I’m often asked about which kinds of social care services can be provided on a micro-scale. The answer, in my view, is all of them. As these two examples of micro-enterprises illustrate, services for younger and older people can all benefit from feeling much more personal.
After spending many years in further education and social care and seeing the limited opportunities that young people leaving post-19 education have to experience adventurous activities, Helen and Terry decided to set up The Adventure Service. Their services include environmental studies, mountain biking, bushcraft and hill walking offered on a day service basis for up to 12 people. They also offer outreach services working with people who need more direct one-to-one input to become more confident in accessing mainstream services.
They support people in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire with a range of support needs including learning disabilities, autism and mental illness. All the services are paid for either by individuals’ own money or their personal budgets. They also provide services to schools to enable students who have support needs of some kind or are vulnerable to access adventurous activities. www.theadventureservice.com
Izabela, following on from her many years of experience as a qualified nurse, has set up her own small care and nursing agency for people in the Thames Valley area. Henley Care Ltd. specialises in providing nurses and carers for 24 hour live in care, as well as offering a daily visit service.
Izabela believes that care at home is not a universal panacea and may not suit everyone, however it is possible and can allow people to remain in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by friends and familiar objects for as long as they wish. She offers community health services, care in people’s homes and supported living with specialisms in dementia, diagnostic and/or screening services, mental health conditions and physical disabilities.
The business is run on the principal that everything comes down to the quality of the individual providing the day to day support and whether they actually care by treating people with respect and taking a real interest in all their needs. www.henleycare.com
Escaping the invisible asylum 