17 June 2024

During National Learning Disabilities Week, our new Specialist Community Forensic Team want to set out their stall. Based at our Hollins Park site, the team support adults with Learning Disabilities and Autism across Cheshire and Merseyside.

When the team is fully established, it will include psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and support workers based at our Hollins Park site. The service will run seven days a week from 8am to 8pm, with out of hours call facilitation.

Team manager Chris Colwell tells us their ambition is to transform and empower lives for autistic people and people with a learning disability: “We’ll be working with service users, families, health professionals, social care providers, and criminal justice agencies,” he says. “This initiative really wants to enhance people’s quality of life and well being.”

They can be contacted on 01925 644 004 or cmscftlda@merseycare.nhs.uk

The Cheshire and Merseyside team describe their new service here:

  1. Person-Centred Approach: this service places individuals at the heart of decision-making. It recognises the unique needs of people with learning disabilities and autism, tailoring support to empower them in their daily lives.

The new team will do this through developing individual support plans and accessible meetings so they can take an active part in decision making to foster a sense of ownership and autonomy.

  1. Holistic Support: Families play a crucial role in the well-being of their loved ones. The new team will spend time with families to provide support, addressing health needs and social aspects of life.

The team’s commitment to families includes empowering and equipping families with the knowledge and resources needed to advocate for their loved ones effectively. This includes providing information on navigating healthcare systems and understanding the rights of individuals with learning disabilities and autism.

The team are pledged to actively seek feedback from families to improve services. Their insights are invaluable in shaping a support system that truly reflects the needs of those they serve.

  1. Health and Social Care Integration: by working in close partnership with health and social care services, we ensure seamless access to resources. Whether supporting discharge facilitation from secure hospital placements or enabling service users to remain in their homes within the community, the new team’s goal is to promote independence, inclusion, and dignity.

The team’s partnerships are focussed on removing barriers to access. They work across services to make sure that transitions are smooth, whether it’s facilitating discharge from hospital placements or supporting community living

The team have committed to continuous improvement. They are regularly measured and assessed against key performance indicators, including user satisfaction, the effectiveness of support and the impact on independence and quality of life

  1. Navigating the Criminal Justice System: this service knows the challenges faced by individuals with learning disabilities and autism within the criminal justice system. They’re dedicated to working in partnership with criminal justice agencies to support service users and advocate for their rights to fair treatment and equal opportunities.

Here’s an anonymized case example illustrating how the team collaborate with partner agencies to get fair treatment for a person with a Learning Disabilities. This case study is a person who has been arrested and the complexities of the criminal justice system overwhelmed them. The new team will work alongside that person and partner agencies as set out here.

Understanding a person’s needs:

  • Conducting a thorough assessment of person’s abilities, communication style and comprehension level
  • Recognizing the person’s challenges, we make sure that all communication is clear, concise and tailored to their understanding.

Legal support:

  • The team link with the Liaison and Diversion Service and the person’s legal representative to explain proceedings in clearer terms and offer other reasonable adjustments, like seeking whether the person can wait in a quiet waiting area.

Emotional support:

  • Individuals often experience anxiety during court hearings. A support worker from the service accompanies them, providing emotional reassurance.

Ensuring fair treatment:

  • The team work alongside partner agencies to help police, lawyers and judges understand the person’s needs, particularly related to communication.
  • Necessary and reasonable adjustments are made to make sure there’s a fair process.

Post trial support:

  • In partnership with the probation, the team continue to provide support the person. They will adapt legal orders into easy read documents and support services in adapting treatment programmes.
  • In partnership with community service, the team will link the person into their local community.

Very best wishes to the new Hollins Park team as they begin this important work.

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