Winter 2014

caretech-uk.com

Extraordinary days every day

Review

Let's

CelebrateOur Stars!

Aina Akinyemi • Alan Mcknight • Amabel Kemokai Amanda Turner • Andrea Walters • Andrew Williams • Angela Winwood • Anita Copson

Ann Footitt • Anna Page • Anne Hart • Anthea Tauya Baljit Chohan • Bernadette Concadoro • Braden Lee Stevens • Brian O’shea

Carin Amos • Carol King • Carol Phillips Caroline Thorne • Carolyn Mccombe • Chandra Shantha KumarChantal Rogers • Charlotte Roberts • Christine Clarke • Christine Johnson

Christine Marlow • Christine Weathered • Damian Duncan Daniel Payne • Danielle Short • Darren Wellington • David BakerDavid McSorley • David Wheeler • Denise Carter • Deonarain Sakaldip • Diane Cooper Diane Randall • Donna Martin • Earleen Zinhagel • Elaine Gardner • Elizabeth Cowley

Emma Barnfield • Emma Horner • Emma Norgrove Eve Riaz • Evelyn Spriggs • Faeza Yahia • Gareth Thomas • Geoffrey Hall Geraldine Cunningham • Geraldine Smith • Gillian Baker Gillian Gilham • Glenys Hughes • Grace Chandler • Harriet ChildHeather Evans • Ingrid Zahoor • Jacqui Pritchard • Jane Webster Janice Ollif • Janis Young • Jann Battisson • Jason Cox • Jennifer Nhodza Jenny Savage • Jill Godsell • Jill Murray • Joan Bone • John Kentley John Mlalazi • John Snaith • Jonathan Plummer • Joseph Chandrakumar Judith Bond • Judith Larter • Judy Purkiss • Julia Ndlovu Juliet Newton • Karen Jackson • Karen Jones • Kate Jones • Kerrie Beresford

Kevin Edge • Kim Page • Jackie White • Kulbir Dhanda • Kulvinder Rai Latifah Mohamed • Laura Gordon • Laura Hamilton • Laura SwabyLinda Mawson • Linda Norman • Linda PaintingLona Lynne Jones • Lorna Iverson • Lorraine Mckenna • Louisiana Adeleke • LyndaFuller Lynette Maxey • Makayba Kumbutila • Mandy Pursall • Margaret Brooks

A big thank you to all our longstanding employeesEARSS

10YPLU

Wowwww!

REGIONAL FINALIST2014

Celebrating Excellence Across The Social Care Sector

LET'S

OUR STARS

Celebrate The Hall of Fame

Lyndhurst Care Awards

Morven House

AwardsRumble

OUTLOOK

Awards

Time to Celebrate

A Winning Year

Winter 2014

caretech-uk.com

Extraordinary days every day

Review

Let’s celebrate a great year –and look forward to 2015

2014 was an amazing award winning year!

01 06Personalisation Week

Editors Note

Hello!

Contents

SuccessStories

10 12

20 24

16Latest from the fostering divisions

Why it’s so important and how to play your part

Latest from

A day in the life ofMichelle Boxall

Events from up & down the country

16

22

18

NEWDevelopments

CAREWHY I

Fostering News

OurServices

whether it’s awards, benefits, crosswords or cupcakes – there’s something

for everyone

Check out some of the great events you organised for launch

The latest on

14OUR PEOPLE

02

SAFEGUARDING

and finally...

01

We want to hear all your news, stories and top tips. Please send your articles to pathways@caretech-uk.com

Share your stories

We would like to thank all of you who took part in our discussion around CareTech values – in deciding which are the special qualities that make our organisation unique. Your input has been invaluable. We have now analysed all your responses and have a shortlist of 10 top values that define what is most important to us as an organisation.

We will be sending out a staff engagement survey shortly to give everyone the opportunity to tell us about the organisation you work for, which will help us make improvements for both staff and the people who use our services. This survey will be available both electronically and on paper and can be returned anonymously. Everybody’s view is valuable, so please do return your responses as soon as you can.

This will also be used as a tool for you to feedback and vote on the 5 values that CareTech should be adopting. These are five core values that define us and are most important in delivering the personalised services throughout the business.

This is for all of us and for all of the people we help. Let’s make it really count. I am looking forward to hearing all of your responses.

Nasir Quraishi HR Director

We are CareTechHello, and welcome to our new

and revitalised Pathways.

Joan Bone, Editor

We are delighted to be back, and in a vibrant new format, which we hope you will all love.

At this time of year we all enjoy a good celebration. So we wanted to take the opportunity to appreciate and celebrate all the stars we have in our CareTech family. We really have had a winning year in 2014, with awards for a wide variety of our staff and carers – so please take a look at pages 2-5 and share in their success.

Looking ahead to 2015, we are very excited to be launching our own CareTech Awards. Turn to page 2 to find out more and how to nominate your favourite CareTech Stars. And for those of you who can’t wait until 2015, we have enclosed some stickers for you to use with your favourite people straight away!

Our personalisation programme launched recently – and we have been inspired by the creativity and variety of events and initiatives amongst the regions. Our award winners get special mention for going above and beyond in bringing the personalisation strategy truly to life.

Finally – Pathways is a magazine that is all about you – our CareTech stars. We want this to be both for you and by you – so your input is really important to us. We want to know about all the great things you have been up to and to share this with the wider CareTech family. So please do send in all of your stories, big or small. The next issue is all about celebrating the small things. So do have a think about what little things make the most difference to you

and to the people you care about and work with, and keep sending these stories in to us – we love to hear all of your news. Have a wonderful holiday season and a great start to 2015.

NoteEditor’s

Haroon Sheikh Chief Executive Officer

02

VOTE FOR

YOUR STARS

I’d like to start by thanking you for all of your hard work, efforts and dedication. It’s very exciting to know that after 21 years in care, we are leading the way and we should all be very proud of our CareTech family.

This edition of Pathways is all about you – celebrating your successes and achievements. Whether it is big awards, recent developments, personalisation initiatives, new members of our family or long serving members of staff – we want to acknowledge and celebrate you all.

As a special mention, we are immensely grateful to Stewart Wallace for his role in developing CareTech’s services over the last 14 years. His passion, energy and experience have been invaluable. Stewart announced his retirement in September from the board of directors. We are delighted that he will continue to support CareTech in key areas in the coming months – so it’s not quite goodbye yet!

Finally, I would like to wish you and your families a restful break and look forward to celebrating your achievements in 2015.

THE CARETECH

AWARDS2015Carer of the Year For a family carer who has been very supportive Nominated by staff Support Worker of the Year For outstanding performance Nominated by service

users Team Player of the Year For exceptional generosity, kindness and simply

being great to work withNominated by staff

Team of the Year For a team who works well together and has

achieved great resultsNominated by anyone, including self-nomination

Award for Excellence For the most supportive administrator/payroll/

finance/office worker/receptionistNominated by support workers

Outstanding Achievement of the Year

For exceptional qualities or a special achievement during the past year

Nominated by anyone

We are delighted to announce the CareTech Awards for 2015 – to recognise the wide range of achievements of our staff across the four divisions of our business.

The awards ceremony will be held in a fabulous venue and the evening promises to be a fun and glittering occasion, to celebrate and showcase the determination, hard work and achievements of our staff.

Don’t forget to nominate!! We will be sending out more details in the New Year – but in the meantime please do start to think about who deserves to be recognised for exceptional qualities – and who you would like to nominate.

WINNINGHaroon Sheikh, CEO

03

It is a great personal achievement for me as a Manager and an amazing recognition for my staff – a relatively small team, and all with unique personalities.

