A message from Aspirations

Chief Executive Officer Christine Cameron:Welcome to Aspirations, I am delighted to be part of an organisation where the children, young people and adults we support, across England and Wales come first. Likewise I am delighted to be working with a fantastic team who also share my vision that young people and adults deserve the right to be supported in their own home, with a team who they have chosen, which mirrors a caring and supportive family environment.

Here at Aspirations, we are all committed to providing innovative, bespoke support to people whose needs have been assessed as complex. We feel passionately about ensuring Aspirations’ services are specifically tailored to the individual, to enable them to maintain and develop their independence.

Our experience from listening to the people we support tells us that the priorities in their lives are;

• helping them to learn new skills • developing their friendships and networks • finding ways to be more in control• enabling them to feel more confident in their abilities

This provides the foundation for people to be able to contribute and be appreciated in their local neighbourhoods. We are steadfast in ensuring that person- centred practice is embedded in the way our teams deliver this support which leads to the person achieving the best outcomes for them as they move towards a lifestyle that makes sense to them

Our Mission:It is our mission and that of our staff to ensure that we support and encourage children, young people and adults to recognise and achieve their potential. Everyone in the organisation should have;

• something to look forward to • something to do • someone to share that with

We will always promote safety and wellbeing. We will create the type of service that we would all want for ourselves or for our families and friends.

Providing excellent services:In order for us to deliver excellent services in line with our mission, Aspirations recognises how crucial it is to have the right people in our teams. We are recruiting people with the right personal qualities, shared interests with the people they support. We make a commitment to valuing and investing in them through training, coaching and mentorship.

All our staff, which now exceeds 1,500 equally understand and encourage diversity.

We are investing in our teams learning how to use a range of person-centred practices that will allow them to deliver support with a firmly embedded ethos on "planning with and not for people”. This approach allows the people they support to have increased direction and control in their lives.

The Aspirations Journey:

The Aspirations Journey shows how we use specific person-centred thinking tools with the people we support. This starts with us listening to the person and then working with the people that care about them to develop a One Page Profile. We go on to develop a detailed Person-centred Support Plan which includes the following;

• what people wish to happen now • what people wish to happen in the future• the type of people that they wish and need to have around them to make this happen • what support is needed to ensure that they are healthy, well and included in their local neighbourhood

Complementing, our person-centred practice, is our teams excellent skills and knowledge in Positive Behavioural Support . This greatly assists those we support who others may see as challenging.

For more detailed information on who we support and “The Aspirations Journey” please read on…

We look forward to working with you, Christine Cameron

Support for children and young people

Aspirations provides high quality, flexible and creative services for vulnerable children and young people with complex and special needs and their families. Our goals are to promote independence, re-enablement and social inclusion for those we support.

Our service provision includes:

• Family support for young people and families with the aim of keeping them in their own homes• Specialist support in children and young people’s residential homes* (solo/ dual occupancy)• Individual parent and baby placements• Supervised contact• Transitional support from children to adults services

In addition to help support children as

they get older and prepare to leave the

care system The Leaving Care Company ,

which is part of Aspirations, provides:

• Semi-independent supported housing transition • Leaving care provision for young people aged 16 + These services include outreach aimed at supporting care leavers through the transition to independence with phased reduction support plans. The young people are provided with sustainable housing with a view to them taking over the tenancy on their 18th birthday, as well as funding after that age.

We offer emergency and planned placements, with bespoke package from five hours a week to 24/7 support.

Due to the skills, knowledge, experience and the personal qualities of the staff we are able to provide high quality support and a good match to the young people who experience any of the following;

• Learning disabilities• Autistic spectrum disorder• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder• Personality disorder• Self-harming history• Mental health issues• History of abuse• Inappropriate behaviours• Complex emotional needs• Educational Behaviour disorders

*All Aspirations residential homes are registered and regulated by Ofsted

Who do we support and what do we do?…

The

Leaving Care Company Ltd

Support for adults

Aspirations are skilled in providing support for people who may have very complex and/or display behaviours that challenge. We believe that individuals have the right to lead active and fulfilling lives, participating alongside others in their community.

