Preparing for the Move:
Prior to any move to Whitwood Care, service users, their families, friends and any professionals working on their behalf are encouraged to visit us to assess the facilities we have on offer. They can then familiarise themselves with the intended placement to formulate comparisons and identify strengths and needs.

In order to provide appropriate support, we first conduct comprehensive assessments in consultation with the service user, the service user’s relatives (if appropriate) and associated professionals, identifying individual capabilities and behaviour support strategies. These are carried out with the input of care managers and carers from previous placements, where appropriate.

A clear and individual development programme is identified for the service user, which is regularly evaluated to assess its effectiveness.

Care is taken when introducing service users into the households to ensure that individual personalities and preferences are taken into account so that they may develop positive relationships with other service users.

Applications are accepted from people from 18 years of age. Although we have no upper age limit, careful consideration is given to the feasibility of elderly service users living in a predominantly young person’s household.

All moves to Whitwood Care involve a twelve week assessment period, after which full reports are prepared by the home manager and staff team and discussed with the service user and those involved in their support. Reports on the progress of service users will normally be issued at annual intervals.