Adults Supporting Adults (ASA) has been providing social care to the people of Lincolnshire for over 23 years. Previously the county council’s adult placement scheme, ASA left the local authority in 2005 and became a not-for-profit organisation, allowing the service to quickly expand and diversify. Since externalising, ASA has gone on to develop a range of trailblazing person-centred resources so as to maintain peoples’ independence in the community and to support individual choices in life. ASA continues to work throughout the whole of the county, supporting some 350 people across all client (service-user) groups from the age of 18 years old, unless in Transition from Children Services. Just recently, ASA has been recognised for its hard work, as we won the Innovation Category at the East Midlands Great British Care Awards, for which we were nominated for the National Finals.
ASA’s core resource is still the Shared Lives Arrangement (formerly known as an adult placement), whereby a person is matched to live with a provider (carer) on a long term basis in the provider’s own home. We often call this Extended Stay and presently ASA supports over 50+ arrangements across the county, the majority of which are with clients who have a Learning Disability. Some clients have lived with the same family for over 20 years, whereas others stay with providers just a few years, so as to develop the skills to move on to independent living in their own right if they wish. Referrals are made via the social work practitioner with a view to enabling the person to enjoy the benefits of living in the community rather than residential care. The client makes a weekly contribution towards the support they receive based on their benefits, with the local authority and the housing benefit department making up the rest of the arrangement fee.
For those clients that still live with their own family but there is a need for planned breaks away from each other, ASA offers flexible Respite. This resource is again within our Providers homes, where there is opportunity for personal support and for the client to make individual choices on what they would like to do during their stay. The introduction of Personal Budgets has allowed some clients to book between 30 and 40 nights Respite with the same Providers each year, in which a consistent and trusting relationship has developed with the family. Respite can also be used as a stepping-stone to Extended Stay if required at some point later on.
Another way of giving family carers a break is through the Day Time Provision (DTP) resource. This resource aims to develop independence by supporting people on a 1:1 basis and undertaking day to day tasks such as assisting with shopping, visiting family and friends, answering mail, socialising and accessing local amenities and leisure facilities, plus much, much more. The focus in on social care and building networks within the community, this is so people feel less isolated and are more willing to try new opportunities. Each week, ASA provides over 1000 hours of DTP support to many hundreds of clients across the whole of the county.
To explain the real benefits of living within an Extended Stay arrangement further, please read about the experiences of Sharon Geraghty, who has kindly shared her story from a client’s perspective? If you are interested in joining ASA as a Provider or would like to find out more about all of the resources we have to offer, then please call us on 01529 416270, email: enquiries@asaorg.co.uk, or visit our website at: www.asaorg.co.uk
Sharon’s Story
After Mum and Dad died and before coming to live with Janet and Mick I was living with my two younger brothers and they were not very nice to me. I had no money, they took all my pension, I had no clothes, no food and they would lock me in my bedroom all weekend. They would not buy me things I asked for when they went shopping. I had no nice clothes and did not go anywhere nice. I went into residential care for a short time but hated it. It was really noisey and people kept coming into my room. My social worker asked me to try living with a family.
On 18th February 1998 I came to live with Janet and Mick. At first I was very shy, and would not talk to anyone. I would keep my head down and spend lots of time in my bedroom. I followed Janet everywhere she went and would ask who that man was when Mick came home from work. I would not do anything for myself. My epilepsy was bad at this time which made me nervous. But slowly I settled and after eight weeks I decided to live with Janet and Mick, they welcomed me into their family and helped me settle in.
Janet has helped me to do more things for myself, I iron my clothes and sometimes I do some for Janet. I can make a sandwich and like doing the washing up after tea. When visitors come I enjoy making them a cup of tea and I have learnt how to do cross stitch and do tapestry. I like having my own room and being able to come and go as I please.
Janet helped me make contact with the brothers who were good to me, Robert, Michael and Brian. This has taken time, but I now visit Brian and his wife who have moved to Isle of Wight. I can email my family with Janet’s support and speak to my sister on the phone. I feel part of Janet’s family and get involved in all the family celebrations. As a family we visit Janet’s canavan in Heacham, I have made lots of friends there and am able to come and go as I please as I know the park so well. I go to Thistles which is an agricultural day centre for people with learning disabilities. I really enjoy it and have some lovely friends. My special friend Chris and I mow the lawn and take cuttings together.
Unfortunately Mick past away in 2009 which was very sad. He was a lovely man, who I miss very much. In June 2014 Janet and I moved house, we now live in a bungalow in Sutterton which is really great. We have only been here a short time but I already know lots of people. I can now walk to the shop on my own, I walk to work and Janet and I go to the Bingo in the village twice a week. One of the best things is having contact with family again. I visit my sister for holidays and see my brother regularly.
I really like living with Janet, sometimes I visit other providers for a short break but I like living with Janet best. Janet knows me really well and helps me make my own decisions. Janet gives me advice but I make my own choices. She explains things to me in a way she knows I will understand. Together we go shopping and I buy all my own clothes, I go out for lunch and we often go to the social club in the village. Since living with Janet my seizures have got better, I have not had one for over five years. I am happy and love our new house and the village. I wouldn’t like to live anywhere else.
Sharon outside her new home
