you need help very quickly. For example, in an

emergency what to do if someone is hurting you or doing bad things to you.

Staff should also make sure

• you get care and support quickly if something bad happens • you know what will happen next • You should be able to complain about any decision you are

unhappy with Staff should also

• give you information about how staff should behave so you know if they are doing anything wrong

• make sure you know the rules for treating everyone in a good and fair way.


• give you lots of information about how to keep safe.

For example, they could give you things to read or talk about it in

ask you what you think about the rules for keeping safe and if you think anything needs to change meetings


• give you the chance to say what kind of information you

want about keeping safe • work with other people, groups and services in the local

area to help find ways to stop people being treated in a bad way.

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6. If you are not happy about something

This is what should happen in all our services Staff should

• give you good and clear information about what to do if there is something you are not happy about

• tell you what they have done about it • help you feel ok to speak up if there is something

you are not happy about • tell you about other people who can help you.

7. Leaving the service

You should get information that is easy for you to understand

about leaving the service

For example

• You may wish to use another care and support agency • You may no longer require help and support • You may wish to move on to other accommodation

and/or service agency • Aspects of your needs may be too complex for our service

to provide We will help you choose and achieve your needs in relation to leaving the service and provide you with all the information and choices available and work with you and your representatives to ensure a smooth transition.

Alternatively, you may wish to stay in your accommodation but wish to change your service agency, this is a right for you and we would honour your tenancy in your accommodation even if you do not wish us to supply your care and support, subject to your tenancy agreement.

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7 Definitions thatmake up - SUPPORT

Sensitive to client needs

Uphold client rights andresponsibilities

Prepare client for independence

Positive about client empowerment

Offer client housing related services

Risk and needs assessment

Thinking, acting and involvingclient with their support plans

SUPPORT

Supported L

ivin

g

5

4 Definitions thatmake up - C A R E

CARE

Concern for others

Awarenessof their needs

Respect fortheir individuality

Empathy with theirproblems / situations

Supported L

ivin

g

Each client has a personal safety phone, where they can contact the Staff on the Staff emergency phone, contact the Manag-er, ring the Office and dial 999 for a medical, fire or police emergency. This is a free service which ensures safety for the cli-

ent if they ga=have immediate needs.

Its is an emergency phone and has 50 minutes of airtime a month and is a free service. One line can be used to call an

EMERGENCY SAFETY PHONE SYSTEM

This FONE-diagram shows how th client, the staff and the Managers can immediately contact each other in an emergency to ensure the safety of the individual, staff and oth-ers. Apart from accessing staff, clients can also ac-cess the emergency ser-vices

Each phone has an indi-vidual phone number so families can contact the client directly

CLIENT PHONE

STAFF ON_CALL PHONE

MANAGER PHONE

Investors in People South of England is delivered 30 Finsbury Square by Grant Thornton UK LLP under License from UKCES London E: [email protected] EC2P 2YU W: http://IIPsouth.investorsinpeople.co.uk Company Reg. no.: OC307742 T: 020 7728 3456

INVESTORS IN PEOPLE

REPORT

Meadow Court

Presented by Kevin Phillips

Investors in People Specialist

On behalf of Investors in People South of England

29th October 2015

Project number: 14/0512


1. Executive Summary

You have always believed that you work in accordance with the principles of Investors in People and this assessment confirmed that you are right! It was a most positive assessment and I am delighted to report that Meadow Court (MC) meets sufficient evidence requirements of the Investors in People Standard to be accredited at Gold level. Many congratulations!

Interviewees were universally enthusiastic about their work at MC and clearly derive huge job satisfaction from helping clients to fulfil their potential.

The sense of teamwork was evident, and the commitment and dedication to your mission exceptionally strong. Everyone I spoke to was very keen to contribute to the assessment process and enthusiastically gave examples of why they so enjoy working here. It is evident that you do an excellent job of motivating and involving your people and gaining their commitment to ‘go the extra mile’ to help your clients gain as much independence as possible. I heard many examples of this commitment, which results in a huge sense of reward in achievement, and an equally real sense of pride in working for MC.

As part of the interview process, I asked all interviewees to rate working for you on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), and also asked the reason behind the score.

The ratings ranged from 8 - 10 with an average score of 9.0 – an exceptionally high rating. The reasons for these high scores were as follows: ‘I couldn’t love my job any more than I do!’ ‘I love how close we are to our clients, and to each other.’ ‘The morale is really good here.’ ‘It’s a pleasure to come to work.’ ‘We have a great relationship and we all work well together.’ ‘It’s fun here - a real home from home.’ ‘It’s very rewarding here – you go home feeling you’ve really made a difference.’ ‘Everyone’s treated as an extended member of the family.’ ‘This is the only place that’s ever helped me to progress. The training on offer is brilliant.’ ‘It’s a very caring place.’


Other highlights of this assessment were as follows:

• Your approach to business planning is consultative and robust. Regular staff meetings are effective in making sure that everyone understands your targets and what has been achieved.

