My son was unhappy in his previous placement; this became increasingly obvious and I began looking for an alternative. That alone is beyond difficult to find and it was sheer determination on my part calling various providers, none of which who thought they could meet my son’s needs. For every refusal I got, I asked if they might know somewhere suitable and it was this way, I heard of Cygnet Health Care. My son is diagnosed with complex epilepsy and profound autism. He is non-verbal, communicates by gestures, noises and Makaton so the care he needs is specialist care on a 1:1 basis round the clock with more input in the community.
As I contacted Glyn House, I learnt this was a new service addition to the properties on offer and arranged a viewing. I was shown round 2 properties within close proximity and soon began to form an opinion about suitability for my son. As the then placement was breaking down further and he refused to eat and have any personal care done by previous staff, I began attending to support him on a near daily basis. This meant a 120-mile round trip, spending time with my son as well as doing my work. The breakdown came the week before the pandemic caused UK lockdown and I decided as events around corona virus were developing to take him home immediately rather than the suggested sectioning that would have destroyed my boy.
At the same time, Cygnet had assessed him and the placement offered in principle. The pandemic was now in full lockdown mode and I was in isolation with my son giving him the TLC he needed. Within a couple of days, he was eating regularly, sleep pattern returned to normal and behaviours lessening. The previous provision had made it clear their lockdown meant nobody in and nobody out yet Glyn House began to facilitate an intense 4-week transition that started from our home. Staff shadowed us from early morning to late evening and we began to visit Glyn House so my son could become familiar. We all worked with the difficulties of a pandemic following all guidelines as well as doing as many community visits as possible so staff could learn about him.
Just past the height of the pandemic in early May 2020, he moved in to Glyn House. The previous placement proved difficult in terms of retrieving his belongings and Glyn House helped with furnishing his bedroom under difficult circumstances.
From day 1, there was community engagement for my son. The staff are varied in age/gender/personality but they gel as a team and complement one another to deliver a consistent and complimentary support to enable him become more independent. They have embraced needing to learn Makaton which to my son is vital.
We have now had the social services 6-week review. Having been to plenty of reviews during my son’s lifetime, I know to expect various outcomes and it is usual for providers to have a list of things they have to introduce or ensure are done. The provision at Glyn House is person centred more than I have known any previous education or care setting which is evident in terms of the outcomes of the review. There was none.
