17, 21 May 2013
During a routine inspection
All the people we spoke with told us that they liked where they were living and were involved in choosing the placement where they lived. One person told us 'I looked at different placements before I chose this one'. They told us that they were supported to access the community, go on holidays and maintain contact with their family and friends.
People told us they had contact details for their link officer and could contact them when they needed to, if they had any issues.
We saw that people's needs were assessed before they received a service. Support plans were developed to meet individual needs. Plans were reviewed regularly and updated when needed. Records showed that people were referred to health professionals when appropriate and guidance was included in people's support plans.
Robust procedures were in place for the recruitment of shared lives carers and these were in line with the requirements of national shared lives guidance.
Shared lives carers and people using the service were given information on how to raise safeguarding concerns in a format they could understand.
Staff visited the homes of shared lives carers a minimum of every three months to check on and review placements. The service had effective systems in place to monitor the service provided to people.