At Aspirations individuals are helped to maximise their abilities and opportunities to improve their quality of life. They are also encouraged to work towards increasing their independence in their local community. We ensure that the safety and wellbeing of the individual is paramount, as well as taking into consideration the safety of their community.

The people we support may need support for various reasons:

• Mental health needs• Learning disabilities• Profound and multiple learning disabilities• Autistic spectrum conditions• Forensic risk history

“The Aspirations Journey” sets out how we gather information to design and develop support. This involves the person and others who are involved in supporting them, such as social services, the NHS, specialist commissioners, the police and the Home Office where appropriate. In addition where necessary we work within the guidelines set out within the Mental Health Act, Community Care Act and Mental Capacity Act.

Our assessment process uses a range of Person Centred Thinking Tools to ensure that we are able to balance in our subsequent support which is important to the person with the support that is needed to address risk and safety for that person and others.

Our supported living services might include:

• Help with applying for benefits• Support with shopping and making the best use of local resources• Assistance to return to education or employment• Help with housing, including moving from hospital or a residential placement• Seeking out education and employment opportunities• Developing a person’s well being• Help developing and forming friendships

Our packages of care include:

• Daytime, evening and weekend support• On-call assistance which is available 24 hours a day• Responding to people who have personal budgets, personal health budgets and people who self fund • Short breaks & respite• Support at times of change in a person’s life eg; moving between support services, moving out the family home

*All our services are registered and monitored by CQC

Jason is 15 years old and came to be supported by

Aspirations when he was 14 after his situation in a

previous care home broke down.

This was due to him being involved in various criminal activities such as selling drugs, damage to property and assaults.

Jason’s criminal behaviour led to him being given a reparation order. This means he has to work with the local Youth Offending Team (YOT) supporting Jason in understanding the harm he causes to people or community through his criminal activities.

Working closely with the local Police Liaison Officer, Aspirations found a suitable property for Jason to live, in an area where he wouldn’t be influenced by other anti-social behaviour, crime, gangs or drugs. When he first came to Aspirations Jason’s negative behaviours continued and he was physically violent and verbally abusive to the support team. The team used positive behaviour management strategies focussing on setting clear, consistent boundaries with Jason and after a short time he began to respond really well to this.

Aspirations support workers, chosen specifically to work with Jason because of their own experience and skills, worked in partnership with the YOT and also found an appropriate, accredited education programme for him that he attended weekly. This was a big achievement for Jason who in the past had refused to engage with anything to do with education. Daily support in a solo residency placement, has meant that his independence skills have grown particularly around budgeting and meal planning. Therefore he buys and plans for healthy meals he wants to eat. Support workers are using incentive charts with Jason to help him move towards other independence skills.

Significantly, since Aspirations have been supporting Jason he has not been involved in any further criminal behaviour and is settled. In his support plan, that Jason develops with us, his long term goal, as he approaches 16, is to leave care and move to a property of his choice where he can be supported in a semi-independent way. At the appropriate time and if deemed appropriate with Jason’s Home Team, the Aspirations team will start to work with their collages at The Leaving Care Company to help Jason make this goal a reality. Then as Jason’s independence skills develop he will receive our support only where he requires it.

Ruth and her siblings grew up in a home with domestic violence

and her mother, not coping with this, found parenting difficult

As a result Ruth became a young carer for her family. This situation impacted on Ruth’s natural development as a child and her skills and learning development. As she was ill-equipped to be a carer at such a young age she tried to keep control of the family through anger and aggression. After several assaults on her siblings and mother, Ruth eventually was placed in the care system.

During her time in care the violent behaviour and assaults continued and she began to misuse drugs and alcohol. Repeated serious assaults on people led to court orders and curfews.

