Complex Needs Day Service Opens Doors to Vale of Glamorgan Council
The Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Complex Needs Day Service at Hen Goleg and the YMCA Hwb in Barry have given the Vale of Glamorgan Council an exclusive tour of their state-of-the-art facilities and exceptional care provisions.
The services provide day opportunities to adults with a learning disability, who have a complex presentation of varying needs.
They use the principles of Person-Centred Planning to build a weekly timetable of opportunity with the person and their families/carers, which is regularly reviewed and updated.
This helps people to achieve their own goals and aspirations.
Day Service Manager, Sarah Sidman-Jones said: “By engaging in purposeful activity that is stimulating and meaningful to people, with support from highly skilled staff we can overcome inequalities and meet individual needs.
“As well as our community presence, we have embraced the use of digital technology within the day service setting. For example, state of the art eye gaze technology enables people who have profound and multiple learning disabilities to communicate their choices and increase their independence.”
Advances in digital technology allows the staff to communicate with individuals using an array of specialised sensory equipment.
These include switches that allow people to have control over cause and effect and develop their choice making skills and a large interactive touch screen enables people to access a computer to communicate and learn.
They also use tablets to engage with digital platforms for the learning disability community that enable people to connect socially with friends and participate in meaningful activity sessions online.
Cllr Eddie Williams said: “We are very proud of the care services in the Vale of Glamorgan and are indebted to the selfless and brilliant staff that provide the love and attention that vulnerable adults require.
“The facilities at Hen Goleg and the YMCA Hwb are second to none and are instrumental for those that depend on them.”
The aim of the day service is to do ‘ordinary’ things in ‘ordinary’ places, with members of the local community.
For more information, please contact Sarah Sidman-Jones on 07816 881459 or email ssidman-jones@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk: