Services
Supported Living Services
Child Services
Adult Services
JMind
Supported Employment
Supported Living Services
Cosgrove Care has been providing high quality supported accommodation since the early sixties and this is the core activity from which all other aspects of Cosgrove’s services have developed. Support was initially offered on the traditional residential home support model and has now developed into more individual care packages in line with the current Care Commission guidelines.
Currently we offer supported living accommodation in eight different locations where individuals have their own tenancies and are supported by staff 24 hours a day. Accommodation ranges from flats where service users have their own rooms but also shared, communal areas, to single occupancy or self-contained flats which may be used on a temporary or respite basis. Accommodation has been adapted to meet the needs of our service users which can include physical as well as learning disabilities, and also specific dietary requirements that respect individuals’ culture and faith. Each residence also has vehicles for its convenience, whether provided by The Motability Scheme, owned by service users and/or by Cosgrove.
Cosgrove Care empowers the people it supports to fulfill their potential in the journey of life, and service users are supported to live in their own home and fulfill their ambitions and personal objectives in every way possible. The majority of support we provide is one to one, and the role of staff is to help service users with tasks and activities in their daily life as well as offering emotional and practical support. Our supported living accommodation users are encouraged and assisted to live full and independent lives, accessing local amenities and services as active citizens, making decisions which affect their lives, partaking in our augmented services such as creative workshops, supported training, and social groups, and generally developing aspirations and goals that were perhaps previously denied to them.
By working with families, the agencies and services that support them, and the local community, Cosgrove staff are dedicated to promoting equality, respect, and opportunity. The team works closely with occupational therapists, dieticians, speech and language therapists, district and community nurses, and chiropodists amongst other professionals, and are dedicated to encouraging service user participation at every level.
Cosgrove’s Mission Statement is “Cosgrove Care empowers all of its people to fulfil their potential in the journey of life”
All service users are given the opportunity to fulfil the statement and live as ‘normal’ a life as possible. They are given the same opportunity as anyone to access all amenities in their community. Staff continually promote equality and opportunity on their behalf to ensure they are respected as individuals and are encouraged to take an active part in decisions affecting their lives.
Contact Information:
Margaret Ann Caldwell
Operational Manager – Residential Services
Cosgrove Care
Walton Community Care Centre
May Terrace
Giffnock
GLASGOW G46 6LD
Tel: 0141 620 2500
Child Services
Cosgrove Care provides the highest standards of care for children with learning disabilities and complex needs from the age of 3 upwards. We are continually striving to offer new opportunities and experiences, working diligently with families and social workers to develop care plans which are tailored to meet the specific requirements and aspirations of each individual child.
We support children in their own home on a one-to-one basis, facilitating their daily schedule, as part of our befriending scheme, and through a range of out-of-school leisure and sport activities. In 2008 over 60 children participated in our spring, summer and autumn playschemes (theme high ration 15 to 10 children) which incorporated water play, drama, music, arts and crafts, cooking and baking, sports, construction and a selection of outings to places such as Glasgow Science Centre and Chatelherault Country Park. A high ration of staff to children ensures that we can provide a safe, stimulating and fun environment that caters for each child’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs during school holidays along with offering familites a form of respite and promoting community integration.
The aims of our Child Services are:
- To overcome isolation and the lack of opportunities for children with learning difficulties and/or complex needs.
- To enable children with learning disabilities to make better connections with their peers, different generations, their families and the local community thus increasing opportunities for socialisation and happiness and preventing mental health problems.
- To broaden learning and employment prospects for children with learning disabilities.
- To reduce stress and increase support for families and carers by helping more parents to develop the knowledge and skills to support children with learning disabilities.
- To involve volunteers and the wider community in helping to overcome the exclusion of children with learning disabilities.
In June 2008 we were delighted to achieve our Autism Accreditation from the National Autistic Society (NAS), a programme devised to improve the quality of provision for people with an Autistic Spectrum disorder. Throughout the UK only 150 organisations have achieved Autism Accreditation despite over 500,000 people in the UK having autism. This recognition, from a well known and respected society, means we have attained a standard of excellence in both policy and practice.
Contact Information:
Liz Robertson (Child Services Co-ordinator)
Cosgrove Care
Walton Community Care Centre
May Terrace
Giffnock
GLASGOW G46 6LD
Tel: 0141 620 2500
Adult Services
Cosgrove provides a range of activities for its adult service users offering them a wide choice of options. The project has grown considerably over the past year, and East Renfrewshire Council has recognised the quality and consistency of our Adult Services and now regard us as being a preferred provider. The service provides support for over 40 people per week, almost 300 hours of individual support on a one to one basis. The staff team has increased from 10 staff to 16 staff providing specialist support in a number of areas. In supporting and validating the emotional and mental health needs of our adult service users, we expect to achieve the following benefits:
- The development of sensory awareness and motor skills.
- The development of practical, life skills.
