Description of the service

When was the service set up?

1998

Who uses the service?

People with mild/moderate intellectual / learning disability, people with physical disability, people with a sensory impairments and young adults with mild physical /multiple disability.

How many people use the service?

16

Did your service users previously live in an institution or other large establishment?

4 out of the 16 residents lived in an institution in the past.

Description of good practice

Since the beginning of this living project, situated in a residential neighbourhood of a suburb of a big city, we claimed that our residents couldn’t be ‘locked in’ in their home. On the contrary: we formulated the challenge to make our residents spend at least two half days outside the house. The main aim: integration in the local living community. The question was: how do we do this best? It concerns young adults with a moderate/ multiple disability. Because of their statute, they can’t go out working. That’s why they stay here in this home for non-working persons.

We chose voluntary work (= not paid work/ engagement).

• through an examination of needs, we take a look regularly on the ‘day spending needs’ of our residents. They can indicate what they want to do more/ otherwise/ less during the day.
• through our aim report we teach our residents that they have also a certain responsibility/ duty with respect to their housemates, but also with respect to the community.

Both of these points mentioned above have made us look “together” for external organisations which could give an answer to the day spending wishes of our residents. Through an intensive search and a lot of lobbying, we managed, within half a year, to offer all of our 16 residents an external day spending, varying from one to six half days a week.

Examples:

• One resident indicated that she would like to work with children
• One resident wanted to work with animals
• Someone else likes to work in the kitchen

Result:

• several young ladies work voluntarily in the village school
• others go to help child minders
• one person has a volunteer job in an animal pension
• some residents give help to the administrative services of the local authority

Of course, this is intensively coached and there are very good work methods and rules supporting the resident, the organisation and the people on the “work place”.

Consequences

Our residents are well integrated in their “work place”, have topics to talk about (others than their living), feel appreciated – some are asked additionally to go and help! – residents feel useful – participate in a larger social context.

On the other side, parents, relatives, “employers” and even employees are sometimes astonished at the motivation of these residents and the capacities they have. So the whole event is not based on “charity” or “creating chances” but rather on a fine attunement of the residents’ needs and the needs of external services.

Address: Nachtegalenpark 1 City: 9840 De Pinte Country: Belgium Telephone: 09/280.23.10 Fax: 09/280.23.29 E-mail: lieven.depuydt@home-thaleia.zvl.org

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