SILKWOOD COMMUNITY

Quality Care for Life

Established in 1998, the Silkwood Community provides quality care homes for adults with severe learning difficulties. This includes adults who exhibit disorders associated with the autistic continuum and/or complex developmental delay.

At each home, the total lifestyle is designed to offer a highly active and stimulating approach to life, hand in hand with a homely environment where residents can feel both safe and secure.

The Silkwood Community was set up by four professionals, who between them have brought together over 15 years of experience of working and managing residential care.

We believe that people with any disability have the right to experience life like others in the community. We do recognise however that Autism is a unique disability and we acknowledge that each of our residents have the right to continued specialist help and support where required.

Each resident of the Silkwood Community is treated as an individual and has the right to individual choice, self-expression and self-advocacy. The right to privacy and dignity will be respected at all times.

Our philosophy is based on the concept of normalisation and however difficult the behaviours presented we maintain this as our goal. We adopt an approach which is based on well-established behavioural principles which emphasise that challenging behaviours are learned and can, therefore, be unlearned. To this end we adopt a positive behaviour management approach which is aimed at providing means whereby our residents can achieve their full potential in as many aspects of their lives as possible. This is done with due regard for our clients’ individual needs and unique personalities.

Residents’ Charter

Residents of the Silkwood Community have very special needs and the right to expect that these needs will be met.

Our residents’ charter will ensure that each resident will have the right to:

Be treated with respect and dignity.

Be cared for by committed staff who will endeavour at all times to meet the physical, emotional and psychological needs of the residents.

Have their privacy respected.

Be supported in the development and maintenance of personal and social skills.

Be supported in following a religion of their choice.

Not be discriminated against on the grounds of gender or sexual orientation, class, religion, race or disability.

Be provided with high quality accommodation and a healthy, varied diet that will accommodate personal preferences.

Be encouraged to receive visitors at reasonable times and to make contact with family and friends by means of telephone and/or letter.

Be supported in discussing choice, needs or complaints with staff whether verbally or non-verbally e.g. using Makaton signs, symbols or photographs.

Be supported in choosing their own doctor and making visits to the surgery as and when necessary.

Be happy in their home and, if not, to be supported fully in finding an alternative home placement.

Our Commitment to Residents

To provide a homely setting where residents can feel both safe and secure.

To ensure resident’s physical, material, emotional, social and psychological needs are being met.

To maintain and establish relationships with family and friends. To develop new relationships within the community.

To access a wide range of facilities within the community.

To provide a comfortable, clean and well equipped house that will be maintained to the highest standards and which will reflect the resident’s choice and personal preference.

To maintain a high staff to resident ratio to ensure consistent and effective support to residents.

To develop independence skills and self-advocacy.

To plan individual personal programmes for each resident to address all aspects of their development.

To engage residents in activities to develop independence skills enabling them to take a full part in the life of their immediate and of their wider community.

To offer activities that will form part of a structured programme incorporating detailed sets of learning targets, in order to enhance general education.

Admissions Procedure

The applicant must have a diagnosis from a professionally recognised body confirming that they are Autistic or have an allied condition.

Interest in the service offered by the Silkwood Community can be expressed by letter at this stage.

Availability of places will be confirmed by the Silkwood Community and a referral form issued.

Assessment of applicant will be undertaken at his/her current placement by the Director of Care and the Care Manager of the relevant Silkwood Community Home.

The applicant will be invited to visit the Silkwood Community Home.

Availability of funding will be confirmed by referring agency and contract agreements signed by both parties.

Subsequent reviews of placement will take place after one month followed by a full multi disciplinary meeting after three months.

Fees will be payable quarterly in advance. The basic cost per resident is currently £1300:00 per week inclusive.

Formal referrals to the Silkwood Community should be addressed in the first instance to:

The Managing Director

The Silkwood Community

First Floor Offices

Kingston Court

Walsall Road

Cannock

Staffordshire WS11 3HQ

E Mail: [email protected]