It was at this point, when Ruth was 16 years old, she came to be supported by The Leaving Care Company. Her Team helped to find her a suitable home in an area she wanted to live in and were no known drug issues. Soon after moving in to her new home Ruth attended court for a previous offence and was convicted which meant that her team of support workers, through a 24/7 package supported Ruth through life with a supervision order, electronic tag and drug treatment order. In addition her team has supported Ruth with all of her difficulties. Drug and alcohol support has helped Ruth to stay on track and Ruth’s support team sourced alternative education including home tutoring and life skills. Ruth is due to sit Maths and English GCSE’s this summer.

Ruth’s team of regular support workers has developed relationships with her that she tells us feel like her family – even referring to them as a Gran figure, Sister figure, Aunt etc. Forming these strong relationships has helped her team to support her regarding her behaviour through participation in discussions, daily tasks and leisure activities. Consequential thinking exercises have helped Ruth make positive choices and though she still has occasional anger outbursts they are less frequent and she tries to solve issues through discussion first. Ruth is actively involved in all aspects of her support plan and regularly voices her opinion, though is aware some things are unchangeable within the plan.

Ruth is enjoying building her relationship back with her family. She has not shown any obvious signs of being under the influence of either alcohol or drugs and is supported to attend CAMHs to address her attachment disorder and issues around domestic abuse.

Since receiving our support Ruth has turned her life around re-focussing on school, her studies and tackling problems that previously made her life chaotic and relationships with her family strained Ruth is very settled now and says she feels safe where she lives. Going forwards, as she approaches 18, The Leaving Care Company will continue to support Ruth in developing independent life-skills with a view of reducing the number of hours she is supported and helping her to take on her own tenancy.

Jack is a guy who would never go out without looking sharply

dressed. He has a real sense of pride in how he looks. The

team who support him describe him as a funny, kind, and

determined man.

Since, Aspirations has supported him, he has accomplished so much of which he is proud. Life has not been easy for Jack. He had a very difficult childhood and had been diagnosed as having a mild learning disability and a personality disorder. He has a history of seriously high risk offending behaviour. As a result of this and his unpredictable aggressive behaviour toward others, he lived in a secure setting with 2:1 support at all times. He came to be supported by our service, when it was agreed by the clinical services that this was not the right setting for him to live.

He was ready in his own words “to just get on with his life“.

Our team started to support him and got to know him through carefully listening to what he was saying with his words and behaviour and a result of this designing support that worked well for him. Jack lives with someone else and this match has worked well. Jack needed to live with someone – he loves company and chatting. Mark who he lives with also likes this but is also a calm and quiet person, which works well for Jack. Both of them love to boogie and go to a disco together each week.

Through sensitive and consistent support over time and working with the local clinical team, Jack is now supported on a 1:1 basis. This has come about due to him trusting his team to deliver support that keeps him safe and others safe from him. Jack now works as a volunteer on a farm each week, loves walking and uses this interest to contribute to his community – he often does sponsored walks. He has a girlfriend and loves to go to the cinema and bowling. He has also gained his confidence to share his experiences with others at the national involvement meetings that Aspirations run to hear about what is working or not working for the people we support.

Maxine is 34 and her team say she is a determined, thoughtful

and fun woman who always tries hard to do the right thing.

She is artistic and has a great sense of style. She has been supported by Aspirations since 2009 and lives her life with a complex diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder and Bi-Polar Affective Disorder. Her mood swings often result in her being unable to cope with everyday issues and maintain meaningful relationships. She regularly engages in self-injurious behaviour and assaultive behaviours towards others. These behaviours have resulted in her being detained under the Mental Health Act and numerous placement breakdowns.

Maxine has low self-esteem predominantly due to obesity, a side effect of her medication. She was referred for gastric band surgery, but due to complex behaviours and self-harm, she was declined, which was a further rejection for her to deal with.

So supported by her team she has been involved in devising a healthy eating and exercise programme. She’s lost a staggering 8 stone in weight since 2011.