When we combine our skills and knowledge, this is the result. I knew deep down in my heart, that we will win the National Award too, after meeting the judges on 12 March. There is something magical about Lyndhurst, which we managed to pass onto the judges, the feeling of passion, satisfaction and positive thoughts, faith in our job and in our clients.

They liked us immediately when we entered the room, there was this atmosphere, you could feel it in the air.

I am the happiest person on the planet and we have a great staff team, perhaps this is why we have no staff turn over.

We would also like to thank Mick Davies and Julian Spurling for having faith in us and supporting us to achieve these results. They are both great professionals and very understanding of the hard day-to-day commitments we have to endure to enable us to do our jobs successfully!

Diana Slavova Service Manager, Lyndhurst

We are simply the best!

LYNDHURST WINS

‘ Best Care Team Award’ at The Great British Care Awards.

Wowwww!

Carer of the Year For a family carer who has been very supportive Nominated by staff Support Worker of the Year For outstanding performance Nominated by service

users Team Player of the Year For exceptional generosity, kindness and simply

being great to work withNominated by staff

Team of the Year For a team who works well together and has

achieved great resultsNominated by anyone, including self-nomination

Award for Excellence For the most supportive administrator/payroll/

finance/office worker/receptionistNominated by support workers

Outstanding Achievement of the Year

For exceptional qualities or a special achievement during the past year

Nominated by anyone

04

Former tank driver Mark Adams powers towards a top awardA former soldier who drove a tank through two war zones powered his way towards a major award for his work as a front line carer for young people.

Mark Adams, 36, spent five years serving with the British Army before joining the staff at the Branas Isaf care centre in Llandrillo, near Corwen, in Wales 12 years ago.

During his time in the service he drove Chieftain battle tanks in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s and after leaving the army took on the challenge of helping to turn around the lives of teenagers with complex interpersonal, emotional & behavioural difficulties, which he says can sometimes be difficult but is still very rewarding.

It is the “motivated and supportive” way he handles his role as a team leader at Branas Isaf that has seen Mark shortlisted for the prestigious Wales Care Awards 2014.

He is a finalist for the Peter Clarke Award for Promoting Excellence in Services for Children, sponsored by ACT Training. The glittering presentation ceremony was held at City Hall in Cardiff.

The awards are in association with Care Forum Wales, a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1993 to give independent care providers a single professional voice –

how to provide better quality care for those who need it most.

Mark said “Although I’m basically still a carer I am now also a team leader. I work a shift pattern of two days on and four days off but on the two days I live in and am responsible for decision making for my team of eight or nine staff.

“Our role at Branas Isaf is to give 24 hour support for up to seven boys aged 11 to 18 with complex emotional and behavioural difficulties. They all have complex needs and we try to help them get their lives back together by working with them often in a one to one situation.

“We try to support the young people as much as we can and also have some fun. I frequently take them on trips to places like the cinema and out in to the countryside. I’m a basic expedition leader and I support them on kayaking and canoeing trips such as the week-long one we’ve just had in the River Wye.

“It can be quite a difficult and a stressful job but doing the work I do is rewarding and seems very natural to me.”

In nominating Mark for his award, Branas Isaf manager Kirsty Nelson said: “He is very much a focused individual who takes his

role as a support worker very seriously. He is a motivated and supportive staff member who not only takes time out to develop new staff but also to support the more experienced team members.

“Within his role, Mark promotes the young people to have a voice and encourages them to make healthy decisions about their future as well as providing a high standard of daily care and nurture.”

Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards had gone from strength to strength.

He said: “The event is now firmly established as one of the highlights in the Welsh social care calendar. The aim is to recognise the unstinting and often remarkable dedication of our unsung heroes and heroines across Wales. It is a pleasure to honour the contribution of all the finalists. Each and every one of them should be very proud of their achievement.”

Morven House - Hertfordshire

Most importantly George Bird won overall achievements over all the other winners and was crowned king of the Rumble Awards.

AwardsRumble

Morven Attended the Rumble Awards for people with learning disabilities.

There were a few categories which ranged from helping others to amazing achievements.

Emmanuel Griffiths won first prize for the Amazing Achievements Award.

George Bird got first prize for a Happy Soul.

THE PETER CLARKE AWARD

George Bird(pictured right) at the Rumble Awards

8

9

10

5

6

7

05

Karen and Mick Keepence received the Foster Carer of the Year award for Essex and Charmaine and Paul Waterhouse for Kent.

Kim Hannington, John Curtis, Sharon Powney and Sue Lydon received awards for successfully completing the Level 3 Diploma in Children and Young People

– well done.

Our Panel Chair, John Collins also received an award for services to the Outlook Fostering Panel. The evening was a great success.

Here’s what some of you had to say.

”Thank you to you and everyone at Outlook for a lovely evening. We had the best night out, the meal, the entertainment, the hotel staff, the whole social event was wonderful. It was lovely to have everyone socialise like that together. The award and gift card was amazing to receive, definitely a night to remember!” Susie Harding

”Just wanted to say a huge thank you for a fantastic evening. It was like being part of a large family and we enjoyed meeting foster carers we had never met before” Maisie Brown

”Thank you for a great evening. Lovely venue, lovely food, great company. It was nice to be able to put faces to names of the people at Outlook. Also to meet up with carers from the other areas we don’t see often. Thank you very much for the award. Look forward to other events like that it is a great morale booster for everyone. Thank you all once again for the award.” Ian and Tina Killner

8 Years: Len & Rina Colombini, Josie & Derek Warner, Ginny Sage

9 Years: Sarah James

10 Years: Elaine & Gary Thomas, Pam Sousa

6 Years: Karen & Mick Keepence, Chris & Kevin Watson, Sharmaine Worrell, John & Wendy Curtis

7 Years: Susie & Mark Harding, Charmaine & Paul Waterhouse

Our first annual award ceremony was a great success.

A number of Long Service awards were given out to both carers and staff on the night including:

5 Years: Joan & Leon Brown, Emma Sanders & Brian Laidlaw, Elaine & Bill Thornton and Kay Ashe

CareOutlook Awards

06

Helen Sanderson Chief Executive of Helen Sanderson Associates

“For me, this marks a significant piece of work we are doing together with CareTech, building on your earlier training with my colleague Jon Ralphs, and the progress you have been making with the one-page profiles and person-centred reviews in the north.

Colleagues have also been working with your HR, Recruitment and Training teams to look at how person-centred practices can be used to further develop your ‘staff journey’, looking at how people join CareTech and progress through to supervision and appraisal.

Members of the Board and Executive Team have already created their own one-page profiles, and there’s already significant progress in one-page profiles being used throughout the organisation, with both people you support and colleagues, too.

I look forward to what we can learn together over the next two years as we support your determination to become a more person-centred organisation.”

Julian Spurling Managing Director – Adult Services

For over 20 years, person-centred support and care has been core to the values of CareTech. For us as an organisation, putting the interests and needs of the individual is at the heart of everything we do.You are all now aware of our personalisation programme, which was

launched in October – to refresh and deepen our thinking and practices

in person-centred support across the entire organisation. And we have

all made a great start in embedding this strategy into everything we do.

WHO THISHELPS

People we support Families

Colleagues

The Organisation

Everyone enjoying a

well deserved lunch

07

Across the regions, we have been inspired to see so much engagement and enthusiasm for the personalisation strategy and have seen great creativity and variety in the events you all created to launch the programme.

