[Printable page]

 

 

Mission Statement

"That all may reach their potential"

 

 

Our Policy Statement

VAMW CARE embraces "The Bill of Wrongs" along with our "Philosophy" and "Obligations To The People We Support" therefore adopt all three of them as part of our constitution. This is to ensure that the people we support and care for live happy and fulfilled lifestyles.

 

 

The Bill of Wrongs

It has often been noted in this country that we are subjects of the monarchy and not citizens with rights. A bill of rights for the general population does not exist. Disability rights are slow in coming. It is therefore problematic when a service tries " to make local laws" giving people with learning difficulties rights. In this political environment, it is easier to point out what is "wrong" rather than what is "right".

 

 

  1. It is WRONG to move you or make other major decisions without helping you to voice your views.
  2. It is WRONG for anyone to decide to spend your money for you without asking.
  3. It is WRONG to give you medical treatment without your consent.
  4. It is WRONG to have to put up with physical or sexual abuse.
  5. It is WRONG for your key worker to change without asking you.
  6. It is WRONG to feel afraid in your own home.
  7. It is WRONG to be disbelieved when you want to be listened to.
  8. It is WRONG to be stopped from complaining.
  9. It is WRONG to be stopped from seeing anyone you want.
  10. It is WRONG to be denied opportunities to go out and enjoy yourself because of your behaviour.
  11. It is WRONG to have your possessions taken away.
  12. It is WRONG to be locked in your room.
  13. It is WRONG for your views and choices to be ignored.
  14. It is WRONG to be denied knowledge of your rights, or information about your treatment and service options.
  15. It is WRONG for anyone to shout at you, or be rude.
  16. It is WRONG to be discriminated against because of your gender, religion, race, culture or disability.
  17. It is WRONG to have to live with someone you don't like.
  18. It is WRONG for you not to have access to meetings, which concern you.

 

Philosophy

 

VAMW Care aims to provide the highest quality support and accommodation to adults with learning disabilities in the Motherwell and Wishaw area. 

 

We will do this by enabling the people who use our service to pursue a community-based integrated lifestyle of their own choice.  By providing the type and amount of support that people require to live in safety and dignity in a person centred way we will empower them to be in charge of their own lives.

Service should be based on a clear statement of values that is accepted and understood throughout the organisation.

 

The values underpinning our efforts to provide the best possible service have their foundation in the belief that to do this you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money.  That is sincerity, integrity and a recognition and understanding of the common humanity shared by us all regardless of disability.

 

 

Our Obligations to the People We Support

 

We acknowledge that in order to assist you effectively we must earn your trust and the distinction of being your ally by:

 

  • Treating you with respect and listening carefully to you so that we can keep getting to know you better.
  • Learning with you about your interests and preferences and working with you to ensure a safe, decent base for your participation in community life
  • Learning with you about the kind, amount and style of assistance you need to live successfully in your home and your community
  • Recognising the social, financial and personal barriers to the kind of home life you want and assisting you to work to overcome them
  • Understanding the vulnerabilities to your well-being that result from your disability and your personal history and carefully negotiating safeguards with you that balance risk and safety in a responsible way
  • Being flexible and creative with all resources available to us to respond as your interests, preferences and needs change
  • Keeping responsibilities clear so that, in every area in which we work together, you and we know what you will contribute, what your family and friends will contribute, and what assistance and support we will contribute
  • Minimising our intrusion in your life by periodically checking to make sure that we are not doing unnecessary things or doing necessary things in intrusive ways
  • Following through on our commitment to you and not making promises that we can't keep
  • Sticking with you in difficult times
  • Learning from our mistakes

 

 

We recognise that social, legal and service developments open many new possibilities for people with learning difficulties and we accept responsibility to:

 

  • Provide you with information
  • Invite and encourage you to try new experiences
  • Invite and encourage you to widen your circle of friends and contacts
  • Hold high expectations for the quality of your life as a full citizen and community member
  • Stretch our own awareness of possibilities by actively seeking contacts with people involved in building up our communities and with people who are developing more effective and practical ways to assist people with disabilities

 

 

We know that you could find yourself in conflict with others: neighbours, landlords, other service providers, or the law.  In these conflicts we recognise our responsibility:

 

  • To be on your side, in the sense that we will assist you to achieve the best resolution of the conflict possible in the circumstances
  • To assist you to understand the conflict and to consider alternatives for its resolution
  • To assist other parties to the conflict to understand your position
  • To consider adjusting the kind or extent of the assistance we offer you if that adjustment will help to achieve a satisfactory resolution of the conflict

 

We realise that you may disagree with us or be dissatisfied with our assistance to you and we accept responsibility to:

 

  • Negotiate openly with you in search of mutually satisfying outcomes
  • Try new ways to assist you and then check to see if the new approach has good results
  • Work hard to understand your communications about the adequacy and acceptability of assistance, especially when you can express yourself better through your behaviour than in words
  • Assist you to explore other sources of assistance if you want to do that

  

 

Registered Office: John Thomson House, Glencairn Street, Motherwell, ML1 1TT

Tel: 01698 244344    Fax: 01698 244345    Email: care@vamw.org    Web: www.vamw.org

Registered Company No 125649    Registered Charity No SC 008731
Build a website