Your guide part one: your support

Together, we will plan the support that you need to meet your goals.

The support that we agree with you will be written down in a support plan. These plans are so all the support team know what has been agreed and they can follow them.

Planning your support

You will have a keyworker who will work alongside you to create your support plan. You can decide how you want your support plan to be recorded. It can be written down in words, or made using images, or both.

Part of your support plan includes looking at risks to yourself and others. For some situations we might have risk assessments and support plans that tell the team how to work safely with you. In some circumstances it might not be appropriate to discuss those parts of your plan with you. You can ask other people to help you talk to us about your support; this could be a friend, a family member or someone from an advocacy group.

If you need extra support that your support team cannot provide, we will discuss this with you and try to help you to find the right person to support you.

Advocates can support you with what you want to say, or say it for you. We can give you contact details for advocates or support you to contact them.

You will be offered advice about making choices that help you to stay safe but you have the right to make your own decisions. The support team will give you the information and support that you need to be as independent as possible.

You can ask to change your support plans whenever you wish. They will be checked with you at least every year to see how things are going and if any changes are needed. You will be offered copies of your support plans each time they change.

Sometimes we may use an Outcome Star diagram. This is a way of recording your areas of support and the progress you are making towards achieving the outcomes that are important to you.

Your support team

The team that supports you will work with you in a professional way. They are friendly but they are not allowed to start a personal relationship with you, or agree to meet up with you outside of their working hours.

Team members will respect you, your home and your privacy. This means they will not eat your food, smoke your cigarettes, or make personal phone calls while they are supporting you.

They also can not lend or borrow money or things that belong to you or them. They should not be a beneficiary or executor in your will.

Team members should never behave in a way that makes you feel unsafe or unhappy. If they do you should report it straight away. You can look at the feedback section of this guide to see who you can tell. You could call the police if you believe a crime has been committed.

Your home belongs to you and your support team will not enter without your permission, except in special circumstances.

There will be regular review meetings to look at how things are going and if any changes are needed to the support we provide to you.

Medication charter

When you receive care and support you can expect us to give you medication in a safe and responsible. Our medication charter [PDF] details how we look after customers who need medication.