There is a lot starting to happen at the moment across Wales.

Philip Evans from Swansea

The Assembly is preparing to implement Sustainable Social Services in Wales part of which will be a new Social Services bill which will develop over the next year.

It is important that our Alliance is able to share the stories how people are:

• working together to live their lives with choice and control
• or are taking control of the services that they use
• or are building communities around them within which they can become active citizens.

These stories will be essential in highlighting not only what is possible but what needs to change to make these things normal for everybody.

If you have stories that people are willing to share please send them to Debbie.Chegwen@communitylives.co.uk with pictures (if possible) and we will share them through the www.wacds.org.uk websiteand as part of the growing consultation process as part of Sustainable Social Services in Wales.

We look forward to hearing from you

Filed under: Stories of change | Leave a Comment »

Richard; living the dream

Richard has lived in supported living for more than 5 years but since 2008 moved on to a different service in North Wales. In his own admission he doesn’t very much enjoy socialising in large groups so as a provider we have found it a challenge to engage him in activities hence he has had a tendency to isolate himself and spend long lengths of time on his own

He has always been a huge train fanatic and has dreamed of building and owning his own train set. He started with small train tracks and although he was always satisfied with his finished product he soon got bored as his biggest ambition was to have a full working train set; station, fields, mountain, the lot!

As he lived in supported accommodation Richard has had access to his full entitlement to benefits so we supported him to save enough money to buy a 16ft shed to start his dream. That was just the start; he had to lay the foundations for the shed, build it, paint it, and make sure it was safe to use. With the support of staff we have helped him to realise his dream by giving him advice and putting a plan together with him listing all the things he would need including how we would get electricity to it!

It has been a huge task but over the last 2 years the model railway is complete with rivers, mountains, level crossing; even the welsh sheep have lush green grass!

He has been supported with building the shed with support from staff and he had a local electrician fit all of the electrics and lighting. It has been a big project and it has taken 2 years but now he has the boards built and the track layout down with the trains running around. It’s not yet finished but he can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

He has been visiting Aberystwyth hobby shop and buying engines and scenery of his choice for his set and he has built up a large collection. Mum and dad have been fully involved and they have also brought items for birthdays and Christmas and they have been taking him to Hatton’s hobby shop in Liverpool during the Christmas holiday.

At the moment he is working on building another mountain for the trains to go through, throughout he is taking lots of pictures as it develops and using his camera to take pictures of real railways to give him more ideas

He has found the experience of building the shed and railway very exciting and rewarding and going to hobby shops has built up his confidence to go out on longer journeys. His train set makes him very happy and it is a great place for him to be independent of staff, and to go and relax and enjoy himself.

It has been a rewarding experience for Richard as well as for us as his provider. We have seen him grow in confidence and be more confident around people he doesn’t really know that well because he has something to be proud of and talk about when ever anyone hears of the railway he has built. It has opened up avenues for him and he is far more comfortable talking to others hence making new acquaintances.

Quotes from Richards Parents:

We are delighted at the progress Richard is making in overcoming his problems, enabling him to enjoy his life. We feel it is due to the loving care and support of all the staff but especially Les and Dave who have done so much with setting up his railway. We have never seen him so enthusiastic and involved about anything. A stable staff means so much to Richard and us. We are at last after many years starting to relax knowing that Richard is happy and confident.

Filed under: Stories of change | Leave a Comment »

Chris

Chris first came to our services 18 months ago and it was clear from day one that he wanted more autonomy and choice in what he wanted from his life. Despite being placed in a residential care home he wanted to make the place his own. I guess at this stage we were lucky enough to be able to offer Chris a small cottage which he would only have to share with 2 others but at the point of admission to the service he would be the first person to move in, hence he then had an input into who would share with him

To commence the process of building up his own home, Chris adopted two kittens called Rosie and Jim who are now nine months old. As a caring person himself Chris felt he had a lot to offer to look after his pets and with the support of staff has managed to prove to himself that he is able and responsible; he just needed the opportunity which he didn’t have in previous placements. Chris then went on to purchase two goldfish called Gaz and Quen. Chris’s sense of humour and confidence has grown to the extend that he felt unconcerned about the fact that he named his pets after the staff that support him on a daily basis and the staff take all this in their stride. Having pets to look after has made Chris more responsible as he has to make sure they are fed and they go to the vets for all their injections. Staff help him if he doesn’t feel well but at the end of the day Chris is able to control this

Having been placed in residential settings all of his adult life everything in his daily routine has been controlled by staff so when he first came to our services it was important to him that he could have the opportunity to do his own laundry and wash his own dishes. We also found that he likes to do some cooking as well – we sat with him and helped him plan his menus and he now cooks his favourite meal of curry. This is something that we all take for granted but for Chris it has been a huge milestone. He looks forward to going out shopping each week to the local supermarket with his Key Worker.