In celebration of your commitment, we are proud and delighted to announce our regional award winners, in recognition of their great contributions.

Personalisation Week 13-19 October 2014

Well done to all our services who organised and took part in such a range of activities during the week.We are delighted to say that both staff and families have been very positive about new agenda and initiatives. We look forward to chairing our first of many Personalisation reviews.

Here are a few of the initiatives our teams created:

“In my shoes ...or my chair”This was a workshop that would allow for the staff team to get a feel for what it is like to be a service user.

“This experience has made me realise that we can change our behaviors just slightly to make the service user feel less vulnerable and more included. More personalised, This should be an experience everyone should try.”

Amy Geoghegan (Employee of the Month July 2014)

Undercover BossWe organised for the staff team to complete tasks that they would not otherwise do, to allow them to appreciate their colleagues and the pressure and enjoyment each job role brings.

The feedback we have received is that staff appreciate the pressures that everyone’s job roles entails and the impact it has on the service when people don’t work as a team and support each other.

“How well do you know me?”Staff were asked to complete not only their own one page profiles but also that of one of their colleagues, which allowed the staff team to get a view on how their colleagues like to be managed/supported.

Multi-Cultural LunchThe services were asked to arrange a “Personalisation Party”. The theme at the parties was “Multi-Culture”. This was to allow us to celebrate the many cultures we have within our services’ and to evidence that we personalise our care to ensure that we consider everyone’s background and culture. The staff teams prepared many dishes from different countries. The feedback from the families and service users was very positive.

What next?Now that we have introduced this initiaitve among the staff team, service users and families we will now be inviting the local authorities and care managers to join in.

We are confident that now the staff team are much more aware of what it is we are trying to achieve they will feel confident in discussing the “Personalisation Agenda” with the external professionals.

We look forward to working with you all, ensuring that we offer and provide the best care we can for our service users.

A Great Start

WELL DONE TOPark Road,

Lavenders, Tewin Road, St Agnells,

Westbrook House,Cedars House, Kenton Road

Overall a successful start to our

Personalisation Agenda

Home CountiesWinner

Staff and service users taking part

08

Congratulations to our winners at Magnolia House, who organised an impressive variety of events to launch and celebrate personalisation.

Games Day

Friendship Day

High Tea Party

Fancy Dress Night

Client of the Day

Kent - Magnolia HouseWinner

Dudley Street organised tombola, hook a duck, guess how many sweets in the jar, cake stall, foods from around the world, name the teddy, raffle, and bric-a-brac.

They also made posters to put up in the house, on the windows and on the gate to tell people passing what was happening.

Midands - Dudley StreetWinner

Fancydress

Pin the tail on thedonkey

Creating thePersonalisation

Poster

Teaparty

Creating thePersonalisation

Poster

Doing some baking for

the fete

09

What a huge success the Personalisation Launch was for the Prestwood Services.Take a look through our pictures to see what we got up to during the launch of our Personalisation Strategy with service users, staff, family and friends.

Prestwood Services Fun Day

National Winner – Prestwood

We had bright goody bags for everyone who attended which included information on CareTech and our new Personalisation Strategy.

Guess how many chocolates in the jar.

John Davies and Karlos Wilshaw, did a great job with the Bingo Calling.

Our strategy was proudly displayed for everybody to learn all about it.

Having fun playing the giant Jenga.

A BIG thank you to all service users and staff that took part by adding information on the Company Review and Forum.

We now have an action plan for all service users to have a look at and be informed that they are being listened to. This was ultimately the priority of the day.

We also have some interest and nominees for a service user forum.

NATIONAL

WINNER

10

My name is Edward*. I grew up in a northern town with my mum, brother and sister. My father had mental health problems and was not allowed to see us, so my mum struggled to bring us up.

I didn’t have any qualifications when I left school but I did get a job in an engineering factory. They tried to be good to me and as my OCD symptoms and fear of grease got worse, I was moved into the office. I worked there for 14 years until my symptoms became too bad to continue.

I lived with my mother until she was placed into a nursing home with dementia; I moved into my own flat. Unfortunately, things got worse for me – I ended up not washing for over a year, not drinking and refusing to go out.

The police had to break my door down because I was afraid they would contaminate my things if they came in. I was at Uplands for years. I didn’t like to shower and when I did, it took so long to work up the courage I would miss meals.

I couldn’t go out because touching my coat would contaminate my hands.

In my last year at Uplands, I was introduced to the ‘Recovery Star’. It lets me explain how I feel about things, make my own choices and work with staff on my problems.

The staff have said I am the expert on my condition and this is true. I have started to believe in myself a little more and I would like to move into my own flat, though this is scary. Before it was just a dream; now I believe it could really happen.

There are times that staff have to encourage me to do things like take a shower or drink, but they always explain why and show respect. Through the Recovery Star I can see where I am on my journey and plot the progress I’m making.

I shower three times a week now. I have a volunteer who takes me out once a week and have been out in a car in town, though only when the weather is fine. I have also been able to start talking to my sister again, who is planning on visiting.

Recently, I moved to a new step-down rehabilitation house with two other residents. I help prepare food for the evening meals, empty the rubbish bin and even though I don’t like grease, I do the washing up. I even put on my coat to go out.

It feels more like home but I still want a flat so have recently applied to the council to be put on the waiting list, with help from my key volunteer.

* Names have been changed to protect the identity of the service user.

Congratulations to Alice Boden

Alice Boden from Porthill Children’s Home had been preparing and looking forward to her interview with CareTech for weeks. She was excited, planned her outfit and prepared her portfolio of qualifications ready for the big day.

Edward’s road to recovery

The position was for Junior Receptionist and the interview took place at the Hanley office. Alice’s portfolio was outstanding, she answered questions professionally and clearly showed passion for the role.

Alice was thrilled with the news that she had been successful in her interview and was offered the position. Alice immediately reorganised her schedule to accommodate the hours that had been offered and is very excited about working with CareTech.

Further good news for Alice includes her 10 year anniversary with CareTech this year.

Alice also helped at the CareTech (Progress Care Exhibition) stand in Manchester. Alice is a very bright and active colleague who is involved with the company at many levels and a delight to be around.

Success Stories

11

Annabelle moved to a residential service following a lengthy hospital stay. She was extremely nervous and anxious about the move and tended to isolate herself from others.

Over time, her confidence grew. Staff supported her all the way.

Annabelle Moving On

Her skills developed to such a degree that she was able to move on to another residential service with a supported living model but gave her the background support she required. Her skills had developed to such a degree that the support could be stepped down. Over many months, discussions were held with Annabelle, her family, care management and her support service.

Everyone agreed she needed to move on. Annabelle was in agreement too. We got Annabelle involved in searching for a flat. It took some time for her to realise that what she wanted and what she could afford were different. This was a functional learning curve for Annabelle and brought home the realisation of independent living.

Approaching letting agents, Annabelle had many disappointments where they refused to let to someone who claimed benefits. CareTech agreed to rent the property and for Annabelle to sub-let.

Soon after, she found the property of her dreams which surprisingly enough mirrored her accommodation at her residential service.

Consultation with the letting agent enables CareTech to take on the lease, who then sublet to Annabelle. There was a shortfall in rent which Mum agreed to pay. Agreements were made for this to be paid into Annabelle’s Care Management Service account.

After 18+ months, Annabelle eventually moved into her flat. Since living there, support hours have decreased. She now goes out on her own, has joined numerous clubs and groups, has represented the organisation at many venues. In essence, her confidence and skills have grown.

Her self realisiation of where support is required is a credit to her. When not being supported she knows who to contact and for what purpose. She is now more self directing and directs others.

