LSC

Transition House

Investment for Change Funding

Project Name: Transition: The final year
Project Start Date: 01/09/07
Project End Date: 31/03/08

Project Description: The project will provide a realistic transition year for 10 learners from years three and four, to experience living within the local community. It will allow the students the opportunity to develop autonomy and control their own lives through independent living skills in a real life setting. The skill sets that the project will develop are based on the five key outcomes of Every Child Matters and will prepare the students for future life long participation in society.

The project will:

  • Identify learners who meet the appropriate criteria for a place within the project
  • Undertake a multi-professional analysis of learner requirements to ensure any accommodation adjustments are identified and made before the learners take up residency
  • Complete a skill set analysis for each learner to clearly identify the actual support required
  • Develop a portfolio of individual need; care requirements and strategies for problem solving for transition to next choice of accommodation.

Strategic management of the project will be through a steering group comprising representatives of stakeholders, including a WEC Governor, Head of College, Learners, Parents, funding bodies. A transition care/project manager will mange the staff team and report to the Head of College and Head of Learner Services.

Project Aims: The project will deliver:

  • A realistic transition year for 10 learners to experience living within the local community. Two properties have been identified.
  • Develop of autonomy, and control of their own live through independent living skills in a real life setting; concentration on skill sets rather than accreditation
  • The basis for leaving formal education setting prepared for economic well being and making a positive contribution
  • Clear identification of level of actual support required for each learner
  • Cost effective and value for money; life long future participation in society
  • Learners developing and managing their problem solving skills eg. Residents association, tenancy agreements
  • Opportunities to realign the third year of funding into a transition into the community to ensure a cost effective provision

Contribution to LSC objectives & priorities:

National and regional priorities recognise the need to prepare learners for wider social and community engagement. This project looks at innovative ways to adapt provision for students who are approaching the end of their formal education.

Linking to objectives in the South West Regional LLDD Strategy the project will support individuals to develop their self confidence, provide them with the necessary skills to live as independently as possible and prepare them for participation in society and their local community.

Key milestones:
End Nov 07 -

  • Premises secured and required adaptations completed(copy of lease agreement available for audit)
  • Appropriate staff in place (copy of job specifications available for audit)
  • Learners identified to participate in the project.
  • Individual support plans in place and available for audit.

End Dec 07 -

  • Learners move in
  • Termly progress report produced and copied to the LSC

End Mar 08 - 
Forward Action plan completed and passed to LSC – The Forward Action plan will include the termly progress report and further milestones. There should be a commitment to evaluate the programme and report back to the LSC by 30/11/08.

Project Partners: Pocklington Trust, Sign Post

Contact Details: Dale Noyce
Head of College
West of England School and College for young people with little or no sight
Countess Wear, Exeter, EX2 6HA
Tel: 01392 454218
Email: dnoyce@westengland.ac.uk

 

Progress to date:

1 Overall progress to date

Learners have been actively involved in the development of the project to ensure the outcomes provide practical and cost effective solutions to challenges and grasp the opportunities the transition process provides.

  • After careful multi-professional evaluation a suitable house has been acquired and a second is in the pipeline. Three learners are now planning to move into the property in early February following a phased introduction during January.( Further information regarding accommodation is provided separately in this report)
  • Six learners have contributed to the development of a Transition Passport with their Key Tutor/Key Worker to self assess the skills required for living and working in the community and which will become part of their Person Centred Plan.
  • Work on the development of an appropriate curriculum has commenced. ( Further information regarding this work is provided separately in this report)
  • The focus on a learner led approach to service development with multi-professional support is giving impetus to the cultural change required among staff. There is a growing recognition that learning is more powerful when learner led and staff are excited about the project.
  • The learner led approach has highlighted the need to develop peer group support and maintaining a learner’s circle of friends.
  • Invitations have been given to all parents to become involved in the project and to join the Steering Group. In addition meetings have been held with parents to keep them informed of the progress to date, the challenges and how we are overcoming them.
  • A Steering Group meeting involving parents and learners along side other Stakeholders had originally been planned to be held in December but has been postponed to provide additional time to consult with learners and parents. It is now scheduled to be held early in January.

2 Curriculum & Learning Journey

Learners are actively involved in the formulation of relevant and practical, albeit challenging modules that best represent their needs, hopes and aspirations, currently in draft they are:-

  • Dependence, independence & interdependence
  • Interpersonal skills & relationships
  • Learning styles & preferences
  • Myself & my community
  • Myself, my needs and my health
  • Barriers, Risk Assessment & Planning and Risk Management
  • The role of the Peer Mentor
  • The role of the Volunteer in a Placement
  • Employment

It is considered crucial that the Learners be encouraged to ‘lead’ the development of the curriculum/ learning journey and as a result the terminology will develop as they progress through the modules. In order to facilitate this development and journey a range of initiatives have been taken:-

  • The use of a video diary room to capture their daily experiences and record their trials and triumphs as well as consider the learning experience.
  • To further enhance the experience, making it more ‘fun’ and practical, the development of paperless portfolios to provide an accessible and lasting record for the individual learner.
  • Maximising the use of technology, video, tape and annotated photographic evidence alongside traditional paper based evidence
  • Learners who are moving into the first scheduled transition house have benefited from moving into an ‘Independence House’ on site and this in turn allows for a phased reduction in levels of support prior to moving off site.

3 Accommodation

  • The search for suitable accommodation has involved a number of Housing Providers including: Devon & Cornwall H A, Spectrum H G, SeeAbility, Habinteg H A, Pocklington Trust, Devon C C, property search websites and twenty one estate and letting agents.
  • The list of those approached for help in sourcing accommodation reflects the difficulties experienced in this crucial aspect of the project. This included issues around renting (now resolved) occupancy and holiday times.
  • The criteria used for assessing the suitability of properties and their location is based upon a design checklist produced and provided by The Pocklington Trust who are supporting the project. To date a total of fourteen properties have been considered and none have been found to be suitable for use by learners who use a wheelchair. This issue is currently proving a barrier to three learners wishing to be part of the project.
  • Currently one property has been sourced and agreed upon with a second in the pipeline awaiting confirmation of the timescale for its availability.

4 Conclusions

To date despite delays in accessing accommodation great progress has been made in respect of:-

  • Curriculum planning
  • User led service development
  • Person Centred Planning
  • Assessing risk to support choice making
  • Multi-professional team working
  • Embracing the RICI principles
  • Reductions in hours and support levels for phase 1 learners
  • In terms of ‘value added’ the overall progress made has had a positive effect upon staff attitudes, the development of multidisciplinary working, self assessment and the increased motivation of both learners and staff.

In order to help resolve the problems associated with finding suitable accommodation agreement has been reached that the current agreed budget can be used to rent properties where one is found to be suitable.

In addition in order to react positively to the highlighted need to develop peer group support and the learners ‘circle of friends’ an agreement has been reached that allows were appropriate non LSC funded learners to become part of the project and this is very much appreciated by all concerned.