Case Studies
Case Studies following the 'Every Child Matters' 5 Outcomes
Enjoy and Acheive
'A' first arrived at a Hillcrest home when he was fifteen years old. He had been in a foster placement prior to moving to the home. He was encouraged to attend full time education, to this end he was enrolled at the local Further Education College. With staff support he settled in well at college. His attendance was very good; staff helped him with any homework that he brought in. They showed him how to join the local library & how to use the library system. Staff attended all open days & parents evenings held at the college.
At the end of the school year he was encouraged to stay in education. Staff helped him choose a course from the college prospectus. Staff accompanied him to the interview to provide support. Once accepted on his chosen course 'A' was helped to purchase all necessary equipment.
Throughout the year 'A' was supported both financially & with staff interest to engage in his interests & hobbies.
Once 'A' left college staff helped him to seek employment, helping him to fill in application forms & attend interviews. He got a job & embarked on his fully independent life. 'A' kept in contact with the staff via telephone calls & occasional visits. We still hear from him now four years later, he is doing very well.
Being Healthy
‘M’ enjoys an extremely wide range of healthy foods that correspond to his healthy eating plan. He helps jointly plan and prepare some of the meals as part of his education plan. ‘M’ is very enthusiastic about his whole involvement in this process. His meals are very well balanced and include fresh fruit and vegetables. There is a choice of food ‘M's likes dislikes and allergies are both considered and catered for when planning menu’s. ‘M’ has access to snacks and drinks between meals and at supper time. ‘M’ always eats meals with the whole group in the dining room, with staff.
‘Ms’ experience of meal times is described as being positive and sociable. Special dates, such as birthdays are celebrated with ‘M’ choosing whether to have a special meal in the home or go out with friends. ‘M’ is encouraged by staff to try a comprehensive range of foods, including dishes from other countries and cultures. ‘M’ stated to Ofsted that the food at the home is excellent.
‘M’s health care plan was written after consultation with specialists, general practitioner and the Looked After Children nurse. His plan includes physical, emotional and mental health. His records are very thorough and easy to access, with records of medical history, immunisations and medication needs. In addition, ‘M’ has a ‘health plan at a glance’ document that highlights the main issues, such as allergies, special needs and medication needs and medication arrangements.
‘Ms’ care plan includes a section on the ‘being healthy’ outcome and has clear aims, including personal hygiene, exercise and healthy eating plans. Details of how targets will be met, including checklists, are extremely useful to assess the success of the plan. There is very good evidence of young ‘M’ having improved in health, confidence and fitness since being placed at the home.
Make a positive contribution
‘J’ is a young lady with moderate learning disabilities. She came to live at Hillcrest Southbourne two and a half years ago at the age of 16yrs, requiring 2:1 staff support at all times due to her volatile and challenging behaviour.
For the first 18 months, much work was done in implementing boundaries, structure & routines in order to help manage ‘J's behaviour, which at times could be extremely physically challenging and verbally abusive. ‘J’ did not have any independence skills and needed prompting and support for all aspects of her daily routine such as personal hygiene, diet, domestic tasks, finances & family contact.
In the past twelve months Southbourne have introduced an independent living training programme, including an assessment tool, which is carried out on a monthly basis to identify all aspects of ‘J’s life where she needs support. Each month new targets are set for ‘J’ to work on.
‘J’s local authority have been so impressed with her progress that they have asked Southbourne to provide an outreach service to ‘J’ for the first few months of her new placement and to train ‘J’s new carers in using the independent living training programme.
Achieve economic well-being
Between the ages of 11 and 13 'X' had 14 respite, foster and residential placements and they all broke down very quickly as his behaviour and attitude deteriorated significantly. 'X' would accept no boundaries and was in danger of being placed in secure accommodation.
'X' stayed at Pentwyn until he finished his compulsory education. He gained a range of certification from Entry Level Qualifications to GCSE’S in several subject areas.
These qualifications gave 'X' the opportunity to go to college if he so wished. He chose instead to live and do part-time work with a relative.
'X' is still working part-time in order to help him pay and semi-support himself through life. He still has the option and qualifications to continue with education if he decides to.
Staying Safe
'F' lived with a series of foster carers (he had been fostered separately from his younger brothers) and had also lived in two residential homes from the age of six.
'F' functioned on quite basic levels and needed huge amounts of guidance, support and direction. He would regularly not keep himself clean unless directed to do so and had poor personal hygiene habits. 'F' would not eat properly if left to his own devices. He was easily led by peers and had very poor social skills.
'F' also became increasingly involved in incidents that have at times required police involvement. These included incidents for petty crime, threatening behaviour and a number of instances of serious inappropriate behaviours putting himself at significant risk.
He initially needed huge amounts of support and direction and functioned best when he had clear and consistent boundaries set by adults he trusted.
After a long period of hard work, staff were able to support 'F' in developing his self-help and self-care skills and he was better able to make decisions that affected his life.
'F' began an individual program designed to develop his independent living, 'F' began a long term work experience placement on site where with support he did very well indeed. This work experience placement was integrated with a ‘leaving Pentwyn' package that gradually re-integrated him in to many aspects of his home environment.
'F' was eventually placed in independent supported living in his home region at age 17 and attended a local project based work placement. 'F' has been able to keep himself safe, out of trouble with the police and has been increasingly supporting himself.
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