A true success. We are

very proud of Annabelle’s

achievements.

12

Bescot Road was a large CareTech owned property in Walsall.

We worked with Walsall Council and agreed a model to convert Bescot Road into a Supported Living service for people with complex and challenging needs.

A model was put forward which included four en-suite bedrooms on the ground fl oor with large communal kitchen, dining room and lounge and three fl ats on the fi rst fl oor with a communal lounge.

After a major redevelopment project the service re-opened this year. Due to the complex needs of the tenants a phased approach has been adopted.

With the support and diligence of the sta� team

the service users have developed independent living skills and enjoy the

local community.

Bescot Road

The majority of the tenants have transferred from residential services. Over the past few months with the support and diligence of the sta� team the service users have developed independent living skills and enjoy the local community.

NEW Developments

Nine Elms Lane

All the tenants love their fl ats and their families are delighted.

Nine Elms Lane located in Wolverhampton was a seven bed nursing residential service.

We invited the Commissioners at Wolverhampton County Council who were the host authority to visit the service and entered into a dialogue about how the service could be reconfi gured and what they needed as a local authority.

Wolverhampton County Council decided they would like a Supported Living Service consisting of four individual fl ats, sta� sleep in facilities

and a shared communal lounge area. They also wanted it to be a specialist Autism service.

After a major redevelopment project the service re-opened this year.

Two of the tenants had been living within a family setting but due to aging parents needed to start the journey of independent living. The other tenant was a young person who had been inappropriately placed in a residential setting. All the tenants love their fl ats and their families are delighted.

PAGE 12 PAGE 1301204_CT_Pathways PAGES 2014_AW.indd 12 03/12/2014 15:10

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We are excited to have a new Registered service recently opened in Prestwood, North Wales. Cwlach Road is a residential home situated in Llandudno Town overlooking the most spectacular views of Llandudno and the beach.

It is a three storey Victorian House, which has been converted into fi ve separate fl ats and a communal room. The home is registered for up to fi ve service users who can be male or female and the ages between 18–64 yrs. The category of service users that the house is registered for is Mental Health Problems and associated Learning Di� culties.

Cwlach Road

After the success achieved in winning the Dudley short breaks tender it is wonderful to announce that Coppice Lodge is fi nally complete.

Coppice Lodge is a large six bedded bungalow o� ering all the amenities required to o� er short breaks to young people with physical, learning and health needs.

The service is fully accessible and equipped to ensure that the young people are able to further develop their skills while having fun with their peers and sta� team.

The home has a large lounge, sensory room and toy room, providing the children with the opportunity to explore an array of toys and the latest sensory equipment, whilst also gaining new skills through participating with in-house activities and accessing the community.

This home will provide a much needed resource for the local authority, residents of the borough and will also support families within the surrounding authorities.

Since the completion of the building it has been visited by a number of people, including children and their families, commissioners, social workers, councillors and local residents.

It has been wonderful to see them and hear their praise as we tour the new home.

Walton Road, Woking - 4 person service with 24/7 sta� ng - opened in June - full.

EHSL has provided the following new accommodation for CareTech clients in 2014.

Hermitage Woods Crescent, Woking - 6 person service with 24/7 sta� ng - opened in July - full

Evergreen Way, Ashford - 4 person service with 24/7 sta� ng, brand new house - opened in November, likely to be full in early 2015.

Wanstead Park Road, Ilford - 3 person service with 24/7 sta� ng opened in September, two clients and one vacancy.

Tynley, Guildford - 5 person scheme which is likely to be opened in December.

We have also taken management of Nine Elms Lane, the new CareTech owned scheme.

Coppice Lodge

PAGE 12 PAGE 1301204_CT_Pathways PAGES 2014_AW.indd 13 03/12/2014 15:10

14

George is very close to his family, so he shared with us the great excitement of his elder sister’s engagement to her partner.

Stewart Wallace, Executive Director, retired from the Company on 27 September 2014, on reaching the age of 65. However, we are delighted that Stewart will continue to provide input to CareTech on an advisory basis.

Farouq Sheikh, Executive Chairman, said: “We are immensely grateful to Stewart for his key role in the development of CareTech’s services over the past 14 years. His background in social work and his commitment to the highest standards of care have been instrumental in creating our care pathways and in building the foundations for CareTech’s future growth. We wish Stewart well for his retirement and I am very pleased that he will remain available to the Company.”

A BIG THANK YOU TO STEWART

George is close to his sister Ellie and her partner Wayne. When he received his invitation, he was very excited that there was not only going to be party, but it was going to be in Cyprus, a hot place by the seaside.

It is easy to see when George approves or disapproves of a choice that he is offered. When he receives information positively he smiles, repeats key words and phrases and engages in conversation about the topic. When he is not interested in what is being offered he disengages and will usually just offer up a simple ‘no’. George’s family were very clear they wanted him to be at the party. In their opinion it could not be a family event if he was not there as he is so integral to the family unit.

However, they were equally aware that George’s attendance would present its own set of challenges. One of the reasons that George had moved to Morven House was that some of his behaviours had become increasingly difficult to manage at home. However, once he’d made the transition to his own flat, he’d quickly established a very good relationship with Jon Davis, the Home Manager at Morven. The family saw George’s negative behaviours diminish and he began achieving more and more positive outcomes.

Paula, George’s mother was so impressed and reassured by this relationship, sharing the sense of security and confidence that she now felt, she approached Jon to see if he would consider supporting George to his sister’s wedding. Jon immediately realised the importance of this family event and was keen to ensure that George was supported by the service to meet not only his needs but his dreams and wishes too. Plans were put in place to start preparing George for the trip to his sister’s wedding.

At every appropriate opportunity George was engaged in discussions about ‘Ellie and Wayne’s Wedding’, a holiday at the seaside, where it would be hot. Photographs and symbols were produced and included as part of George’s visual communication system, and he was encouraged to talk about the future trip. Staff have given George the opportunity to integrate visits to the airport into his Community Presence, which he has.

GEORGE BIRD A NEW HORIZON

OUR PEOPLE Send us your questions to: pathways@caretech-uk.com

15

JUST WALKING

The Ian Moore Foundation

How our new family member EQL Solutions is helping both our staff and our service users improve their work skills.

On a sunny, crisp but dry day in October I embarked on what was to be my first 10km walk in memory of a dear friend Ian Moore, who had recently passed away. I was inspired one day whilst having a coffee with friends to do something that would make a difference to the lives of young people and adults who are born with congenital heart disease. It was at that point I thought of The Somerville Foundation who are pioneers in leading the way in research into congenital heart disease. Every year they have a Royal Parks 10km Marathon, luckily for me they had run out of spaces when I applied, however, that did not stop me replicating this wonderful way of fundraising around the parks of Potters Bar, by walking!

So, at 10am on Sunday morning, my team and I were ready to start our 10km.

I realised a lot about Sunday mornings in Potters Bar – there is so much going on. We came across Rugby tournaments, Football matches and most of all for all you dog lovers, dog walking classes followed by competitions for the best dog!

The spirit of life is all around us and we should certainly live life to the full doing whatever makes us happy!

I would like to say a very, big thank you to all my family, friends, and colleagues at CareTech who made it possible for me to raise over £1,200 by just doing something I love – walking. All funds raised will be used to continue their work in supporting young people and adults who are born with a heart condition.

