Blossom HCG ethos is to treat each person as an individual, working with the specific needs with which they present and treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves.

Our staff work within the framework of Positive Behaviour Support, which encompasses strategies and methods that aim to assist a person to reduce challenging behaviour and increase their quality of life through teaching new skills and adjusting the environment to promote positive behaviour change.

Person Centred Planning

Our individual care plans provide a structure within which to address individual needs, choices and aspirations, emphasising individual involvement and inclusion. Emphasis is placed on supporting individuals to develop their social and interpersonal skills and on empowering them to take as much control over their own lives as possible.

Individual care plans are developed by staff in consultation with each individual, their relatives, key workers, advocates, local specialist teams and/or care managers. These plans are regularly reviewed, evaluated and amended as the individual’s needs dictate. Formal reviews are held within a multi-disciplinary context four to six weeks after the start of an individual care package and every six to twelve months thereafter. All decisions and plans are recorded in consultation with those present at the reviews and are implemented accordingly.

Supporting People To Communicate

Working with each individual to support their communication is essential in enhancing their quality of life and decreasing incidents of challenging behaviour. All of the individuals for whom we care for have very different communication needs and these are therefore met in a number of different ways dependent on need.

People may use speech, Makaton, PECs symbols, photographs, iPods and other electrical devices, objects of reference etc. Staff are aware of the importance of communication breakdown as a trigger to challenging behaviour as well as the importance of positive communication skills when working with individuals at times when they are distressed in order to help a situation calm. Speech and language therapy input is sought from the local community teams where this is thought to be helpful.

Providing Fun And Varied Activities

Each individual has a Weekly Schedule that is based on their likes, dislikes and perceived preferences. The aim is to encourage personal development and build self-esteem by enabling individuals to participate in a range of activities and to acquire appropriate problem-solving, practical, social and life skills.

Getting out and about in the community and engaging in community life is as important to us as it is to the individuals we support. For many of them regular physical activity is a crucial part of their everyday lives. Within the community individuals are encouraged to engage in social activities, hobbies and leisure interests in line with their level of ability.

Support is offered in line with assessed need and staff therefore work with the individual to enable them to achieve as much independence as possible by understanding when support is required and when to “stand back” and allow growth. Risk assessments are conducted based on an enabling model, the focus being to allow individual opportunities to take appropriate risks that will promote their independence, but at the same time assessing the appropriate degree of support required so that risks are minimised. The Service Manager and key workers have specific responsibility for ensuring that agreed programmes are implemented effectively.

Working Towards Independence

We work with individuals to enable them to achieve as much independence as possible, acknowledging their existing skills, strengths and abilities and supporting them to develop these.

It is recognised that many individuals we support are young adults and require a lot of support and prompting to attend to their personal care and to develop skills of independent living. We use the Pathways to Independence tool to establish a baseline of their independent living skills, which enables us to track the progress of the people we care for over time. Risk assessments are conducted based on an enabling model, the focus being to allow the individual opportunities to take appropriate risks that will promote their independence, but at the same time assessing the appropriate degree of support required so that risks are minimised.

Keeping People Safe

Blossom Home Care Group is committed to ensuring that all of the individuals we support live their lives with privacy, dignity, independence and choice and free from abuse or fear of aggression and violence.

Blossom HCG will work in collaboration with all legal and caring agencies to uphold this right and to ensure individuals are protected from harm through abuse or exploitation at all times.