TRFS selected as a Care Accolades 2014 finalist
The Richmond Fellowship Scotland are delighted to have reached the finals of the Care Accolades 2014.
These awards were set up in 2004 by the Scottish Social Services Council to celebrate excellent practice and workforce development in social services throughout Scotland and are seen as the Oscars for our sector.
We were selected for our Positive Pathways project in Edinburgh. The City of Edinburgh Council had identified a need within their local autism plan for behavioural training and support for family carers of people with autism.
During consultation on the Edinburgh Autism Plan some carers – who had adult children living at home that they were struggling to cope with due to their behaviour and isolation – asked for specialist behavioural advice and training to build the family skills to support and communicate with their child.
The City of Edinburgh Council consulted with a local autism carer support agency, PASDA, in order to meet this identified need. Together they identified that The Positive Behaviour Support Team from The Richmond Fellowship Scotland provided this type of behavioural training and support via their Positive Pathways programme.
A twelve-week programme of training and intensive support was developed and made available to family carers. This consisted of the following:
- Six half-day training sessions teaching carers about Positive Behaviour Support and giving them the background and theory and how to apply this to individuals with autism.
- 1:1 ‘consultation sessions’ for family carers to meet with the Behavioural Advisor individually and talk through specific issues and difficulties. This allowed carers the opportunity to begin to apply the behavioural theory in practice and to make it person-centred and specific for their family member.
- Home visits where the Behavioural Advisor visited the family home, met with the individual with autism (where appropriate), and gave specific advice regarding behavioural techniques and approaches. The fact these meetings took place in the family home allowed them to better understand the family dynamic and also to see the environment as this may be a factor in understanding and addressing any behavioural issues.
As a result of this training carers told us in feedback that they feel more empowered and less stressed. This means they are in a better position to carry out their caring role and to deal with the various challenges and difficulties that arise.
Carers also report reduced challenging behaviour from their family member – some behaviour (social withdrawal & stereotypical behaviours) had significantly decreased. Specific areas where carers had concerns (e.g. helping their family member to improve their social skills or to develop their coping techniques) have also improved with carers reporting an 18% reduction in their levels of concern about these.
The finals will now take place Tuesday 10th June 2014 at an award ceremony at Perth Concert Hall.
If you would like to find out more about The Richmond Fellowship Scotland and our work in autism, please visit http://trfs.org.uk
About the Care Accolades
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) launched the Care Accolades in 2004. The awards celebrate and promote excellent practice and workforce development in social services throughout Scotland.
Winning an accolade gives organisations, teams, staff and projects recognition of their achievements and allows you to share best practice with the sector.
The Care Accolades is seen as the Oscars for social services and highlights the excellent work that touches all of our lives at some point.
For further info: http://www.sssccareaccolades.uk.com/
About The Richmond Fellowship Scotland Positive Behaviour Support
The Richmond Fellowship Scotland is unique within social care in Scotland in having a Positive Behaviour Support Team, who provide innovative, specialist support for people with complex behaviours and additional support needs.
Every person supported by the organisation has a unique set of needs and we are able to help them to live rewarding and fulfilling lives. Some of these individuals have complex and challenging behaviours. This can have a negative impact on the individual and those close to them, and can be stressful for the staff who provide the support.
In working in services across Scotland, the Positive Behaviour Support Team aims to improve the quality of life for these people, including increasing their participation in the community. We achieve this by increasing the knowledge, skills and confidence of the staff teams and developing specific plans to reduce the frequency and severity of behavioural challenges.
For further info: http://www.trfs.org.uk/what_we_do/positive_behaviour_support
About PASDA
PASDA offers support to parents and carers of adults (over 16s) on the autistic spectrum who live in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
For further info: http://www.pasda.org.uk/
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