Surekha Garg HR Manager

www.justgiving.com/surekhag

ASPIRE TO BE MORE

It has been just over a year since EQL Solutions were welcomed into the CareTech family – and it has been a busy and eventful year since then. As you may already know, EQL provide work-based learning, creating clear pathways into work and helping young people and adults live independently in their communities; Our specialist team work closely together to build the skills of unemployed people and support employers’ recruitment needs.

The services we provide complement the support CareTech offers to young people transitioning to adult life, to individuals returning to an ordinary life after mental illness and to disabled people who wish to live independently. Much of the training we offer is delivered via apprenticeships to 16-24 year olds, giving them the training and support they need at the outset of their working lives.

These apprenticeships we offer also improve the skills and abilities of CareTech employees, giving you a better chance of progressing in your careers. The apprenticeships we now provide to both staff and services users will enhance and support many aspects of CareTech’s work and ultimately help to raise standards of service across the whole social care sector.

Our Aspire programme provides work-based, specially tailored programmes that award qualifications recognised by employers nationwide. An apprenticeship is one of the best ways for employees, like you, to develop a rewarding, long-term career in one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors. And all of you are eligible to apply.

What might you achieve from one of our programmes:

• Development of existing skills and building on that knowledge

• Opportunities for career progression

• Gaining robust, nationally recognised qualifications

• Building an excellent working knowledge of all areas that fall under the regulatory requirements of the CQC

• Strengthening of skills in maths and English

• Gaining greater confidence in current roles and in any future roles

If you are interested in finding out which path is right for you, ask your manager so that they can help you make the first step on a very exciting journey.

Gary Rimmer EQL Solutions

My husband Ian’s death was not only sudden, but the biggest shock of my life. Even though we were fully aware of his condition, Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy, and just how rare it is, I thought we would have a lifetime together. Through the darkness I found myself asking why we do not know more about extremely rare, genetic heart conditions, when this condition effects young, healthy men, be it not that many.

If you Google EDMD, you will find very little information, which we have found is incorrect. Research is limited, unless you have an endless pot of money. So, with the help of the amazing cardiologists at St. Bart’s Hospital in London, where Ian was cared for, we are working together to try and find more answers, more support for newly diagnosed patients, and support for their families, through the different

stages of the condition. The fact is, there is no cure, and many sufferers live happy, healthy lives, but they can be cut short, as I well know. But if we can help just one person, sufferer or loved one through the dark times or with just someone to talk to, then we have done what we are setting out to achieve.

We are still in the very early days of a very long journey, but we will get there, for Ian and hopefully The Ian Moore Foundation. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated, and to Surekha for doing something that is totally outside of her comfort zone, she is simply inspirational. The support I have received from my One Step and CareTech friends has been amazing, if only I could name you all individually; I will always be truly grateful.

Jenny MooreHousing / Business Manager

16

I have been working for CareTech for six years. The most interesting part of my job is every day is different and every difference is valued.

My most important role is to support people who want a service from CareTech Community Services, communicate to us their goals and aspirations and how, where and when they want to be supported to achieve them.

Many things stand in the way of achieving the skills and opportunities we crave and at one time or another we all need a little help.

Listening, not just with our ears but our eyes and hearts, looking for the things that are unsaid but communicated through touch, gesture, flicker of an eye, a smile or even a tear can help us identify the things in life which make a difference.

Whether a service user needs a television remote control with big buttons so they can use it independently, or a first trip abroad to a family wedding, my job is to ensure that we pay attention to the little things our people need.

Having a background in health and social care with 31 years’ experience helps me to recognise risks quickly and find ways to overcome or minimise issues that arise. This allows us to provide the service that enables change and development rather than dependency and reliance.

My role is to simply support the individuals who require services and then support the Operational teams to provide the support, making sure they have the right resources such as accommodation, experiences, training, and the funding they need.

My job involves me telling everybody what a good job we do, how we do it and how we can do it for them.

I promote the fantastic work we do at CareTech to individuals who require services, family members or carers, local authorities, health authorities, schools, colleges, professionals in local teams, voluntary organisations, carers associations and the list goes on.

I do this through the use of marketing material, making phone calls, attending meetings, training, conferences and exhibitions. Before I can do this, I listen to make sure what we are providing are what people want.

I care because seeing a service user join CareTech and becoming more independent makes my job worthwhile for me.

A DAY IN

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

THE LIFE OFMICHELLE BOXALL

SHOULD WE BE

SCAREDOF SAFEGUARDING? experience who visited alongside CQC, who were overly cautious and logged concerns that were unfounded and unfair. This caused significant levels of stress amongst both myself and my staff team at the time who became very cautious of such individuals visiting the service. We handled this however by being open, transparent and co-operative with all investigations and this has since proved to be beneficial for the reputation of the service. Experiences such as this have proved to enhance the marketing ability of the service creating an increased number of referrals into the home and increased confidence from professionals in our abilities.

A service manager within my locality when asked told me, ‘At my first safeguarding experience I vividly recall feeling very anxious, not knowing if I was completing the forms correctly and what professionals would think. Would they think I had no control or insight into my residents behaviours or triggers to behaviour etc?

However, through building reciprocal positive relationships with professionals they approach matters with common sense as to what constitutes a referral and what is merely an incident.

As a manager, I now find safeguarding a necessary and positive process that protects residents, staff and managers alike. As a result social workers now tell us that they prefer to place residents with us as we try very hard to safeguard individuals and are transparent in our support and communication’.

We shouldn’t be scared of safeguarding, we should use it as a tool to show that we care and that we offer support in a safe and consistent way. Safeguarding can be a way to enhance your relationships with external professionals and to ensure ongoing success of your service.

Christina Yewdell Locality Manager

CAREWHY I

Service managers are often scared of safeguarding but should they be? Safeguarding referrals have rocketed over the past 3-4 years with social workers being closely monitored alongside staff in the homes. Since Winterbourne there have been numerous investigations into care services, raising the public profile massively and not always on a positive note. Whilst we all know that safeguarding of those using our services is an essential part of our role this doesn’t distract from the stress and worry that this obsession with making referrals has caused.

Services within my locality have had varying experiences of safeguarding – largely though these have turned out to be positive and have helped the service in the long term.

I managed a service that was subject to a string of safeguarding referrals made by external professionals including experts by

17

THE LIFE OF

How to make an inspection go well.

The key to remember is that most inspectors want to know how good the service is.

Graham Lewis Director of Compliance and Regulatory Management

THEY WILL CONSIDER

• Is it safe

• Does it put people at the centre

• Do the staff know why they are

doing what they are doing

• What control do people have in

their own care and support

• Is it flexible and have resources

to meet the needs of those

living in the service

WAYS YOU CAN HELP THISThe inspector is a visitor in their home and where possible explain why the inspector is there to the people living or using the service.

DO NOT AVOID THE INSPECTOR

It is important that you talk with the inspector and they see you interact with people living in the service. Remember evidence can be provided in different ways, written evidence is not the only way of proving compliance and good practices – inspectors will observe interaction, talk with people using and working in the service, also relatives and professionals.

LET THE INSPECTOR KNOW OF THE SUCCESSES

Particularly where there has been a positive outcome, through activities, personal achievement, health improvement or satisfactory outcome to resolving a concern or complaint. Interact well between yourselves and the people using the service

• Show respect

• Show dignity

• Show kindness

• Have fun

BE READY TO SHOW HOW YOU QUALITY ASSURE YOUR SERVICE

How do you seek people’s views, listen to them, particularly where verbal communication may not be the persons communication method.

SELL YOUR SERVICE

Be honest but make sure you tell the inspector of the good work your team has done to improve the lives of the people using the service.

