If you’re thinking about a care home for your child, start looking for ones that you think would best suit your child’s needs. We often talk about a ‘gut feeling’ as a parent and our advice is to get out and see the different types of provisions, talk to staff teams, and understand the culture of the homes.
Supporting someone else’s loved one is a big responsibility and our focus isn’t just on supporting the individual, it’s ensuring we also take the time to build a relationship with the family so they too feel comfortable and can trust others to care for their child.
There are many different factors that need to be considered when transitioning someone into residential care. Our priority is supporting an individual to transition from the family home or an existing provider with ease. We ensure continuity of service and minimise disruption by working in partnership with the child’s current support network to transfer and develop existing support plans.
A transition planning meeting helps to co-design a robust and detailed transition action plan to ensure all steps are mapped out to produce a smooth personalised transition into a new home. A transition meeting will piece together all the practical tasks of customising the home and bedroom, a move-in date and how best to facilitate the journey. This will give the opportunity to plan an introduction of the new staff team and arrange visits to the new home.
It’s important to keep the individual at the centre of the planning and consider how this move will be communicated to them. Using tools such as pictures and social stories can help reduce anxieties. These tools can be used before, during and after a transition to provide a consistent message and a predictable frame of reference.
Once an individual has moved into residential care, they may feel isolated as they are away from the people that they know. It’s therefore important to maintain contact and plan visits when possible. Achieving consistency around the transitions in areas such as staffing, favoured activities and education can reduce anxieties and help with a smooth transition into a new environment.
Bright Futures Care
If you are wanting to know more about what kinds of support are available to you, get in contact with us today. If you would like to speak to a member of our team then don’t hesitate to send us an email at admin@brightfuturescare.co.uk.
