Independent Development Service
The IDS has been offering planned residential placements to students (10yrs – 16yrs) with a physical disability since 1991. We are a city wide resource originally based at Lancasterian school but in 1995 moved to our current site at the Abraham Moss Centre in Crumpsall. Our base is a large, homely, accessible bungalow with 5 bedrooms for the students & an independence flat catering for two older students. Our placements run for about 3 weeks with an evaluation week at the end of each, in order for assessments to be carried out & skills certificates awarded.
Students can be referred to the IDS by any number of people e.g. parent, teacher, physiotherapist, health worker, the student themselves, so long as they meet the agreed criteria. We work extremely closely with the student, their families & any professionals involved to build strong relationships which ensure a consistent programme of progression in skills areas.
We work on two main areas of personal skills: - practical skills e.g. cooking, personal care, shopping/money, road safety, using public transport etc and social skills where, under the Pearl Framework (Social & Personal Development), we assess the students level of social interaction & self confidence.
The introduction process for the students to the Service is very gradual & operates on an individual basis. It starts with a lunch visit, accompanied by someone they know (support worker), then moves on to a teatime visit prior to them coming to stay for one night to see how they get on. As we are a non statutory resource there is no obligation for the students to use the IDS – they have to want to be here (& often they don’t want to leave!).
The placements are planned very carefully with the following points considered each time: - the mix of boys & girls, the level of care needs, the age and/or ability and knowing at least one other student. Placements are offered on a regular basis throughout their school life so the students can progress in skills areas.
The staff team is a small but very dedicated group who are extremely flexible & adaptable to meet the needs of the students & the service. Due to the constant changing nature of the job (new students every month, training needs, personal & service development) staff do work closely as a part of the team but also are fully committed to working off their own initiative. Good communication & organisational skills are vital to deliver the best service to the students & their families.
Staff are highly skilled & dedicated to developing the students’ independence through encouragement, praise, reinforcement & allowing them to make their own decisions within safe caring boundaries. All students have the opportunity to experience living in a group setting where they can learn to grow & develop their self confidence/self esteem which will take them though adolescence into a positive, fulfilling adult life.