DON’T LOCK DOCUMENTS AWAY

Which might be needed at an inspection, you trust the senior on duty with the lives of the people you support you should trust them with paperwork

ENSURE THERE IS A SYSTEM IN PLACE TO ENABLE ACCESS TO RECORDS REQUESTED BY AN INSPECTOR AND STAFF ARE AWARE OF THIS.

The site visit is part of a review – other information can be submitted or shared immediately or soon after to inclusion in the review – get agreement before the inspector leaves the service of what will be forwarded on.

WHAT AN INSPECTOR IS LIKELY TO DO AT AN INSPECTION• Arrive unannounced

• Case track an admission

• Case track others (potentially any notifications/safeguards made to see action taken has occurred and support to individuals and staff team implemented, support plans and risk assessments updated for example)

• Talk and observe staff and people in the home to check out their involvement and understanding.

• Tour of premises

• Track staff records and training – this can often link to staff they have spoken with that day or linked to case file they track (i.e. keyworker, involved in incident resulting in notification/safeguard)

• Spot check records

• SOFI (Adults England and other regulators) – Short Observational Framework Inspection – observe positive and negative staff interaction with people using the service – do your staff understand what this is?

• Take contact details of relatives and professionals to make contact with them regarding the service

AND FINALLY…

• Keep communication with the inspector going after the site visit.

• Take notes, ask for feedback and forward any additional information you think could strengthen a positive outcome, even if the inspector does not specifically request it.

www.caretech-uk.com/ compliance.regulation

compliance.regulation @caretech-uk.com

18

There are a variety of reasons that can lead to children coming into our care. Just like there is no such thing as a typical foster carer there is also no such thing as a typical foster child.

Children may come into care because there is too much of a risk for them to stay at home. Factors such as abuse; physical, emotional, mental or sexual can play a part as can drug or alcohol abuse by parents and physical or emotional neglect.

Persistent offending can also result in children being taken in to care, usually due to a lack of support at home. For whatever reason children who come into care, it is never solely a result of their own actions. Poor parenting almost always plays a large part. As a foster carer you need to realise that many parents of children in care are a product of poor parenting themselves. Fostering is not about blame, stigma or sympathy it is simply about making a positive difference to the lives of the children in care.

The role of foster carers is a unique and challenging one. They look after some of our most vulnerable children, 24 hours a day, and it is essential that they are properly supported and monitored. Our foster carers are supervised by qualified supervising social workers, who provide the support and guidance to carers and monitor the children they have in placement ensuring that they are safeguarded at all times.

Foster care brings risks for all involved and so safeguarding children is fundamental for any local authority and independent fostering provider like CareTech and their foster carers. Organisational policies and procedures need to be clear and up-to-date. Individual and family policies and

procedures need to be practical and relevant for every placement. Our foster carers attend training on a regular basis and some of the courses covered are; safeguarding, safe caring, health and safety, first aid and managing children with challenging behaviour. Training is linked to the Seven Training and Development Standards for foster carers originally set by Children’s Workforce Development Council and now governed by the Department of Education, which oversees all services to do with children.

The fostering sector is regulated by a number of acts and fostering regulations, as well as statutory guidance. They provide the legal and statutory framework for our organisation and its activities. CareTech Fostering Division ensures that all legislation, statutory guidance as well as best practice guidelines are adhered to, taking care to implement these into all aspects of our policies, procedures and practices. To ensure all our children are safeguarded.

The main fostering regulations you will come across in the United Kingdom can be found at:http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/581/made

Our English agencies – Outlook Fostering, FSG and Park Foster Care are inspected by Ofsted and TLC Wales by Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales.

Fostering is a very challenging but rewarding career for foster carers especially when they see the difference they make to a child’s life.

Caroline Ellis Operations Director for Children and Young People Services

Our responsibility is to ensure that every child and young person Looked After is kept safe at all times.

CareTech Fostering Division

Safeguarding Children & Young People

There are four Fostering Agencies that make up CareTech Fostering Division. The division supports 240 carers who look after over 250 children on behalf of our customers, the local authorities.

21Retired after

years of service

19

Angela explained to us that fostering has changed over the years. Within the organisation she has seen a variety of changes including staff, company name, laws and regulations.

Angela said that at the start of her fostering career, fostering was more light-hearted and there was more time to interact with the child. As the years have moved on, fostering has changed to become more of a profession, with more paperwork. She managed to find her own strategy to cope with this. Angela said some children present more challenging behaviour and at times carers may feel tired, frustrated and degraded. Despite this she was able to cope with it and follow procedure.

Angela says she could not fault FSG for the support she has received over the years. She recognised that an agency cannot reach out to all the carers fully at any given time,

Angela said she was always aware that they were there for support.

The agency training was efficient and vital to help carers to do their job. Angela gave credit to FSG for doing a good job with the training. Angela preferred the training sessions at the agency to the home studies.

The Support Group Meetings (SGM) have been a good place to meet with other carers and are light hearted. At the SGM’s there is a chance for carers to share your views and support each other as well as the children in your care. The SGM’s are more formal now as Angela recalls them being held in each of the foster carers homes, with the carers cooking and sharing food.

We wish Angela all the best with her retirement.

Angela’s highlights of 21 years of fostering• The events were really nice. People enjoyed dressing up and looking forward to attend-

especially the London carers. On occasion we stayed in a hotel. It was a family atmosphere.

• Throughout her years as a foster carer, the main highlight was seeing the young people’s achievements Some of them went onto university. It is really nice as the young people do keep in touch – some have even come back to say sorry for things, a really moving experience for Angela.

Angela who has been fostering for FSG has decided to retire after 21 years of service. We went to visit Angela to discover what her next steps are going to be.

Before joining FSG, Angela was a foster carer for the Borough of Lambeth where she remained for 6 years until moving abroad.

On her return, Angela considered fostering again and found out about FSG through a friend. Angela also saw one of our adverts in the local newspaper and decided to apply.

Angela Gordon

• Be a good listener• Have empathy• Demonstrate unconditional love• Demonstrate patience• Demonstrate forgiveness

ANGELA’S TOP TIPS!ANGELA’S PLAN FOR THE FUTUREAngela is venturing into a new family business letting holiday cottages in sunny Jamaica. She is off to Jamaica to scout around for the family business.

20

Adult services – One team, one approach

SET

Julian Spurling

FOR GROWTH

SERVICESOUR

We now have four operating regions across the country:

North – A new Operations Director is being recruited to take responsibility for the two localities in the North West/North Wales and Yorkshire working with Deana Whittle and Dave Johnson respectively.

Midlands – Desley Beaman takes on the new role of Operations Director for this newly formed region consisting of our services in Stoke, Stafford, the East Midlands, the Greater Birmingham area and Gloucestershire. Desley is supported by three Locality/Area Managers in Christina Yewdell, Chelsi Mahlangu and Nick Secker.

South, Residential – Keith Yarnley is Operations Director, with responsibility for the seven residential localities we have across the South of England encompassing what were the Central and South regions.

South, Community Living – Sean King, who joined us in September, heads up a newly formed business unit with responsibility for all our supported living and day care services in the South of England. Sean’s immediate focus is to bring greater clarity and consistency to our offering in this important growth area.

Our regions are suppported by:

Regional Business Development teams – In the North & Midlands regions, Natalie Kennedy is Relationships & Partnerships Manager and works closely with Regional Referrals & Assessment Managers – Joanne Boulton in Yorkshire and Carina Williams in North Wales and the North West. In the South, Kevin Rusbridge is Relationships & Partnerships Manager working with Michelle Boxall and Gail Huggins, the two Referrals & Assessment Managers.