She has gone on to raise over £200 by doing the 10k Race For Life with her team and intends to do this again. Last year, Maxine experienced a Person-centred review with her team to help her to think about her future. She said that it was the best review she ever had and wants them like that all the time. She said normally people sit round a table and tell her how she should lead her life and what she should / shouldn’t do to remain living in the community and how much her package costs the authority. She said she felt in more control in this review. Together, the team and Maxine came up with ideas for how things could be improved now and in the future.

Maxine has now joined a gym and hired a personal trainer and works with him 2-3 times per week. With his input, Maxine’s physical and emotional wellbeing is better than it has ever been. Her mood swings are less frequent, she is using coping strategies to solve everyday problems and in 6 weeks she has lost a total of 16 inches and dropped 2 dress sizes. She is focused, dedicated and aims to get to a size 14 within the next 12 months. Most importantly Maxine now understands that her lifestyle change and regular exercise is enabling her to manage her mental health and keep in recovery.

Working/not-working

Relationship circle

Important to and how best to support

Good-Day, Bad-Day

Routines

Hopes & dreams

Start of Person-Centred Portfolio

Outcomes

Support to confidence

PERSON-CENTREDPRACTICE

Community map

Gifts & talents

Perfect Week

One Page Profile

What did we try?

What did we learn?

What are we pleased about?

What are we concerned about?

What next?

4 + 1?

How do you want to live and what ideas do you have about the support you need ?

Who is involved in your life now and how would you like them involved?

What information do you already have about your life that could help us?

Our meeting happens

Co-ordinator allocated

One Page Profile

& Perfect Week

developed to agreed standards

What are we learning about what the person wants?

Like & admire

Matching support

Healthy & safe

Community inclusion

Housing

The information gathered pays attention to:-

“We are

interested

in you

providing

support...”

QUALITY

Contact

within

24 hours

OUR FIRST CONVERSATION

Give information about who we are, our organisation and what you can expect from us

How did the

plan feel?

What else can

we try?

How much will

it cost?

your aspirations

co-ordinator agreed

Our Team's

One Page Profile

Who we are?

gatheringinformation

assistivetechnology 5 ways of

well-being

person-centredrisk process

person-centred

recruitment

The support plan is developed to the criteria of a great support plan

How can we show that the person has been involved in the development of their support plan?

GETTING TO KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO YOU AND THEPEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE

Perfect Week

Matching support

Roles & responsibilities

sort

Decision making profile

& agreements

Working / not-working - monthly summary

One Books

Learning logs

Person-centred

reviews

5 Ways to

well-being

NEXT ST

EPSOUR AGREEM

ENT

WhoWhat

HowWhen

connect

GIVE

be act

ive

keeplearning

PERSONCENTREDREVIEW

takenotice

working not-working

MYPLAN

OUTCOMES AND ACTIONS

Monitor action plan to see how

long the process

is taking against

agreed timescales

Checking we have good match of our supporters to the person

How close is our support to the perfect week

Job spec - roles & responsibilities tailoured to the person

Individual Support Contract- Tailored made from the support plan

- Clear re 1:1 hours & shared support hours

How long it’s taken to deliver our support from first conversation

Person-Centred review happens every six months to the agreed quality standard

informs operational plan

what are we

learning together?

sign-off contracts

how will we work

together?

how will we make

decisions together?

DELIVER SUPPORT

AND LIVE LIFE

job specs

& adverts

Sampling working, not working 3 monthly

The Aspirations Journey

Physical InterventionsAccreditationScheme

for more information or to find your nearest

regional office please call: 0800 044 3255visit our website: www.aspirationscare.com

like us on Aspirations Care

Head Office

Unit B2, Elmbridge Court Cheltenham Road East,Gloucester, GL3 1JZ

Although we

operate nationally, we

remain firmly committed to local

values so operate out of 5

regional hubs; North East,

North West , Midlands, South

East, South West. This model

ensures we provide responsive,

top quality localised

services to each person

we support

NorthEast

Northwest

Wales

WestMidlands

eastMidlands

South West

South East

= our locations