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PMLD Link ArticleThe Circles Network CREDO Project is a 2-year national project funded by the National Lottery Charities Board and is designed to support young people between the ages of 13 and 19 who are perceived as having profound and complex impairments. There are currently 2 projects – one in England and the other in Northern Ireland, both projects focus particularly on the move from childhood to adulthood. CREDO stands for Creating Real and Equal Development Opportunities and focuses on responding to the wishes of each young person, with the aim of making a positive contribution to society. Support is achieved through developing a circle of support. A circle of support is a group of individuals who meet together with the sole intention of supporting a person (the focus person) who is isolated from community or, who are in danger of becoming isolated. This group is made up of those people who know the focus person best and who are prepared to listen deeply to them, assisting with the realization of dreams and ambitions. Parents, brothers and sisters, friends and committed support workers all work together to draw out the information that will give the person a ‘voice’ and will represent their contribution towards the planning of their life. With regard to the CREDO Project, this planning takes the
form of looking at what the young person wants after they leave school and how
can their needs be best met. As is commonly known, this time in a young
person’s life is often called ‘transition’ and for many young people is a
time of uncertainty, risk taking, experimentation and making choices. It is also
the time when the majority of us plan and look forward – with some excitement
– to our adult lives. It is a time of opening our minds and dreaming, of
connecting with others and finding out who we are. For those young people who
are perceived as having complex needs, the situation is commonly very different. For the young person and often their family, the
‘transition years’ are commonly dominated by feelings of worry, uncertainty,
fear, guilt and apprehension. Statutory services are often not well co-ordinated
and information regarding services that are on offer and decisions that need to
be made are left far too late. In addition there are commonly limited services
available, resulting in a lack of choice and creativity and a creation of
dependence on systems and families. There is much information that tells us that
this is often a time that families find themselves pressurized often against
their wishes, into using residential services – due mainly to a lack of
adequate available resources available to the family as a whole. Person Centred Planning is a process of planning for individuals, that is alive and active and enables the person to be central and to take control. With the CREDO Project, it is the young person with complex needs that owns and controls the process with the assistance of those people in their life who know them best i.e. their circle of support. So often in more traditional styles of assessment, the comments and views of a young disabled person and their family come after all other professionals involved and feature less in regards to content and more importantly, value. By using person centred planning techniques, the young person and their family are empowered to dream and to make life choices with the support of those who love and care for them. The CREDO Project does involve other professionals
from; education, social services departments, health and voluntary agencies,
however it is the young person and their circle of support that the project is
in direct collaboration with rather than with other organisations. The ideal
situation is then to work ‘alongside’ agencies and providers – with the
young person remaining in complete control of the planning process. Through the process of person centred planning, the young person is encouraged to dream and to look widely at what they want from life and how they want to spend their time. As this is a way of viewing things that does not only consider existing service provision, the situation may be that the young person – with support from their circle, will push the boundaries of what services are currently available for young people with profound and complex impairments. This process is creative and focuses on areas that are often not emphasised enough in more traditional style assessments such as; the young person’s dreams, goals, gifts and their individual life story. The plan then guides the young person towards their future with the aim that they are a contributing citizen participating in community life. With a little careful thought, commitment and redirection of resources, it is possible to design and create a responsive support system that ensures that the young person can move towards a positive future. As all of the young people currently involved in the CREDO Project have their own unique method of communicating, it is essential that it is those people who have spent time with them and who listen deeply and value each way of communicating who assist in knowing and at times ‘best guessing’ what the dreams of the young person are and how they would most like to live their life. This understanding allows for a ‘tuning in’ to each young person and will guide us to what brings them joy, excitement and engagement in life and away from experiences that cause pain, sadness, boredom and frustration. For some young people who are either coming to the
end of their school education or are now using adult services, it has been
necessary for their circle of support and the CREDO lead facilitator to take a
more active role in ensuring that the young person is being listened to and that
they are receiving the support that they need to live their lives as they wish.
This has taken the form of the project assisting with the recruitment of
personal assistants, attending service reviews and supporting the young person
and their family at various meetings. Kerry is involved in a
supported living scheme and her circle is assisting her to build up a picture of
her ideal home and the support that she will require to live her life as she
wants. Kerry’s Social Services department have asked her circle for this
information as Kerry’s circle is made up of the most important people in her
life, who truly know her unique methods of communicating and how she indicates
her preferences and her dislikes. Kerry’s Mother – Jeanette, feels that
everyone is now focussing on Kerry’s needs, rather than Kerry ‘fitting in’
somewhere that may not be appropriate for her. Jeanette says that “we can now
start with a clean sheet and with the support of Circles Network and everyone
else who cares about Kerry, can ‘map out’ just what Kerry’s ideal home
would be”. For other young people, planning has begun at a time when
serious thoughts are just being made towards the future. James is 17 years old and his
long-term carers are very pleased to have found out about the CREDO Project
because of the anxieties that times of transition can bring. James’s circle
meetings are proving to be of focus to those people who are involved in
James’s life and who individually would find it hard to know how to continue
from now. Although the planning process is in it’s early stages, James is
already inviting his peers to his circle meetings and working on how to be more
independent and having more life choices. James’s school have been
enthusiastic in their approach to the project and will welcome James’s
contribution i.e. his Person Centred Plan, to his next review as a valid and
extremely important document. It is through developing circles of support
that we build more inclusive societies and that individuals strengthen their
natural networks and friendships with others – with the ultimate aim of
interdependence. This is particularly important for young people with profound
and complex impairments as so often, the majority of others in their life are
paid to provide support to them. People who commit to a young person who has
profound and complex impairments, are concerned about that person’s future,
they stand with them during difficult times, they help problem solve, they work
to identify and create opportunities for them and they join in celebrating
successes. They want to continually grow in knowledge of the person, especially
of the person’s gifts and capacities and to actively assist the young person
to expand relationships with others who may come to care about them also. If you know of a young disabled person who may be
interested in becoming involved in the CREDO Project or if you would like
further information on the project or on Circles
Network providing training and consultancy then please contact CREDO
East.
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