Published: 15/04/2019 - 04:06
At Share, we are always striving to improve the services we provide for our students. This means soliciting the views of all stakeholders by carrying out periodic surveys of all those who are involved with Share.
Our latest parents/carers' survey results have now been reviewed and we have developed a number of action points to take forward based on the feedback parents and carers have given us.
These are based on what can be achieved practically, legally and given the available resources Share has at its disposal. So, for example, we cannot provide personal care or personal protective equipment because we are not regulated to do so. In addition, we cannot provide iPads and laptops for use at home, as the costs for this would be prohibitive.
Better communication
We communicate with parents and carers via a number of channels:
- We hold parents/carers' meetings every two months so that parents and carers can have their say about Share services, raise any concerns and make suggestions about improving the work we do to better help them support the person they care for;
- We send out regular online newsletters highlighting what's happening at Share and how to get involved with our work. Parents and carers are encouraged to sign up to receive Share's newletter, if they have not already done so;
- We provide additional information by sending out letters, SMS texts and emails to parents and carers;
- For urgent matters, we telephone parents and carers.
In addition, we want to involve parents and carers in our students' learning so they can see how the person they care for is progressing. Therefore, over the coming months, we'll be implementing photographic and video portfolios that can be shared with everyone involved in each student's support network.
Go Anywhere, Do Anything
Within the funding available for Share's Go Anywhere, Do Anything social inclusion programme, we aim to offer each student six trips a year. Wherever possible, and depending on whether we have enough volunteer social buddies available, we try to exceed this number to meet demand.
As with all our work, we try to keep parents and carers informed using different communication channels, including letters and phone calls, so they know what trips are available and who has signed up for which trip. We also ensure that there are different ways of getting in touch with both the student and team members while students are on a trip, and we always take care to make sure students reach home safely after any trip.
Training
We want to make sure that the training we provide at Share continues at home. We are therefore developing a number of resources to help us do this, including tasks that students can easily undertake at home, such as easy read recipes to support students to make a simple meal for themselves.
We've incorporated different ways of communicating, including the use of Makaton, to help students communicate in a way that suits them best, and this is emphasised within our Independent Living Skills programme.
We are always looking at more ways to ensure practical learning that encourages greater independence, and our newly launched My Community and Me project is one mechanism for this.
We've also enhanced our art and crafts offering for those students interested in creative arts.
To find out more about this or other surveys we carry out, or to have your say, please contact our People and Projects Manager, Leanne Wood, via email leannew@sharecommunity.org.uk or telephone 020 7801 9825.