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The Threshold South
Lanarkshire office base is in Barrack Street, Hamilton. The work of the
project
is, however, carried out with the service users, in the community,
rather than in a residential or day care service.
Service aims & objectives
Threshold is a
specialist project, which aims to put a smile on the face of those for
whom it provides a service.
It does so by providing a community support service for adults with
learning disabilities (some of whom may also have physical
disabilities), enabling them to be integrated and included in the wider
community. This can involve access to colleges, libraries, social
venues, shops, sports activities, churches and employment.
The project has been
called “Threshold” because it is believed that through it, people can
be placed on the ‘threshold’ of new experiences and opportunities,
which they were previously unable to access, for a variety of reasons.
- Threshold aims to encourage the
development of
independent living skills such as cooking, personal care, travel,
budgeting, and home and personal security.
- The project works in partnership
with other
professionals such as Speech Therapists, Social Workers, Nursing Staff,
College Lecturers and Tutors etc., to develop consistent and
appropriate support services.
- Threshold staff seek to identify
areas within
the home and community where the service user may be at risk, and will
endeavour to provide advice and guidance where necessary to help
eliminate potential dangers or difficulties.
- Staff of the project
recognise the
tremendous importance of contact on a social basis. They devote a great
deal of time to befriending and through this help service users to
access community resources. They also enable service users to be
involved in a variety of leisure activities, hobbies and interests.
From time to time we organise social outings, discos and activities
which all of our service users can participate in. The work is, in the
main, carried out on a one-to- one basis, but very effective work is
also undertaken in small groups when it is appropriate to do so.
- Our support of parents and carers
extends to
providing short break opportunities in their own homes or within
the community.
- We operate a 24-hour staffed
help-line to
provide round the clock advice, guidance and support to service users
and their parents or carers.
Individual support plan
Project staff are
committed to providing a flexible support service, as
and when required, to help meet needs identified by service users,
their parents or carers. Realising the uniqueness of every person, the
project provides care packages tailored to meet the needs and
requirements of each service user on an individual, “Person Centred
Approach” basis.
Family involvement
In many instances
the service users live with their parents and/or other family members.
As a result, project staff regularly have contact with family members
on an ongoing basis. This also applies to those caring for service
users in other settings.
Community involvement
Due of the nature of
the project, its staff spend a great deal of their time helping service
users to make use of community resources, including educational,
social, physical and recreational activities.
Day support
The Project does not
run a Day Centre but supports people in the
community, seven days a week.
Open Door Autism Service
We also work with
people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We provide a flexible
support service for young adults on the autistic spectrum, primarily
focussing on the 16-25 age group. We also pay particular attention to
those at the higher end of the spectrum who have Asperger’s syndrome or
high-functioning autism. We aim to provide person-centred interventions
and support to enable the service user to be integrated and included in
the wider community. We see our service as offering an “Open Door” to
new and exciting opportunities and activities.
See our Open Door Autism Service page for
more information.
Short Break Service
To augment existing
‘building based’ respite offered
by other agencies, Threshold organises a number of holiday breaks for
service users, in the course of a year. These provide enjoyable
holidays for the service users, which at the same time enable those
usually responsible for their care, to have some respite. Threshold is
also able to respond, in a flexible manner, to individual needs and to
requests for services designed to support service users in holidays of
their choice.
See our Short Break Service
page for
more information.
Supported Living Service
We also offer a
supported living service to enable adults with learning disabilities to
live independently in the community.
We aim to provide a safe and secure environment to allow the service
user to live a life that is rich in purpose, meaning and personal
fulfilment.
See our Supported
Living Service page for more information.
Management
Threshold is a
service independently run and managed by the Church of Scotland Social
Care Council in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council Social Work
Resources who, as funders, monitor the support being provided by the
Project.
Staff
A Managing
Coordinator, Co-ordinator, Senior Support Workers, Project Workers,
Administration Workers, Support Workers and Support Assistants staff
the project.
In order to protect service users, we seek to ensure that our staff are
carefully screened, selected, trained and supervised.
The involvement of volunteers is also encouraged.
Admission criteria
Threshold is funded
by South Lanarkshire Council and provides services for a wide range of
people with learning disabilities, mainly, from the age of 16 upwards.
Many service users and/or carers also purchase our services on a
private basis, using Independent Living Funds or Direct Payment.
Costs
The Managing
Coordinator determines the actual charge in each case, taking into
account the nature of the work to be undertaken.
Referral procedure
Referrals to the
project come mainly from Social Work Resources who will have carried
out a Community Care Assessment. On receipt of the referral, Threshold
staff will carry out their own assessment to identify whether the
project is able to provide the support required by the individual who
has been referred.
Having satisfactorily completed the above, the project would seek to
provide service at the earliest possible opportunity.
If you would like help in reading and understanding these details, or
you would like more information, please use the Contact
Us page or contact one of the senior support workers:
Lorraine Lawrie:
(07747) 766 482
Ricky Stewart: (07747) 766 481
This
information in also available in Microsoft Word format.
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