My Options

What we do

Young People's Services provide fun, innovative and person-centred support to children and young people with a learning disability, autism, complex care needs or behaviours that challenge, enabling them to increase their independence and confidence.

Our experienced and dedicated YPS team provide a number of activities and services for children and young people:

Skills Coach Service

The Skills Coach service offers valuable, target focussed support sessions for children and young people with special needs and disabilities aged between 5 and 25 years.

The aim of the service is to provide enjoyable, stimulating activities which not only provide parents/carers with respite but teach essential life skills for young people on their journey towards adulthood.

Skills Coach supports are varied in hours and locations. Sessions are planned for creatively to ensure enjoyment, progression, social skills development, community engagement and sensory needs are catered for.

Sessions take place across evenings, weekends and school holidays dependent on referrals from social care and the support plan hours.

Club 17

Club 17 is a youth club provision specifically for young people with a disability or support needs aged 11 (year 7) to 25 years, where young people can engage in a range of activities, that include, but is not limited to Nintendo Wii, air hockey, table tennis, indoor bowling, Lego building and Nail painting art, in a safe and fun environment.

Sessions are Tuesday and Thursday, 6pm to 8pm at

Southwood Activity & Wellbeing Hub
Hollinswood Local Centre
Dale Acre Way
Hollinswood
Telford
TF3 2EX

Club 17 sessions are free of charge.

1:1 or 2:1 support must be provided by a parent/carer.

All parent/carers are welcome to stay during the session.

A registration form must be completed to access all My Options Young People’s Services.

To book or to register, contact My Options, 01952 381 317, YPS@telford.gov.uk.

Sports and Leisure

Sports and Leisure is specifically for young people with a disability or support needs aged 5 to 25 years olds in the Telford and Wrekin area, which provides young people with an opportunity to come and get active for a couple of hours in a safe and reassuring environment. Lead by fully trained Leads, with experience of working with young people with additional needs. Young people are encouraged to join in team activities whilst developing their independence. Our aim for the sessions is to support young people to access a variety of sporting activities whilst making new friends and developing their self-esteem and confidence.

The sessions are 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm every Saturday at the Arthog Outreach Site in Wellington.

Sessions are open to book onto for any young person who is registered with My Options.

If your child isn’t already registered with us please email YPS@telford.gov.uk to request a registration form, providing a contact phone number and a member of the team will contact you to complete the registration process.

You will be able to book 1 session per week for your child, at £4 per session. To book your child a place please call My Options on 01952 381317.

Sessions include, but are not limited to; Sensory activities, Basketball, Football, Rope climbing, Team games, Tennis.

In addition, we offer skiing and tubing sessions, at Madeley Ski Centre, each Wednesday evening and can be booked directly with the Ski Centre.

More inclusive sports and leisure activities can be found here and here.

Our highly trained and committed Community Activity & Wellbeing Team provide a range of day services for adults with learning disabilities, autism and behaviours that challenge:

Building Based Services

From our purpose built centres, Southwood and the Wellbeing Centre, we deliver high quality individual programmes of meaningful and stimulating activities for people with high level needs.

Our highly experienced team have a wide knowledge in all aspects of care and support for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex health care needs including dementia. We work with a number of health professionals to ensure individuals’ care needs are fully met and to also deliver individual therapeutic programmes such as communication, sensory stimulation, physiotherapy, massage and hydrotherapy.

Our continuing commitment to working closely with family carers is a key part to the delivery and planning of the care and support we deliver. This enables carers to have confidence in the care and support being delivered and provides them with respite and assistance to help them to continue in their caring role.

Pathways To Independence

For each individual we work with their journey to independence should be personal to them to promote their strengths. Our conversations, assessments, planning and decisions, should always be aspirational and think beyond the obvious.

Our new learning disability strategy focuses on raising aspirations and providing opportunities for people in seven key areas:

• being healthy and independent;
• having friends and relationships;
• having choice;
• getting out and about;
• having a job;
• having the right support;
• being independent when away from home.

Our Pathways Programme mirrors this with the following Pathways: Independence At Home; Independence In My Community; Independence While Shopping; Being Healthy; Employment Pathway, Relationships Pathway. More details can be found in this booklet.

Personalised pathways are designed to develop and support a persons independence. Each personalised pathway is tailored to support an individual’s strengths, aspirational goals and enable them to develop skills at their own pace.