As Chris has a physical disability, when we first assessed his abilities his personal care package involved 2 staff to assist him with transfers etc, but with the use of assistive technology and more advanced physical aids he is now able to transfer himself from his wheelchair to bed which is really good for him as he doesn’t have to face the embarrassment of always having staff around which has given him a lot more independence and increased his self esteem

Chris’s network of friends has also increased as he has made some good friends at the Farm and they often come round to the cottage he lives in to have a meal, watch TV and listen to music or have a game of Monopoly. He goes on lots of trips out and enjoys going to the theatre in Llandudno or to the local pub’s Karaoke night. He also goes to the Mencap discos and other places and enjoys having a take-away curry night at the weekend and likes nothing better than having a good old chat with his friends and Support Workers.

Having attended the launch of the Welsh Alliance for Citizen Directed Support Chris has further empowered his self belief that he can be part of something that he can control. He has even nominated himself to be part of the council that will be formed for this group so for Chris the future isn’t just about ‘services’, its about him and how he can further enhance his life at a pace he wants and in a direction that is not always service led

Filed under: Stories of change | Leave a Comment »

Craig

Craig has been in residential care in North Wales since 2001 living in an area with little opportunity to make friends but that hasn’t stopped him from being a huge part of his community.

Craig very much enjoys collecting things and this has sometimes proved to be challenging for us and him as his room can often be difficult to keep clean due to being full of his possessions, so over the years we have supported him to continue in his quest to collect things by collecting for charity

Craig avidly enjoys collecting items and was asked by his Grandfather if he would like to assist him in raising funds for the League of Friends in Redditch by collecting postage stamps. So for over two years now he has tirelessly ventured out into the local community and independently and successfully established support from a variety of local businesses in Dolgellau, Bala, Tywyn, Barmouth and Porthmadog. As a result, he regularly collects/receives packages of stamps that he delivers to his Grandfather, who in turn passes them on to the League of Friends. Having made so many connections with these different businesses in the area he now a well known member of the community

Proceeds of the stamp value help raise money for the Alexandra League of Friends to enable the purchase of new and replacement equipment, wheelchairs etc. Altogether the League of Friends has raised £96,138.

Craig has received recognition for his tireless donations to charity and he has received a certificate from the League of Friends to extend praise and gratitude for the time and effort he continues to contribute to such a worthy cause.

Craig couldn’t have been more proud of his achievements than when he was recently awarded with a ‘highly commended’ certificate after being put forward by the Communities First in Barmouth for a Volunteer of the Year Award 2010. There were 200 volunteers put forward and although he didn’t win the overall award being highly commended has well and truly put him in high esteem within his community and he continues in his effects to help those who are in need of help

As he is now so well know within the community many other businesses often request his help to help those in need so he is now in the process of  collecting tin can pulls for a local charity. This goes to help children with Leukaemia.

Filed under: Stories of change | Leave a Comment »

Pat’s story- moving on

Pat left her family home when she was young and went to live at Ely Hospital.  She shared a ward with two other women.  In the early 1990′s the three women moved to a house in Barry and they lived there for 18 years.

Before they moved to their new home, Pat said that she did not want to live with one of the other women.  The move still went ahead.  For many years the three women lived together and things went smoothly.  Pat is very friendly and outgoing, and gets on well with people.

During the last couple of years the relationship between Pat and a person she lived with, started to get worse.  Pat changed from sometimes being her happy go lucky self to being frightened and withdrawn.  In January 2009, Pat made a serious complaint to the staff.  A meeting was set up which involved everyone interested in Pat’s wellbeing and steps were put in place to keep Pat safe and plan what to do next.

