Specialist support
Support for adults with a learning disability
Support at home built around the person, at the pace they set, for adults with a learning disability. We have a specialist team in Torbay.
- A specialist team based in Torbay
- Registered with and inspected by the Care Quality Commission
- Visits from one hour up to twenty-four hours a day
Working in partnership with the NHS
Regulated by the Care Quality Commission. See our rating and the full inspection report.
What support can look like
Good support is the support someone actually wants. What that looks like differs enormously from one person to the next, so the list opposite is a starting point rather than a package.
We will work it out with you, and with the person themselves, at a free home visit. Nothing is agreed until everyone is happy with it.
Involving the person
Whoever the support is for should have a say in it. We would rather take longer over the first visit than agree a plan over their head.
Support we can help with
- Help with washing, dressing and personal care
- Support with medication
- Cooking, shopping and looking after the home
- Building daily routines and life skills
- Getting out to work, college, activities and appointments
- Company, conversation and support to see people
- Physical disabilities, challenging behaviour and associated mental health needs
- Respite so a family carer gets a break
How we try to work
Support can either build somebody up or quietly take over. These are the habits our carers are asked to hold to.
What helps
- Doing things WITH someone, not for them
- Keeping the same faces where the rota allows
- Asking rather than assuming, every time
- Letting someone take the time they need
- Working to the routines that already suit them
What does not
- Deciding things over someone's head
- Rushing a task because it is quicker to do it yourself
- Talking to the family instead of the person
- Changing a routine without explaining why
- Treating a bad day as a reason to take over
How support starts
You get in touch
Call us, or ask a social worker or discharge team to. Tell us as much or as little as you like.
A free home visit
We come out to understand what is needed, at no cost and with no obligation.
Agreeing the goals
What a good week looks like, and what matters most to the person.
Support begins
We introduce the team, and the plan is reviewed as things change.
A specialist team in Torbay
This work is not the same as general home care, so it is not staffed the same way. Our specialist team is based in Torbay and covers the surrounding area. If you are not sure whether we reach you, ask.
Our care staff have completed the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, the training standard introduced for staff supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Questions families ask us
Is a learning disability the same as a learning difficulty?
Not quite, although the terms often get used interchangeably. A learning disability affects how someone understands information and copes with daily life, and usually starts in childhood. A learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, affects specific skills rather than general understanding. This page is about supporting adults with a learning disability, but if you are unsure which applies, ring and ask us.
Can you support someone with other needs alongside this?
Yes. As well as everyday support we help with physical disabilities, challenging behaviour, associated mental health needs and other complex needs. Please call and talk it through with us.
Will the person being supported have a say?
Yes, and we would rather take longer over the first visit than agree a plan over their head. Whoever the support is for should be part of deciding what it looks like.
Do you work with social workers and support teams?
Yes. Referrals are welcome from social workers and council brokerage as well as from families. See our For Professionals page.
What areas do you cover?
Plymouth, Torbay, Newton Abbot and Teignmouth, plus the surrounding towns and villages. The specialist team is based in Torbay. If you are not sure whether we reach you, just ask.
What will it cost?
Support is priced by what is actually needed, so there is no single figure we can honestly put on this page. Where a council or the NHS is arranging the support, the funding routes are set out on our care costs page.
Could you do this work? We are recruiting carers across Devon, and no experience is needed to start.
Ready to talk it through?
There is no pressure and no obligation. Just an honest conversation about what would help.