- The stimulation of free creative thinking and non- judgmental self-expression.
- The communication of emotions, thoughts and feelings through means not dependent on verbal articulation or written skills.
- Personal enrichment gained through social interaction and friendship.
- Awareness of learning disability issues within the community.
In 2009, Adult Services look forward to pushing forward a healthy eating and exercise initiative which aims to educate adults with learning disabilities to make informed and healthy choices about shopping, cooking, and incorporating fitness activities into their lives.
Contact Information:
Gillian Greenlaw (Adult Services Manager)
Cosgrove Care
Walton Community Care Centre
May Terrace
Giffnock
GLASGOW G46 6LD
Tel: 0141 620 2500
JMind
One in four adults in Scotland is affected by mental health issues at any one time, and according to the report Delivering for Mental Health, 2006, around a third of General Practitioners’ time is taken up by patients with mental health issues. There is general consensus that early intervention and treatment or counseling can prevent or reduce the need for medication and hospitalisation. This has the dual benefit of reducing pressure on the National Health Service and improving the quality of life of those fortunate enough to access professional help at an early stage in their illness.
Jmind offers just such an early intervention service and has demonstrated, since its inception in August 2004, exactly this success with its service users. Although there were other mental health agencies within our locality, Cosgrove had clearly demonstrated that where an ethnic specific service is offered, the community will access it in preference to or in conjunction with any others, and a specific, appropriate and professional service provision for people within the Jewish community with mental health issues was not available through other agencies in the area. As Cosgrove had a proven track record with learning disabilities within the Scottish Jewish community, our local council welcomed and recognised the need for culturally sensitive service provision across all client groups. Further to this, because of the strong family ethic of the Jewish faith many non-Jewish families are now making Cosgrove Care their provider of choice as they recognise the level of care provided. Jmind, as with all Cosgrove Care services, now welcomes individuals from all faiths and backgrounds.
Since 2004 Jmind has steadily increased its number of referrals and now supports a client group of over 20 individuals between 18 and 65 years old with the following range of issues:
- Clients with mental illness and enduring mental health needs who require continuing, often intensive support
- Clients who have experienced emotional distress or personal trauma in their lives
- Clients who exhibit challenging behaviours which affect their ability to play an active part in the community
- Clients who have misused drugs and/or alcohol in addition to having a mental health need
The range of services offered includes a drop in centre, individual and group counseling, outreach support, carers’ support groups, art and music therapy, aromatherapy and holistic approaches,Information, guidance and advocacy.
How to access the Service:
The service operates on an open referral system which means that referrals will be considered from both statutory (eg Health Teams/Social Work Teams) and voluntary agencies. We will also consider referrals from families, carers or self referrals. Where a third party has made the referral, the person to be supported must be aware of and agreeable to the referral. All referrals are treated in confidence.
Contact Information:
Linda Walker (Service Manager)
Jmind
222 Fenwick Road
Giffnock
Glasgow G46 6UE
Tel: 0141 577 8246
e-mail: lindawalker@jmind.org.uk
Supported Employment
Our Supported Employment project was established in 2003 to enable people with learning disabilities to access realistic work experience and gain national qualifications which lead into paid employment. Nationally only 26% of people with learning disabilites are in employment, the lowest figure for any disabled group. The project is based in a busy community café and charity shop in the south-side of Glasgow. Since the project opened in March 2007 it has generated considerable interest from local authorities, schools, colleges, voluntary organisations and other funders such as Charitable Trusts and individuals. It hopes to achieve the following outcomes:
- Young people with learning disabilities will benefit from raised aspirations and will make a more successful transition from school into employment or further education.
- Families will benefit from advice and information so they can provide the best possible support during transition towards adulthood and independent living.
- Cosgrove Care will benefit from an expansion of a project which has a high level of demand and from income from shop profits to sustain the project in the longer-term.
- Local schools will benefit from working in partnership with an organisation that has the expertise to deliver realistic work experience opportunities for those senior pupils who would otherwise be excluded from this important part of the school curriculum.
- The local community will benefit by becoming more socially inclusive and aware of the skills and abilities of people with learning disabilities.
- Local employers will benefit from advice to make their workplaces accessible for people with learning disabilities, and access to qualified employees and job coaching for new employees.
- Local authorities will benefit from supported employment and training for their residents with learning disabilities, who would otherwise be more likely to be amongst the long-term unemployed.
The project offers 3 training programmes for young people with learning disabilities:
- Work experience for S4/S5 school pupils,
- 6 month work placement for S5 and S6 pupils to achieve the Cosgrove Certificate,
- 1 year full time course to achieve an SVQ in Customer Care.
Cosgrove is now seeking funding to develop these courses into a permanent training facility for young people in our region.
Contact Information:
Derek Brown (Supported Employment Co-ordinator)
Cosgrove Care
Walton Community Care Centre
May Terrace
Giffnock
GLASGOW G46 6LD
Tel: 0141 620 2500