As part of the plan, Kate was asked to help Pat.  Kate worked with Pat and her friends and family to find out what’s important in her life and how to make those things happen.  The people who came to the first meeting started to meet regularly.

Through this process, Pat was able to say exactly what she wanted, how she wanted to live, who she wanted to live with and where.  Different options were looked at.  One of them was adult placement.  A meeting was set up so that Pat could visit an adult placement.  She was supported by her advocate.  Pat was apprehensive, as anyone would be about big changes in their lives, but the advocate was there to support her to say ‘no’ if she didn’t want to go ahead.

Pat’s first visit went extremely well and she said how pleasant her time was there.  She was happy to move to the next step.  This was a weekend visit which also went well.  Then Pat had mixed emotions.  She needed reassurance, just as anyone would, as it was a big move for her if it was to go ahead.  Pat visited the family some more and appeared happier, deciding that she wanted to go ahead permanently.

In May 2010 Pat moved into her new home with absolute delight, full of confidence, feeling safe and secure.

Filed under: Stories of change | Leave a Comment »

Robert’s Story – Getting my own home

Robert used to live in a council house in Undy near Magor which is out in the country.  The house had stairs but Robert had good legs then.  He lived with his Mum and Dad and 2 brothers.  When Robert’s Dad died, his Mum took over the tenancy.  His Mum’s health gradually got worse and after a spell in hospital they moved to a bungalow in Undy.  After a fall his Mum ended up in hospital again and eventually she sadly passed away.  The Council wanted Robert to leave his home.  They said the bungalow was for older people and so he was moved to a flat in nearby Caldicot.  It was on the top floor.  Robert didn’t get on with his neighbour who used bad language and made lots of noise slamming doors.  He complained to the Council.  As a result he found out that they were going to move him again although he hadn’t been involved with this.

Robert had several moves to places that weren’t suitable.  He doesn’t like noise and in every place he lived his neighbours created noise that disturbed him.  He lived a short time in a caravan park in Magor which was great because it was quiet but it was too cold and damp – it was so damp that he couldn’t take his bed with him when he moved again.

Charter Housing (now reach) began supporting Robert and helped him to move to a ‘middle floor’ flat in Newport.  That went well until someone new moved in next to him, who came and went at all times of the night and day.  Robert was moved again to a place in Newport which was nice and quiet but it was a top flat up 3 flights of stairs.  His legs weren’t doing so well by then and he would get tired and breathless as his health had deteriorated.  The result was another move to a bottom floor flat.  It was ok for a while until someone moved in above him.  The noise of his new neighbour moving around his flat disturbed Robert and he had had enough!

In April 2009, reach staff asked Robert where he would like to live, what he needed to have in the area and what sort of home he wanted.  Some staff had heard about a way of getting somewhere to live called “Supported Shared Home Ownership”.  It is a way of helping people to move into a home that is suitable for all their needs.  Robert was interested.  Staff from Fairlake (part of the Seren Group) got in touch with the experts on Robert’s behalf.  They worked out if he met the criteria and what would need to be done to make it happen for Robert.  Several meetings took place to make sure that Robert was sure, whether it would work for him and to make sure that it was a positive move.  This was breaking ground for Robert and staff from reach and Fairlake.

Robert looked at several properties with support from Carol his Primary Worker.  Robert did not want any involvement with his family and found a detached bungalow in a quiet area in Caldicot, where he had lived before. Fairlake did all the work with solicitors over the purchase of the property, arranging the loan and mortgage and other things that had to be done.  reach staff had lots of discussion with Social Services over funding as Robert was moving from one local authority to another and they needed agreement for extra support for Robert with his move.  Carol supported Robert to sort out his benefits.

The whole process took a very long time.  The moving date was changed 3 times and as anyone would, Robert got a bit ‘wobbly’ at one point wondering whether he had made the right decision.  He just needed reassurance.  We all get collywobbles when moving and buying our own home.  It makes us all anxious and Robert is no different.

In March 2010 Robert moved into his new home with absolute delight.  He has never been happier having finally found somewhere to live that suits him completely.

Filed under: Stories of change | Leave a Comment »

Thanks to Stephen Wyn Jones for this message

I have Citizen Directed Support myself and have made lots of changes to my life.  I am able to do things I didn’t expect to be able to do before and have lots of new friends.

Filed under: Stories of change | Leave a Comment »