Financial Control – Dominic Van Der Veen is Financial Controller for the South. Steve Carpenter is Financial Controller for the North and Marc Harding is for the Midlands. All three work with Andy Lee, who is Commercial Director

HR and Recruitment – In the North & Midlands, Lorraine Greaves and her team support operational teams on HR matters and Sam Aslam on recruitment. In the South, Stephen Connor and Surekha Garg provide support across residential and community living services.

Quality team – Led by Victoria O’Meara. Three regionally based Service Improvement Managers Julie Quigley, Nicky Williams, and Theresa Ricketts work closely with the operational teams to drive continuous improvement. Specialist Psychology support is provided by Genevieve Singabrayen and the newest addition to the team is Jon Davis, an Autism Behavioural specialist.

Over the last few months our new Adult services structure has taken shape, with two objectives: 1. To bring greater consistency to how we support front line staff in providing excellent support and

care to every individual and;2. To enable us to explore the many growth opportunities that exist in our markets.

These are exciting times for community mental health services, and CareTech services are in a strong position to take advantage of the changes that are currently occurring. We are finally beginning to see some results from the change to Clinical Commissioning Group commissioning last year.

Whilst some of this brings new pressures to bear, such as increased pressure on fee levels, and higher expectation around outcomes, our capacity to provide step down pathways is a major competitive advantage. In the coming year, we have ambitious plans to increase both our capacity and range of services across England and Wales. Linking higher acuity residential services with community based supported living options, to deliver unique regional recovery networks is our ultimate goal.

It has to be said that these recovery pathways are not abstract ambitions. For our service users, the potential to flourish with an appropriate level of support, whilst living in safe, homely facilities, well embedded in local communities is very real.

To deliver on this promise, we of course rely on staff to show a level of professionalism and commitment which is the envy of other providers in the sector. I have every confidence that over the coming year we will be able to build on this solid foundation to provide more people with Mental Health problems to benefit from the support we can offer.

MICK DAVIESNational Operations Manager, Mental Health and Complex Care

21

SERVICES

Making a commitment to qualityHundreds of employers have already signed up to the Social Care Commitment designed to help improve the quality of care and support in our communities.

Nigel TaylorLearning & Development

Employers and their workers sign up to seven statements created in consultation with the sector, helping them to think about the values underpinning their services, backed by a range of easy to use online resources to help embed the commitment into organisations

CareTech deliver 250 services across England and they were one of the first employers to sign up.

We have been very supportive of sector initiatives and we felt it was important to get on board. If we are looking at defining quality that can be subjective, but our view is the commitment gives all employers some statements we could all sign up to and commit to.

We secured the support of the CareTech board of directors before taking the first steps to embedding the statements in a national organisation with many sites.

We took the whole of our support team, people involved in recruitment, our HR and training divisions out for two days to look at what was in place already, did it work and what we needed to do to make them fit the Social Care Commitment.

One of the strengths of the commitment is it has been developed with busy employers in mind so the implementation process is designed to be easy.

There is some crossover in the statements, but there are key values embedded through like dignity and safeguarding, I think it’s

great the sector has signed up to it and the numbers are looking good. It is very simple in how it is presented, a logical sequence and easy to understand language.

CareTech believe in quality services so we have systems in place to do that and check it so the commitment galvanises out systems to meet a clear set of statements. People who are joining us can instantly recognise what sort of organisation we are.

It’s in everyone’s interest that adult social care continues to become more professionalised so we can reduce our waste by recruiting the right people that will help create a consistency in the workforce and continuity of care.

You know those times when your staff team just don’t seem like they want to learn? When the people using your services just won’t ‘play ball’? When the strategies you have in place aren’t working? If only everyone would just behave the way they’re supposed to… We’ve all been there. So, where to next?

Jon DavisBehavioural Specialist

My name is Jon Davis and I have recently been appointed as the Behaviour Specialist for CareTech. I am part of the Quality & Assurance team and I work with Victoria O’Meara.

As you know, we are proud to promote that we’re all about person centred, quality services, that meet the needs of the people who use our services. High ideals that we have to attain – but ones that I believe with a passion we can do, and do well.

My remit is to make sure that we are providing appropriate, good quality support for people who use CareTech services. For that to happen, sometimes services need a bit of help and/or direction, and that’s where I step in!

I have been working in the field of Social Care for the last 24 years, providing support to People with Learning Disabilities and Autism within Residential/Supported Living and in an Education context.

I have more than 5 years experience in educating children with special needs and assessing their individual needs using different methods - Applied Behavioural Chart and TEACCH, Small Steps as well as day to day interaction, observation of behaviour, fine and gross motor skills and liaison with specialists such as Speech and Language Therapists. I was a key member of the team at a School for Autistic children that devised each pupil’s Individual Plan, a vital part of their ongoing assessment. I was the manager at Morven House for 2 years.

Morven is a Supported Living Transition Service for people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) diagnosis. I was keen to apply for the position of manager there as it would enable me to combine my experience from both the Education and Social Care sectors, merging the two together, providing an essential early phase of a lifelong development plan, providing service users with the opportunity to develop their life skills, enabling them to become as independent as possible, in order that they can move on to other CareTech Supported Living Establishments, and integrate successfully.

I have managed large services and know what it feels like to be stressed and have challenges come flying from all corners. I would like people to feel that they can come and talk to me and get the support they feel they need. I really believe in the use of positive reinforcement with colleagues, staff and service users alike!

Part of my role as a Behaviour Specialist is to go into services and provide support where I can. This can include identifying and interpreting behaviours, supporting staff with methods of working as well as the more mundane but essential tasks such as guiding them to write meaningful, effective support plans and behaviour management guidelines, that become essential tools in great work of supporting vulnerable children and adults, that we have the priviledge of undertaking.

22

ROYAL

VISIT

OUT & ABOUT

David Slater recently went on a trip to Buckingham Palace and had special

permission to also visit the Horse Guards stables. David Slater was very impressed to meet the soldiers and see the horses.

David Slater wrote to the Queen to thank her for this special treat and was very pleased to receive a reply

from Buckingham Palace!

MacmillanHawthorns House

Fundraiser atWe held a Macmillan Fundraiser at the West Bromwich office, where we had drinks, a buffet, lots of cake, and nail painting. The team here at Hawthorns House really pulled together to get the training room decorated with green balloons for Macmillan and bunting and we were all aware the whole day of why we were doing this, raising funds for a much needed cause. The day was brilliant and everybody involved had such a lovely time. Visitors came from CareTech services, both staff and service users, staff from the office here and staff from other companies within Hawthorns House. The training room became filled with the tempting smells of delicious cakes and it was found to be very difficult to

resist by those currently on diets. The service users loved getting involved and were more than happy to help draw tickets for the raffle, they were even more thrilled when their tickets were coming out and they got to pick their prizes. The raffle prizes were all donated from various members of CareTech staff and even family members were getting involved. The sweepstake, guess the number of coffee beans in the jar, was revealed the next day and the winner was Nichola Wem from our HR Dept. We raised £510 in total, £140 of this was via Just Giving by those that couldn’t be here on the day.

OUT & ABOUT

23

OUT & ABOUT

EVENTS AT

MARTELLOAt the Martello we are always keen in supporting and joining in events in our community. We currently work with a local school Highview, offering their students work experience at the centre working in the kitchen and at our weekly Disco, which is very successful and we have a waiting list of students wishing to join in

To promote communication we organised a “learn to finger spell day”, where we used makaton, which is a form of sign language, alongside verbally communicating to increase peoples skills with communicating.

