Darren* transferred to Cherrywood House from Community Shared Services. His previous environment was causing him a great deal of anxiety and as a result, he was exhibiting high levels of challenging behaviour when he first joined us.
We worked alongside the intensive support team in North Somerset to assess, identify and meet Darren’s sensory requirements. From this, we developed a Positive Behaviour Support Plan that also took Darren’s personal preferences into consideration.
Darren was assigned a key worker at Cherrywood House to support both him and his family. The key worker also helped Darren with his personalised activities plan, which incorporated sensory differences and allowed him to select activities based on his level of arousal. By taking this approach we have been able to better manage Darren’s behaviour and help him in such a way that it has supported crisis prevention.
From the moment he arrived at Cherrywood House, it was always Darren’s aim to be independent and his family also shared this ambition for him. We ensured that this end goal was always incorporated into all of his planning so that he could achieve this as soon as was realistically possible.
We are pleased to say that Darren has now moved into his own self-contained flat with his own facilities and front door. He is now living in one of our on-site apartments which provides a pathway to supported living. Darren’s apartment has been specially designed to meet all his sensory needs and ensure that it provides a living environment for him which reduces his behaviours that challenge. Our core team here at Cherrywood House still work with Darren on a daily basis to provide a high quality of care and support.
Darren’s outcomes
With continued support from staff, Darren was able to develop his life skills and lead a more independent life. Darren now:
- Enjoys going to the local shops to do his own shopping
- Meets with his family to visit the pub
- Takes long walks by the seaside
- Is able to do his own cleaning, laundry and basic food preparation
- Is looking forward to his first holiday with staff support
*Name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.