All about supported living

Autism Care is a leading provider of specialist services to people in Lincolnshire, Peterborough, Milton Keynes, Lancashire, Warwickshire and South Yorkshire. We provide qualitative support to adults with autistic spectrum disorders with associated complex needs and Asperger syndrome. Within community services we provide two types of service. These are supported living and outreach.

All are underpinned by the outcomes of:

maintaining and developing relationships/friendships
informed/supported choice
a role in the community
being safe
having a means to communicate and being communicated with
respect and trust
being person led/interest led
staying healthy
to use a person centred thinking approach.

Autism Care provide person centred support to enable people to achieve personal outcomes whilst living in their own homes and/or living with family and/or carers using the REACH standards as their underpinning philosophy.

A supported living environment aims to:

promote independence
promote social interaction
encourage social inclusion
encourage life skills in the home.

By utilising and implementing the REACH standards we enable people to understand that supported living is all about their choices of where they want to live, who they want to live with and the type of appropriate support they require in order for them to live as ordinary a lifestyle as possible.

What the service users say

"The staff worked with me to find me a place of my own. This was not without some problems but everyone helped and now I live in a house which I share with another guy who used to live at Heath Farm. The staff come in to keep me company and help me during the day.

I have written one book and am trying to get it published and I have just started another book.

Heath Farm helped me through the bad times and the good and I now help them by training their staff in what it is like to have Aspergers syndrome so I am actually on the payroll there now."

Philosophy of support

All staff within Autism Care community services will ensure that full regard is paid to the principles described below:

Independence
- such as ensuring and encouraging you to have friendships and relationships with others
- staff doing things with you, not for you
Choice and control
- that you can make choices in all areas of your life
- that you are as fully part of your local community as you can be
- that you choose where you live, who to live with and who you are supported by
Rights
- that you are safe
- that you are respected
- you have privacy such as during periods of self care
- that you stay healthy
- that you have dignity
- that information pertaining to you will be treated as confidential.