• People have a very clear understanding of what is expected of them and how they contribute to your aims. Six-monthly supervisions/appraisals ensure that progress is regularly reviewed, and enable people to contribute ideas and suggestions for performance improvement.

• Monthly reviews of clients’ Support Plans also encourage people to speak up, suggest improvements and challenge practice where they feel it is helpful.

• There is a shared understanding of the skills and behaviours expected of managers in leading and developing people

• Managers are very supportive of their staff, and effective in coaching and mentoring

them.

• There is an exceptionally strong sense of teamwork at MC.

• People feel they are appreciated for what they achieve and gain enormous job satisfaction from their work. The fact that clients are encouraged to provide appreciative feedback to staff is welcomed.

• Levels of engagement are, accordingly, high and people feel involved, part of a

successful team, dedicated to empowering the people you support.

• Training and development is admirably structured and clearly effective - a model of good practice. Evaluation is an intrinsic part of the system, as trainees are encouraged to reflect on what they have learned, and how they have put it into practice. The ‘confidence’ module is a good example of this.

• The system also makes good use of innovative means of reinforcing learning through making it memorable, such as pictures, acronyms and poems.


• People feel there is ample opportunity for ongoing development at MC and were able to provide examples of how their learning has supported their role and enabled them to develop and progress.

• Training and development is seen to have an impact on MC’s performance and on its

reputation as a care provider in its chosen field.

• Continuous improvement is clearly part of your culture, and people were able to provide examples of practices that have been honed and improved during the past year.

Some suggestions for development are provided in section 5 of this report, which looks specifically at the questions on which you wished to gain feedback. I look forward to discussing these suggestions with you when we next meet. Meanwhile, congratulations once again on achieving Investors in People accreditation.

2. Assessment Process, Outcome and next steps

Having carried out the assessment process in accordance with the guidelines provided for Investors in People Specialists by Investors in People – United Kingdom Commission for Employment and Skills, I am totally satisfied that Meadow Court meets the requirements of the Investors in People National Standard at gold level.

29th October 2015

Investors in People accreditation is granted indefinitely, with a proviso that an interaction is undertaken within 18 months of accreditation and a full assessment takes place no longer than 3 years from the date of this assessment. Your next assessment is therefore due no later than 27th October 2018. Assessments can be undertaken at any time and more frequent assessments are recommended to maintain levels of good practice and continuous improvement.

We can discuss the timing of your next assessment at our Improvement Planning Meeting, to agree the best strategy for future use of the Investors in People framework.

3. Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire

Both Investors in People South of England and I would welcome your feedback on this assessment and you will shortly be supplied with a Client Satisfaction Questionnaire from Investors in People to complete. Particular importance is placed on the feedback given by


client organisations on Specialists, therefore we would very much appreciate it if you would complete the questionnaire.

4. Promoting continuous improvement

We support organisations at every stage of the Investors in People journey, helping them to realise the power of their people, optimise their performance and achieve their full potential. We see Investors in People as the People Partner for sustainable people solutions.

Please contact your Account Manager, Veronica Parsons: [email protected] to find out more about Investors in People and how we can help your organisation.

Details of the support available to you can be accessed by contacting Investors in People South of England via: -

T: 020 7728 3456 E: [email protected] W: http://IIPsouth.investorsinpeople.co.uk

5. Feedback on specific areas for assessment

In order to achieve its objectives, Meadow Court needs dedicated, well-trained staff who are committed to providing high quality care. The assessment therefore focused on the following issues:

• To what extent do people understand and buy in to our objectives?

• How has their training helped them to do their jobs effectively in practice?

• How effectively are they supported by their manager? What would they like to see him do more or less of?

• To what extent do people feel empowered to help clients and improve the service Meadow Court provides?

Feedback is as follows:

• To what extent do people understand and buy in to our objectives?

Your objectives are expressed clearly in your business plan, your Statement of Purpose, Employee Handbook and in your training workbooks. Interviewees were admirably clear about MC’s objectives and values, and how their own roles contributed to clients’ achievements. Support plans express specific, planned outcomes and it was obvious from interviews that your people feel involved, and committed to achieving them.

mailto:[email protected]


Communication is considered to be very effective and open at MC. The quarterly staff meetings are valued, as are regular supervision appraisals, which reinforce the linkage between individual and corporate objectives, and there is a real sense of pride in contributing to your vision. On a day to day basis, managers are felt to be approachable and available, and there was strong evidence of people being mentored and coached, promoting enhanced understanding. Job descriptions are admirably clear in setting out exactly what is expected of people at both individual and team level.

All training internally has been developed and written by John Eaton, who is

the originating author of ‘Croner’s Records and Procedures’. which is a national publication for care homes.

All our training programmes are posted on the internet,

go to www.jet-training.org.uk and anyone can down load the training for free.

At the time of writing we have had over 55000 hits in the 18 month’s that the

training has been on-line

http://www.jet-training.org.uk

Documents

YOUR TENANCY AND SUPPORT CONTRACTS EXPLAINED...• talk to you often to find out what you need and want help you make a. plan. The plan will talk about: o what you want to do o the