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Dimensions easy read guide: Queen Elizabeth II has died Buckingham Palace confirmed that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at the age of 96. We share in the country’s celebration of the Queen’s life and extend our condolences to the Royal Family at this difficult time. We have put together an easy read guide to support you, your loved one, or the person you support when coming to terms with this news and understanding what happens next.
Strong relationships make challenges a walk in the park– Roger’s story
😊Today let’s meet Ryan, Helen, who supports Ryan, says the best thing about her job is supporting people to do things such as: • Dance at the discos (or round the dining room table). • Spa it up in the onsite hot tub. • Go to town 😊 • Fill up at a favourite eatery • See the latest blockbuster at the cinema • Have quality time with friends and family • Accomplish day-to-day tasks (Including finances, shopping, cooking & personal care) • Go after their dreams and help them #GetMoreFromLife There’s room for you too! https://www.instagram.com/p/CfomvzNOfAA/
35 years of supporting people to lead great lives Today we feature Trina Bright, Discovery’s Head of Coaching and Practice Support. Trina has dedicated the past 35 years to supporting people with learning disabilities and people with autism. If you’re suffering knockbacks at school; if those around you are saying ‘you can’t…’; if you keep getting turned away from jobs you want – we hope Trina’s story helps you believe in yourself. Because just like her, you can find success: “I wanted to be a social worker, but a teacher told me I wasn’t clever enough. So I decided to become a hairdresser, again he said I wouldn’t get in, but I did. So initially, I was a hairdresser; in fact, I did the hair of some of the people we support! You can read more on the link below!
'It's the best decision I've ever made': why working with vulnerable adults in Somerset could be for you Have you ever wanted to make a huge difference in the lives of vulnerable adults living in Somerset? Then a career in social care could be for you. Discovery was formed in 2017 in a partnership between Dimensions and Somerset County Council, as a not-for-profit provider of support for autistic adults and people with learning disabilities in Somerset. The Dimensions Group is currently ranked amongst the UK Best Workplaces for Well-being, and Discovery is looking to recruit new support workers to give vulnerable adults the help and support they deserve. We've been speaking to a few existing support workers about what they do and how they got into care in the first place: "It’s the best decision I’ve ever made" "I know that I am making a profound difference to people’s lives" "Just go for it" For more details, read the full article from Somerset Live.
It’s easy to take your gym for granted. But what if it was even more important? And what if you were trying to find one that could accommodate you for six years before you found one? Would you make more use of it then? Ryan’s story is inspiring, proving what can happen when you never give up and believe that everybody is welcome. For Ryan, a young man with cerebral palsy, exercise is vital, yet he has been trying to find a gym that could accommodate him – for six years! He didn’t give up, though… Ryan and his community outreach team kept searching until they finally found Pure Gym. It wasn’t an easy road: Ryan and his Community Outreach team had to visit gym after gym, and every time he went to sign up, it turned out they couldn’t give him what he needed. He kept going, though; there had to be a gym out there somewhere that would have what he needs, surely? and finally… Pure Gym opened up around the corner from the Yeovil hub!
Yeovil support worker celebrates lesser-known side of social care Brett Hayter, a support worker with Discovery, was featured in his local newspaper this week as he spoke about his role with Discovery the path he took to get to where he is today. Brett speaks about common misconceptions of the support worker role, and how in reality he supports individuals to live their most fulfilled life possible, whatever that means for the individual themselves. You can read the full article here
We’re one of the UK’s Best Workplaces – for the fourth year in a row! We are delighted to let you know that the Dimensions group has been officially accredited as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute for a fourth year in a row. The news was announced during a special event yesterday evening, and we were ranked 25th (out of 38) in the ‘Super Large’ category.
As managers, we’ve talked a lot about how we can engage families more in what we do, not just by keeping in contact with cards and visits, but how they can have a say in the people that support their loved ones. Families know more about their loved ones than we ever will. They know the critical questions to ask from a family perspective, much more than we do. It’s a holistic approach to the support that we give. It is about good leadership, engagement with families, and being responsive to the needs of the people we support too. The more family involvement, the more settled and happy the people we support are.
Active Support is how we help someone to become more independent. It’s all about tiny steps – that’s to say, steps that might seem tiny but which can make a huge difference to a person’s life. For example “Eddie”, a young autistic man, is used to clapping to tell you he wants the colour of his bubble tube changed. Now he’s got the power! All he has to do is clap one hand on the button and pow!
