Manor Farm

Manor Farm is a large converted farm house on the outskirts of Abbotsley, a small Cambridgeshire village. The house has been adapted into a 9 bedroom home for adults with Autism and Severe Learning Disability.

The home also has a self contained flat which provides independent living accommodation for 1 resident with Asperger syndrome.
Each resident has their own bedroom with en-suite facilities and has access to the communal kitchen, living room, dining room, conservatory and garden.

Individual needs and choices

Residents liaise with their keyworker to discuss their likes, interests, goals and aspirations. These could include starting a college course, having a job, wanting to cook or just having the confidence to go to the shops.

The home continues to use person centred care planning, which includes a pictorial version where appropriate. This process fully involves the resident in a creative way ensuring that personal preferences are recorded along with clear guidelines for staff regarding appropriate delivery of care and support. †

Staff support residents towards achieving their goals. This may require social stories, education on social rules, understanding body language and facial expressions. Support also includes practical skills such as independent living, budgeting, food preparation, shopping and self care. We can also help access college courses and support clients to find a meaningful job.

Residents are encouraged to take an active part in the weekly planning, shopping and preparation of meals. Individual preferences and choices are taken into account as much as possible. The home has regular input from a nutritionist to ensure dietary needs are being met. †

Lifestyle

Manor Farm is situated in a rural setting, providing space for clients to exercise and relax. The home is close to the market town of St Neots which provides a lot of community facilities.

Day trips and holidays are regularly organised throughout the year to local towns and resorts. Regular shopping trips are also organised along with visits to the local village pub.

Residents have access to a wide range of activities both in the home and community. Examples include sessions at local colleges to improve daily living skills, arts and crafts, sports activities, yoga and gardening. Residents also have access to day services provided at the organisation’s resource centre at Milton Park.” †

Employment and Education

Residents are supported by staff to develop social, vocational, educational and leisure skills in the community and within the home.
Currently the residents at Manor Farm are undertaking:
• Literacy, numeracy & cooking courses at Barnfield College
• Art & Craft courses at Barnfield College
• Gardening work at the home

Residents are encouraged to develop work skills through links with the National Autistic Society, Prospects and Connexions who run employment workshops (writing CVs, interview techniques, etc). A number of residents at Manor Farm are in supported employment and volunteer employment.

Staff identify with residents where they feel they might face difficulties, in the home, community, work or college. Using problem-solving techniques and the development of coping mechanisms, residents are better prepared to reduce their anxieties and to be confident in social situations.

Manor Farm Details

Personal & Healthcare support plans

Residents are supported by Brookdale Care’s Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT). The MDT works with each resident to identify their difficulties, anxieties, impairments and develops the therapeutic strategy to help the resident to work through them. This may include Social Anxieties, Social Communication difficulties, Depression, Mental illness, OCD and more.

Residents are supported to develop personal care and independent living skills. This may include verbal prompting or use of pictorial instruction to assist the individual to do self care tasks such as washing, brushing teeth, getting dressed, making a hot drink etc.

Residents spoken to during the inspection were positive about the support they received in the home. †

Environment

“The home is comfortable, bright, airy and clean. The furnishings and fittings are of good quality”.†

Manor Farm is a large farm house sitting in grounds of 16 acres. The home is situated in a village near St Neots in Cambridgeshire which provides residents with the benefit of living in a quiet rural environment with all the amenities and facilities of a market town within a 10 minute drive.

Staffing

“Staff training in the home remains well coordinated. A detailed programme is coordinated by the organisation’s training department to ensure that all mandatory and client specific issues are delivered. Refreshers/updates are organised as part of an ongoing process throughout the year.

Staff spoken to confirmed that they had received a variety of training including: autistic spectrum awareness, medication administration, moving and handling, infection control, fire safety, challenging behaviour, first aid, risk assessment, POVA, PACT and communication.* ”.†

Residents are supported by a committed staff team who are trained in ASD. The home has a Registered Home Manager, Team Leader, Senior Support Worker and Support Workers. Home Managers are supported by the Training and Development Academy to ensure that all staff are trained and qualified to fulfil their role within the home.

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†Quotes have been taken from the latest CSCI Report