SERVICES

Day Service

The Association currently provides a day service to adults with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities, and their carers. As an unincorporated association, we also provide services to our members.

The day service is located within a purpose built building within the Association's grounds. It is open to service-users between 9:00 and 4:30 every week day throughout the year. with the exception of agreed public holidays and staff development days.

Transportation and Catering Services

Wherever possible, we provide transport for our service-users to and from home. Where this is not possible we will negotiate transport with the service-user, carers or care manager.

The Day Service benefits from the services of dedicated kitchen and catering staff, providing a choice of lunches, and tea and coffee every morning and afternoon.

Benefits For Service Users

Each service-user attending the day service is allocated a key worker from among the staff team. Between them they draw up an individual program of activities for the service-user, designed to ensure that the service-user's individual goals can be met. This is subject to an annual reassessment, or more frequently if necessary, based on individual needs and aspirations.

For service-users our aim is to maintain a balance between:

• Individual sessions with key workers or other staff members focusing on their individual service-based plan

• Group work activities where the focus is also on helping the service-user achieve the goals within the individual plan

• Constructive occupational activities enabling service-users to learn about different ways of using their free time and teach them socialisation, occupational, mad independence skills

Service User Committee

Longfields is committed to working in partnership with its service-users, who have produced a charter of rights for themselves, and all staff members are required to adhere to this.

The day service has supported the establishment and continues to support the maintenance of a service-user committee. The views, recommendations and requests made by the committee are taken seriously and feed into service delivery and service development activities.

Support for Carers

Although the Association's primary focus is the provision of services and support for adults with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities, it recognises the need to build and maintain positive partnerships with the carers of its service-users. Many of the carers will be Association members and therefore entitled to attend and vote at meetings and to receive regular information about the Association and its business.

As a carer you can expect:

• Access to information about changes that are being made

• Involvement in the Association's individual planning

• Access to information about issues that may affect them or the people they care for

• Access to peer group support

• Opportunities to become involved in organising or supporting fund raising events

• The opportunity to become a carer representative or an ordinary member of the executive committee

• Formal opportunities to comment on service

• Access to a named key-worker

• Access to the day service manager

• Information about and access to the Association's complaints procedure