This month we are working with local schools Foxwood and Highview in a craft fair, held at the Martello. We have stalls to sell hand made crafts that were made in our sessions as well as the students from the schools contribution of hand made Christmas crafts.

We have also participated as a centre in “Wallace & Gromits” Big Bake where we had fun making cakes in a “generation game” style, where participants sponsored to sell the cakes that are made. This was in aid of children in hospitals and hospices.

CLIMBING towards health at

GREENFIELDS

Greenfields School delivers education to students aged 11–18 who are in care in private houses in England and Wales. Most of these students are considered vulnerable and ‘at risk’ young people with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties.

As the majority of our students have had disrupted education history, with most having been previously permanently excluded, and present with a wide range of complex additional learning needs, we work on building their confidence, social skills, communication and listening skills, and helping them to get accredited with various qualifications.

As an example of our effectiveness, one of our students, Bob* has autism and attachment difficulties, along with learning, behaviour and emotional difficulties.

Bob enjoys an active, energetic and physical approach to learning, such as taking part in indoor climbing sessions every week.

Bob has since been having the time of his life, as he now says feels good and fit, and has developed a very good relationship with the instructors. He feels very comfortable with them and enjoys their company because he sees they are helpful to him and the rest of the group, and are very supportive of his needs.

He confessed that he was not sure whether he would like the challenge in the beginning because of the environment, and the fact that it was an external agency taking them for the sessions – he was not sure how to communicate with them and build a relationship with them at first.

Bob is happy with the discipline and the expectations during the climbing sessions and is grateful for the opportunity to increase his skills. He is looking forward to continuing with the rest of the challenges during the outdoor activity sessions.

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the service user.

WORKINGLEARNING GROWING

LAUGHING

TOGETHER

24

Staff Benefits Scheme

CareTech offer a comprehensive online benefits programme for you to access offers and discounts throughout the year, featuring categories including travel and attractions, health & wellbeing, fashion & gifts, utilities & motoring and home & entertainment. 

With a wide range of discounts, online vouchers, high street savings and cashback offers, there’s something for everyone.

caretech.myadv.co.uk

Benefits

for you

and finally...

CareTech also offer an Employee Assistance Programme.  Available to contact as many times as necessary the service can provide information, resources and counselling on a range of issues including:

– Emotional/personal – Stress, anxiety, depression, bereavement

– Financial – Debt management and budgetary advice

– Legal – Legal information on such issues as writing wills, buying

property, landlord/tenant disputes

– Marital/Family – Divorce, child and adult care support, separation

and family conflicts

– Tax – All aspects of UK tax

– Work and Management – Work relationships, work stress, career

issues, harassment, work-life balance

– Health – Symptom checker and health information

Manager Assist

Manager Assist provides managers with access to support and resources specifically designed to help them cope with the stresses and challenges unique to their role.

Employee Assistance Programme

Awards 2015The Independent Specialist Care Awards celebrates outstanding innovators and performers in the UK specialist care sector. It’s an excellent opportunity to shine a light on the good work and innovative thinking that has driven the independent sector to its position today; the dominant provider of specialist care in the UK.LaingBuisson, who organise these awards is a well respected provider of information and market intelligence on the independent health, community care and childcare sectors. They also organise the Independent Healthcare awards and together they form the most highly regarded accolades available in the UK health and care sectors.http://www.laingbuisson.co.uk/Events/IndependentSpecialistCareAwards/Winners.aspx -

National Learning Disabilities AwardsChampioned by BILD and for the Learning Disabilities sectorhttp://www.nationalldawards.co.uk/

The Great British Care AwardsThis has a strong regional focus, feeding into National Awards ceremony. Covers mostly Older People Care but also Specialist Care, as proven by Lyndhurst’s success.www.care-awards.co.uk/

The CareTech AwardsOur very own awards for the outstanding stars in our CareTech family.

The Wales Care Awards Nominations to be in by end March 2015 and the ceremony will be early November 2015

The Rumble Awards Foster Carer Awards

LOOK OUT FOR UPCOMING

Please get your nominations and applications in for the key awards for 2015 - and lets get recognition for all of our CareTech stars.

Here are some of the details - and watch out for nomination dates in the next issue.

And don’t forget our very own CareTech Awards - see page 2 for details.

AWARDS 2015

H E J G S Q V J K RU E O S S K I U R RN V Y T E T Y B L OW I D N N O L I Y QT T S E I G I L T FG S T S P E M A R QJ E A E P T A T A KS F R R A H F I P OZ O S P H E Y O D NV L S H A R I N G Z

Bake off

25

We would love you all to take part and contribute to your community - both with cakes and with charity.

We will be asking everyone around CareTech to bake their very best cakes and organise your tea parties, coffee mornings and cake sales, to bring everyone together in true CareTech style.

And please nominate your own local charity - so we are giving back to our communities twice over.

And CareTech will match the contribution of the highest amount raised.

We will want to see lots of pictures of your sweet treats and details of what you have raised - there will be prizes!

…and don’t forget to send us in your toprecipes

Full details will be sent out in the New Year - so keep your eyes out and start planning your cupcake favourites now.

Keep Baking!

We are excited to be launching our very own Bake-Off week in the Spring.

We need your input

Pathways is your magazine. We love to

hear all of your news and successes,

so please keep sending in your stories,

articles and top tips to:

pathways@caretech-uk.com

Thank You!

Tell us what you thinkService User Competition £50 Prize

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Celebrate The Hall of Fame

LET'S

OUR STARS

REGIONAL FINALIST2014

Celebrating Excellence Across The Social Care Sector

A Winning Year

Celebrating

in care21 years

Margaret Goodwin • Margaret Hawtin • Maria Fogarty • Maria Nemeth Marian Browne • Marie Grogan • Marinet Villavarasingam • Mark Appleton

Martin Sumerton • Mary Tromans • Mathew Sisley Matthew Penfold • Maudlyn Chambers Meena Sanghani • Megreen Mawere • Melanie Sehdev • Melissa Lignum

Mercy Tweneboa - Kodua • Michelle Bennett • Michelle Hill • Miguel Harvey • Miriam Collins

Monica Nelson-alleyne • Monica Thompsett • Naila Akbar • Natalie Googe

Neil Parker • Nesta Jones • Nicola WilliamsOlwen Calland • Parvin Aryanpour • Patricia Young • Paul Speakman Pauline Broadfield • Penelope King • Peter Sweeney • Rachel Bentley Raymond James • Ritchie Skinner • Robert Freer Robert Roberts • Rose Quawson • Rosemarie Flaherty Sally Nicholls • Salma Dirieh • Samantha Gould Samer Abdu • Sara Quaife • Sarah Edwards • Sarah Hall • Sharon Beardsmore Sharron Roscoe • Shelia Masters • Shelley Nash • Shirleen Bishop Simon Alcock • Simon Clarke • Siobhann Kelly • Sophia JohnsonStephen Wadham • Stuart Vesty • Susan Bradbourne • Susan Evans

Susan Hawkins • Susan Sandbrook • Susan Sutton Susan Wilkins • Tammy Woollaston • Terence Wright Teresa Tregurtha • Trish Boulden • Vera Kessie • Vicky Larham Warlito Naval • Yavuz Hakan • Yvonne Green • Zoe Lincoln

A big thank you to all our longstanding employees

CareTech Community Services Metropolitan House 3 Darkes Lane

Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG 01707 601 800

Extraordinary days every day

Pathways

EARSS

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Celebrating

in care21 years