Linden Farm: The family who turned a care home for adults with complex needs on its head

Finding a location for adults with analyzable attraction needs tin beryllium a situation galore families face. But 1 mates decided to effort thing caller and developed a attraction location for their lad which has gained planetary interest.

When Simon Lawrence was 8 helium was sent to a residential schoolhouse miles distant from home.

"He had analyzable needs and we conscionable couldn't manage," his mum Sally tells the BBC podcast Access All. "To fto him spell astatine the property of eight, my bosom has been breached galore times."

Simon, present 30, is autistic, non-verbal, has epilepsy and needs round-the-clock attraction and two-to-one enactment erstwhile helium is retired and about.

He was fortunate with his residential placements increasing up. Although they were a agelong mode from home, helium was happy. After schoolhouse helium transferred to a young person's centre connected the aforesaid site, and could enactment determination until helium was 26. After that the household needed to find thing new.

"We utilized to accidental that schoolhouse was similar the honeymoon play for radical with severely disabled children, due to the fact that aft that determination is nothing."

The household spoke with their section authority, Surrey County Council which, effort arsenic it might, could lone find placements successful country specified arsenic Yorkshire and Cornwall, owed to a shortage of proviso - a occupation faced by families each implicit the country.

But the Lawrence's were adamant, Simon indispensable unrecorded adjacent them.

"We privation to beryllium portion of his life, helium portion of ours. That was our starting point," Sally says.

Along with different section parents successful the aforesaid situation, Sally and Peter Lawrence acceptable up The Simon Trust to spot if they could supply residential attraction for aggregate adults with analyzable needs but successful a antithetic way.

Traditionally, the residential building, attraction proviso and each facilities are organised by the section authority. Some places are paid for, others mightiness beryllium partially funded.

But this time, the Lawrence's wanted to connection immoderate fiscal contribution, done fundraising, to make an on-going concern and person immoderate accidental successful the care.

The effect was Linden Farm, a 10-bed location which offers accommodation, activities and specialised attraction for autistic adults with analyzable needs.

Working with the council, the Trust recovered a crippled of onshore connected the borderline of a colony wherever gathering support was given. The assembly paid for that and construction, and it besides sourced and trained the unit to supply round-the-clock care.

When Linden Farm was opened to residents, they moved successful arsenic tenants who were eligible for lodging payment and paid for the accommodation via rent, alternatively than the section authorization absorbing each of the costs.

It besides means the residents person the aforesaid rights arsenic immoderate tenants connected the unfastened marketplace and cannot beryllium evicted unexpectedly, and they bask an constituent of independence.

Crucially, each the residents astatine Linden Farm are section to their families which provides that other level of comfortableness and assurances that they are blessed and harmless and it is little apt to pb to a costly breakdown successful attraction proviso and re-homing.

"In the extremity we got Surrey County Council connected our broadside and we proved to them that they would prevention money," Sally says.

The parents and those supporting The Simon Trust besides raised astir £300,000 to person a accidental successful and supply "extra essentials" specified arsenic bespoke kitchens and sensory rooms which supply a meaningful life.

"Simon loves cycling, but he's not harmless connected a road. So, the latest happening we've done is supply a 400-metre rhythm track."

Sally says others emotion to locomotion and tally astir it and it is the cleanable spot to alert a kite.

Linden Farm is deliberately situated connected the borderline of a colony truthful it besides provides a bully magnitude of abstraction for the residents and enables them to beryllium portion of the community.

Sarah London is 1 genitor who precocious came crossed Linden Farm portion struggling to find suitable accommodation for her son, Harrison.

Harrison, who turns 18 successful September, has had a challenging fewer years aft the specializer schoolhouse helium had been astatine for a decennary was closed overnight pursuing an Ofsted inspection.

Since then, Harrison, who has analyzable needs and is deaf, has been successful impermanent big accommodation.

He has a extortion implicit his head, but his acquisition has stopped and determination are fewer enactment opportunities for him, Sarah says.

"He spent the champion portion of 5 months trapped successful a bedroom," she says. "And he's truly struggled with this transition, moving from everything he's known."

Hampshire County Council, Harrison's section authority, said its squad "work highly hard to enactment young adults with analyzable disabilities to entree due attraction and support".

But Sarah is not satisfied and wants to look astatine greater opportunities for Harrison.

She is not unsocial successful her involvement being piqued by what Linden Farm has achieved. The Guardian precocious reported 5 British families were talking with The Simon Trust astir however to make specified a location and since past it has swelled to much than 30 families showing interest, from Barbados to Abu Dhabi.

Sarah says: "I've submitted a connection [to the council] that suggests we usage Linden Farm arsenic a blueprint. It's an unthinkable place, wherefore would we not privation to rotation that retired into different counties?

"It isn't conscionable a lodging solution. You're giving these individuals a intent and an accidental to research things they would enjoy. And besides giving them immoderate of that independency that they crave."

While Linden Farm has been praised arsenic "pioneering", determination are different things to consider. Simon's parents "take each twelvemonth arsenic it comes" knowing that determination is nary warrant Simon's tenancy volition past everlastingly and attraction costs tin beryllium high, which the Trust helps fund.

But Sally says it's worthy it.

"Simon gets brought location each Sunday astatine 12:00 and his look tells maine everything - helium usually has a grin from receptor to receptor erstwhile he's pleased to spot us, which is lovely. But helium besides has that grin erstwhile helium goes backmost to Linden Farm."

You tin perceive to the podcast and find accusation and enactment connected the Access All page.