Millie's story
Find out how we have supported Millie to transition from a residential school to her first adult social care placement at Priory Eastrop House.
Millie is autistic and has a learning disability and epilepsy. Prior to living at Priory Eastrop House, she was living in a residential school setting.
Find out how we supported her to transition smoothly into her new home, and learn about the positive outcomes she has achieved since then.
Millie's transition to adult social care
Before moving to Eastrop House, Millie lived in a residential school setting with another care provider. There, she would often become fixated on things, which would lead to her putting herself at risk, if staff were unable to find the trigger.
Professionals from across Priory, including the assessment and transitions director, positive behaviour support (PBS) practitioner, and the home's management team visited Millie at the school before the transition, which helped them gain a deep understanding of her needs. With input from Millie’s family and social care team, the team at Eastrop House developed person-centred support plans, including PBS plans.
At first, Millie’s parents were hesitant about the transition, having felt let down previously by social care teams. However, the management team at Eastrop House worked closely with them to build trust. Millie’s parents were fully involved in the process. They delivered training to the support team at Eastrop House, and were also involved in designing environmental adaptations to Millie’s room. This extensive preparation work resulted in a seamless move, and Millie quickly settled into her new home.
It was a pleasure working with the team at Eastrop House, and seeing them adapt their practice to ensure Millie’s support was completely person-centred.
Achieving positive outcomes at Eastrop House
Now settled into her first adult placement, Millie receives the support she needs to develop her independence. At first, she required a lot of assistance with most aspects of her daily living skills. Today, she is far more engaged in tasks such as personal care, and is completing them more independently each time.
Millie’s support team use communication aids to give her choices, including with her meals and activities. With strong working relationships in place, Millie actively seeks out staff to get her needs, wishes and wants met. This means that she enjoys an active, fulfilled life, and participates in a range of hobbies. These include pampering sessions, baking and going for walks.
In her previous setting, Millie would only go out into the community as part of a group. As a result, her social worker was worried about how she’d cope with visits out of the home. At Eastrop House, Millie currently receives two-to-one support with things like shopping trips, bus rides and attending local events. Now, the management team at the service are seeking to reduce her support package down to one-to-one support in the community.
Everyone at the service is so proud of Millie for how quickly she has adjusted to her new home. The trust she has in her support team is evident, and she responds well to their input. This means she is able to communicate her wishes, enjoy activities and continue to grow her independence.
Millie is an amazing young lady, who is always full of smiles and has an amazing sense of humour. Thanks to the level of specialism we have within the team, it’s clear that Millie feels safe in her surroundings. She has not shown any signs of attempting to leave the house without staff support, nor leaving staff whilst out.