Look how far Alison has come...
Alison is 45 and has a learning disability. Until last year she lived with her parents at home in Cumbernauld. She’s just been allocated an individual budget so she’s at a point in her life that requires careful planning – something Quarriers has an expertise in providing. Alison's life has turned around in just a few months and Quarriers helped make that happen.
Quarriers believes that people with a disability should be able to work towards achieving their aspirations, however challenging they may be. It may be that achieving them isn't necessarily important but knowing what those aspirations are and getting support to achieve them is.
Alison is reaping the benefits of Quarriers Community Connections and Planning Service. It's simple. Two members of our team use facilitation techniques to put Alison in control of her own planning and also to include people who know and care about her.
It's often important to use creative, illustrative methods to aid communication so we use highly effective Person Centred Planning tools such as PATH, MAP, and Group Planning. The latter embraces our holistic approach and was adapted from the Pathfinder programme in the USA; we're the first in Scotland to be trained by Connie Lyle O Brien, one of the founders of the Pathfinder programme.
Group Planning involved five individuals who wanted to plan, one of whom was Alison. We brought together Alison's family, friends, Quarriers staff and other important people in her life – her circle of support. We learned more about her personality, her past and what makes her tick. It gave her a big boost and it helped give everyone around her a clearer picture.
Alison is a very driven, sociable and caring woman. She's very well known and respected in her local community and, as with all the people we support, it was imperative to create a unique, individual plan for her life.
Together, we recognised her goals and created a plan to achieve them, including working out the best way to utilise the budget allocated to her by the local authority.
Quarriers helped Alison find a suitable home and her first voluntary job but since then she's taken matters into her own hands. She has a second job in a local café, and with support from her key worker, she contacted an agency to secure a position befriending older people in hospital. She's taken the time to plan her approach and is really looking forward to getting to know more people. She has also helped out in the local Quarriers office. It was clear from the start that Alison loves to help and she's really comfortable doing all of these jobs.
Not everything is possible within the hours of support allocated so we take a creative approach and Quarriers Volunteer Centre is incredibly valuable. A volunteer goes with Alison to get her papers and lunch every Monday. Another volunteer knits with her and has taught her how to crochet. Alison’s week is now a lot busier, and that’s exactly how she likes it.
The whole self-directed process has been a huge boost to Alison's independence. The most important thing has always been that she gets what she needs but we believe she's got so much more than that. Her new-found confidence has given her a boost. She's increasingly involved in her community and wants to help other people with disabilities.
Our services are of the highest quality. We’re there for people who have lived with a disability since birth, have degenerative or long term conditions or acquired brain injuries. We're also there for their families and carers. In addition to physical disabilities, there are often barriers such as anxiety, depression, stress, frustration, lack of confidence, security or opportunity.
We can make a real difference to people's lives with support for daily living, finding or maintaining a home, managing personal finances. But we do far more than that.
As in all areas of Quarriers, our work is ongoing. We don't believe in a 'quick fix'. The last year has been a big adjustment for Alison and we're there every step of the way. She's adapting well to her new way of life. We're committed to helping Alison and hundreds of others who need our help.
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