Being 'mainstream' but not yet 'established' ... continued

At the start of last week I received a copy of a report about supporting people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. 

SUPPORTING PEOPLE WITH PROFOUND AND MULTIPLE LEARNING DISABILITIES:'CORE & ESSENTIAL SERVICE STANDARDS'
(by Dr Thomas Doukas, Annie Fergusson, Michael Fullerton & Joanna Grace)

Developed with the help of a diverse group of family members, professionals and academics 'these Service Standards are the result of a positive and passionate desire to ensure people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, regardless of age and circumstance receive excellent support and services consistently and are always respected as a person' (from the forward by Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP).

These standards outline a number of key objectives and principles that should be adopted by commissioners and service providers so that families and other representatives can be clear about what level and type of support and services they should expect for the person they represent. The report is available via the PMLD Link website, and so please go and download it for free at: www.pmldlink.org.uk/resources/#commissioning

The authors of the report hope that these standards will be adopted nationally - and this point reminded me of my previous blog (04/08/17) in which I made the point that Intensive Interaction is now a mainstream approach (and it is therefore included in this report), but not yet an established one - it doesn't happen as it should, as a matter of course! We still need to continue our work in the areas of dissemination and sustainable practice and service level development more broadly.

Anyway, back to Intensive Interaction, which is represented in four sections of this report:

Individual Standard 1: Communication
2b. Continuity of communication is demonstrated ... paying particular attention to gaining insight from those who know the individual best (e.g. family and familiar support staff) and then as many perspectives as possible, utilising as many avenues for understanding (e.g. Intensive Interaction, sensory engagement such as hydro, massage, music, responsive environment etc.)

3b. Supporting staff are skilled in delivering a total communication approach, e.g. sensory engagement, Intensive Interaction, routines and sensory cues, objects of reference.

Individual Standard 3: Meaningful/Quality Relationships. 
9. Staff understand the implementation and benefits of safe touch (functional use of touch vs. natural and emotional touch) and Intensive Interactions techniques.

Organisations Standard 3 : Staff development (skills and confidence)
2. All support staff receive regular in-house training, refreshed at appropriate intervals. Such training includes Total Communication, Manual Handling of People, Postural Care, Intensive Interaction or Sensory Engagement, Active Support, Safe Eating and Drinking skills, Supported Choice and Decision Making, involvement in services etc.

Finally I will leave you with a great quote from this report: 

“A person’s ability to communicate is not dependent on their being able to master certain skills, it is dependent on our ability to listen and communicate responsively” 

Jo Grace, The Sensory Projects