Accept the Best!

A new, innovative and unique Supported Living Project is soon to be completed in Consett. The development by Accept Care Ltd will create a supported living project for 32 adults with disability. The complex will consist of two houses each containing en-suite bedroom accommodation for 8 residents and a further 16 self-contained apartments. The first phase is active from early December and with the other three buildings under construction it is planned the project will be fully operational from mid February.

Accept Care provide a unique and holistic approach, which is essential for the clients' well-being - thus empowering them to achieve their mental, physical and social potential. With an enviable background in care services, Accept Care Ltd has over 30 years' experience in the design, development and management of specialist care environments. This includes vocational rehabilitation and personal development programmes, employment preparation and placement, stress management and care provision in both community and residential settings. These programmes include provision for people suffering from learning disability, autism, brain injury and severe and enduring mental illness. This innovative approach ties in with the increasing interest in the idea of supported living, which enables people with learning difficulties to live in their own homes, as an alternative to residential care.

Accept Care will see many residents coming from local areas, as well as further afield. Looking to recruit over 100 staff, Accept Care has a forward thinking approach to staff training. Managers at Accept Care have already developed a training programme to make sure that all staff are trained to the highest standards. Each member of staff will undergo a detailed training programme from day 1 of their employment, in order to gain new skills or update existing qualifications. Working in partnership with Derwentside College, in Consett, Accept Care are providing a comprehensive range of courses, consisting of First Aid, Food Hygiene, Drug and Medicine Administration, Fire Safety and Dealing with Challenging Behaviour. These courses will complement other specialist courses, such as Epilepsy Training and Manual Handling.

The supported living approach, provided by Accept Care, creates an environment of independence, privacy and dignity, which will focus on what each individual can do; provides support for what they cannot do and offers opportunities for them to learn how to do the things they want to do.

Hazel Hall, Project Manager, with 30 years experience as a nurse and then a project manager, before joining Accept Care said, "Accept Care views every person as an individual and assists them in a way that enables each person to receive the support they need and to live in a home that is their own. The homes at Consett will reflect and build upon the successful care that other people have benefited from, via Accept Care. I am delighted to be part of this initiative, which is a leading light in the care industry".

Assisting Accept Care with their training needs, Derwentside College's Director of Business Development - Susan Errington, is delighted to provide tailor-made courses to meet Accept's needs. She said, "Accept Care's positive, enthusiastic and committed approach to training is admirable. All of their staff are taking part in an extensive induction and training programme, with many progressing to National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in Care. I am sure with such an established successful background and a forward thinking approach to the future, Accept Care's Consett site will be a valuable asset to the Derwentside community".

Alex Watson, Leader of Derwentside District Council, also lent his voice to the support of Accept Care's Supported Living project, "I am delighted to welcome this superb development to Consett, which will provide important support for some of our most vulnerable people. Accept Care's project is also meeting some of the council's core objectives by creating specialist employment and making a substantial investment in training for its workforce. Most importantly, it is improving peoples' quality of life and well-being".

Background Information

The Directors of Accept Care Ltd have contributed to programmes and seminars organised by the World Health Organisation, the International Labour Organisation, the World Federation of Mental Health, Mental Health Europe, and the Confederation of European Social Firms, Employment Initiatives and Social Co-operatives (CEFEC). They also co-ordinated an innovative training and employment initiative programme for people with disabilities. Funded by the European Social Fund, this involved 200 organisations from 11 member states.

For more information contact: Michael Quinlyn-Nixon on (01207) 585989 (ext 809).

12 December 2006