About Thistledown Supported Living

Our Mission

We have strong principles for the way we run our service. Core to our belief that the rights of service users are paramount and their wishes and aspirations should inform and direct the service delivery. Therefore, our mission is based on the principle of "treating others, the way one would like to be treated", whilst recognising that all service users are individuals and have right to control the services they receive. This incorporates the underlying principle of service delivery by a highly skilled and dedicated staff team.

Aim

We aim to equip our clients with the knowledge, skills and ability, enabling them to take control of their lives as fully as possible; thereby facilitating fulfilment in life through the range of opportunities offered to them. Our objectives are:

• Tackle some of the problems faced by vulnerable adults with special needs, leaving a range of settings and transferring to supported living services
• Increase service user’s awareness of their right to direct payments or individualised budget
• Help our clients to develop their individualised support plan in full consultation with family, friends and care professionals
• Provide services to clients in their own home or the community at a time and way that is agreed by them
• To enable vulnerable adults to develop their confidence and maintain their dignity, by retaining control of the care and support services they receive
• Involve users of our services in the recruitment and selection of support staff
• Provide opportunities to choose from the range of recreational, educational, and employment opportunities that are available in the community
• To actively provide access to appropriate health and social care services
• To provide experienced and committed staff that have the appropriate expertise and training to provide a holistic service to adults with a range of complex needs
• To promote a culture of lifelong learning within the staff team and foster continual improvement in service delivery
• To operate accordingly within the relevant legislative framework and policy guidance
• To establish and maintain effective lines of communication and joint working relationships with referring agencies and relevant health and social care teams.

Nature of Service

We are committed to providing high-quality services by continuous improvement in the level of the care and support we offer. This is achieved by employing and maintaining a quality workforce, and in time if necessary the appointment of a dedicated staff training and development manager. Standards and training for our managers and staff are based on the national occupational standards for the care industry set by the National Training Organisation.

To ensure that we are fit for our purpose, the work of the staff team is consistently monitored and supervised. We examine our operations constantly to ensure that we are successfully achieving our stated aims and objectives. We therefore welcome feedback from all stakeholders (i.e. service users, staff, care professionals, carers, family members and friends) on all aspects of our provision.

Registered Manager

The person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered provider for Thistledown Independent Living Ltd is:

- Mr Johann Bagoban, Clematis Cottage, Fairford, Gloucestershire (Registered Qualified Social Worker with a BSc in Psychology)

Management Qualifications and Training

The directors, managerial, and administrative staff have all undergone extensive training for their respective roles. They continue to build on their knowledge and experience by keeping up to date through ongoing training.

The Organisation’s Support Workers

We recognise that for service users the most important people in our organisation are the support workers with whom service users will have regular contact. We take great care in recruiting, training and supervising our staff.

A culture of professionalism is fostered in the organisation, all our staff work towards personal and career development. We therefore assist staff to identify their training needs and provide the resources to enable them to meet these. Our staff have a wide range of qualifications and have undergone extensive training. Below is a sample of the range of studies and training that staff has undertaken or are currently taking.

Qualifications and Training