Following the Care Act assessment or review, personalised outcomes will be identified to inform the individual’s support plan. A personalised outcome plan (POP) will then be developed with the individual and their enablement worker.

Each pathway will identify a set of tools for the person to use in every day life, to support their journey of independence. The POP will link to the individual’s Care Act assessment or review and support plan, this will change and develop over time with the individual during the review with the enablement worker and social worker. Specifically designed outcomes for each personalised pathway should be used to support the person on their journey of independence. Each outcome described below should be expanded and personalised in the individual’s POP.

Technology, including assistive technology, and it’s use will be embedded in all aspects of the pathway programmes to support individuals to become more independent and to enhance their opportunities. This may include, but is not limited to, being safe online; assistive technology and digital solutions to support an individual’s care needs; the use of apps, using online services; use of social media

Community Outreach Service

Supports individuals, with a learning disability, autism or behaviours that challenge to access activities, events and facilities in their local community, with group, 1:1 or 2:1 support from our team, helping them to become part of their community.

The service supports people in their homes, whether they live alone or with someone they have chosen to share a property with, proving support 24 hours a day.

Our Supported Living service provides a range of options tailored to your needs.

Our team are specialised in supporting people with learning disabilities who may have been involved in offending or significantly challenging behaviour.

We will work flexibly with you to support you to live as independently as you can, to develop skills and confidence in specific things such a budgeting, personal care, shopping, cooking, socialising, education, training and work as well as safely getting involved in all aspects of community life.

PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) is at the core of the support we provide. PBS is a person-centred framework for providing long-term support to people with a learning disability and/or autism, including those with mental health conditions, who have, or may be at risk of developing, behaviours that challenge.

We can also offer structured programmes, specifically for younger people who are looking to gain more independence as they move into adult life.

The Care Quality Commission has stated that our Community Support Service is caring, effective, responsive, safe, well led and rated us as good. Read the full review.

Supported Accommodation

Supported accommodation is for young people over the age of 16 and provides them with a safe and nurturing environment, one that promotes independence and choice, while enhancing their core living skills, and the ability to move to fully independent living.

The element of the service supporting 16 and 17 year olds is a regulated service, registered with Ofsted.

Supported Lodgings

Supported Lodgings provide an alternative approach to care and supported accommodation for young people over the age of 16.

Our aim is to provide people with the support they need to live more independently.

The scheme works by placing people who need support to live independently with a Supported Lodgings carer who welcomes them into their home and helps them with independent living skills so that they can live their life to the full.

Individuals supported in Supported Lodgings all have different needs but they are all care experienced.

Supported Accommodation can offer a long term living arrangement, a short term break, occasional respite care or perhaps even just one or two days a week rather than living with a carer.

Our registered Supported Lodgings carers are paid for the care and support they provide. They too come from all walks of life and may be individuals, couples or families – but what they have in common is the desire to make a difference.

We carefully match people needing support with an approved Supported Lodgings carer. We are proud of our matching process. As well as long term arrangements, Supported Lodgings provides short term and respite care.

The element of the service supporting 16 and 17 year old care leavers is a regulated service, registered with Ofsted.

Shared Lives

Telford Shared Lives is part of our My Options service and has been providing an alternative approach to care and supported accommodation for many years.

Our aim is to provide people with the support they need to live more independently.

The scheme works by placing people who need support to live independently with a Shared Lives carer who welcomes them into their home and helps them with independent living skills so that they can live their life to the full.

Individuals supported by Shared Lives all have different needs. They may have learning or physical disabilities, they may be older people who are frail, leaving hospital or living with dementia or they may have mental health problems.

Shared Lives can offer a long term living arrangement, a short term break, occasional respite care or perhaps even just one or two days a week rather than living with a carer.

Our registered Shared Lives carers are paid for the care and support they provide. They too come from all walks of life and may be individuals, couples or families – but what they have in common is the desire to make a difference.

We carefully match people needing support with an approved Shared Lives carer. We are proud of our matching process, with many of our existing placements lasting as long as 20 years! As well as long term arrangements, Shared Lives provides short term and respite care.

The Care Quality Commission has stated that our Shared Lives scheme is caring, effective, responsive, safe, well led and rated us as Excellent. Read the full review.