Brighter futures, better lives An introduction to our specialist support services www.avenuesgroup.org.uk Avenues - All in one brochure v4.indd 3 27/03/2018 10:16
We support people to enjoy brighter futures, and better lives. For us, this is all about them making their own choices. This might be everyday things like getting outdoors, doing the shopping, phoning their sister, getting a haircut or even just making a cup of tea. interests, aspirations and wellbeing. People s health conditions may improve with our support, but new challenges will appear, particularly as they age. It s also about more complicated stuff, like choosing where to live, or the development of friendships and intimate relationships. Avenues is committed to supporting people through all these ups and downs, and is experienced in providing life-long support to people; monitoring and developing services to match the changing needs and aspirations of each person. Making choices sometimes means taking risks, so we help people do this safely. Of course, not everybody is able to take part in the same levels of activity, but we will always support people to do as much as they want to. And we know things change for everyone throughout life, in terms of Avenues - All in one brochure v4.indd 1 We work with many people for decades, actively supporting them through the various stages of life, from school through to coping with dementia and end-of-life illness. 27/03/2018 10:16
Making a difference Jackie: her first home and planning for the future Jackie had been an inpatient for six years, the last three in an assessment and treatment centre with a diagnosis of a learning disability, borderline personality disorder and serious self harm. We were approached to provide Jackie with 24 hour support with accommodation. This was to be Jackie s first home of her own. We started by getting to know her while she was still an inpatient to build a picture of what her service needed to look like. We involved her in all aspects, from choosing the area and type of building to putting together her support team, including writing job adverts and selecting support workers. Every morning when I walk down the stairs into my living room I feel happy and look forward to starting the day. It s not always easy, but I now have the best support I ve ever had. We worked with Jackie to develop support plans as well as plans for the future and to stay well. This took four months, during which time we also secured a property for her. This wasn t straightforward as she had no history of residency in any borough. One of Jackie s priorities after so many years in hospital was to feel safe. Safety for her wasn t just physical but also required trust and rapport with her support team. We devised a number of strategies with Jackie to support her in this regard. This type of preliminary work helped her to feel positive about the potential of living in her own home. Six months after moving in, Jackie has already started to spend short periods of time on her own, including going to the local shops, providing a foundation on which to reduce her support further over time. Jackie Avenues - All in one brochure v4.indd 4 27/03/2018 10:16
Who we support We provide tailored services for people with multiple and complex needs, and specialise in the areas of: Acquired Brain Injury Autism Behaviour that challenges Learning disability We offer support to people from the age of nine. It is common for families to first make contact with us because of a crisis in current support arrangements, or because there is a need for a new support package on discharge from hospital, or at the end of residential education. We work with families and local authorities to ensure the best outcome for the person who needs support. avenuesgroup.org.uk/ourservices How we do it Active Support is a way of working with people that means they are really involved in what is happening in their lives. Things are not done for people, but with them. Our support workers seek out opportunities and ways for people to express their preferences and views about aspects of their daily life. Positive Behaviour Support is a way of supporting someone with behaviour that challenges. Following a full behavioural assessment, we develop realistic strategies that will reduce the frequency of the behaviour. Our support workers base the way they interact with someone on these understandings. Avenues specialist practice development leads work alongside families and the service to ensure support is consistent and effective. avenuesgroup.org.uk/our-approach Training and developing our staff Our organisation is all about people those we support and those who work for us. We re proud of our employees, who all benefit from our unique learning and development programme, which includes a three-month induction. Once all compulsory social care training is completed, we encourage them to complete further professional and personal development. Our learning and development programmes are endorsed by Skills for Care, the workforce development body for adult social care in England. The endorsement not only indicates the quality of training our staff receive, but means we can provide benchmarked training to other organisations who need external support. We are an approved City and Guilds centre and have Silver accreditation from Investors in People. avenuesgroup.org.uk/careers Avenues at a glance Services in more than 170 locations in London, the South East, East of England, and West Midlands Avenues - All in one brochure v4.indd 5 27/03/2018 10:16
And we don t stop there As an organisation, we welcome critical review as we know it leads to even better support services for people. We have an established relationship with academic teams at the University of Kent who help us identify opportunities to develop and improve the way we support people with complex needs. We believe too many people with learning disability are still needlessly being sent to psychiatric hospitals, and we re working hard to change this. Our Chief Executive chairs a national taskforce to improve things, working with NHS England. We do all this work because we want to make things better for people, see them living in their home communities, making choices for themselves, getting the right support and enjoying life. Our services include... Supported living Outreach Residential care Avenues - All in one brochure v4.indd 6 27/03/2018 10:16
Why choose Avenues? We have a positive reputation gained from 25 years of development and growth. We continually challenge ourselves to find new ways to support people. We are a large organisation that works and thinks locally. Our hubs have the support of a large organisation with the flexibility to work in ways that meet local needs. Our expertise means that the people we support receive the right level of support at the right times. Our support will change as people s lives change. We are trusted by individuals, families and commissioners and as a result we have established long standing relationships with people and organisations. We will let you know how things are going before you ask. We make the most of local communities, connecting the people we support with what interests and stimulates them. We want people to live good lives and achieve their goals. We are a not-for-profit organisation guided by our values. Proceeds from our services are reinvested into developing our work. Contact us Information for families and commissioners London and South East Call us on 020 3535 0500 East of England Call us on 01449 700069 West Midlands Call us on 01743 537 885 Or email info@avenuesgroup.org.uk Transforming Care enquiries Call us on 020 3535 0500 or email andrea.wiggins@avenuesgroup.org.uk Careers information Call us on 020 3535 0500 or email recruitment@avenuesgroup.org.uk @AvenuesGroup Avenues Group Avenues Group The Avenues Trust Group, River House, 1 Maidstone Road, Sidcup, DA14 5TA Company number: 03804617 Charity number: 1130473 Avenues - All in one brochure v4.indd 2 27/03/2018 10:16