Social Care provides care and learning through activities both on and off-site. Our provision at Herbert Street is user friendly, so everyone can easily find their way around, allowing freedom
and independence. We have recently opened an exciting new provision based at The John Marley Centre in Newcastle this September 2022.
The site is home to our social care learners
51 weeks of the year.
Social Care is not only about developing current life skills, but it also identifies new skills, such as cookery and home management to further promote and enhance their communication, independence, and choice, based on the PfA (Preparing for Adulthood) agenda.
Social Care
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and Makaton are used to support and enable our young adults to have a ‘voice’ and make active choices regarding their learning and enrichment activities. Everyone can engage in a range of different activities designed to develop skills in a range of areas.
All learners are encouraged to use iPads and computers to source ideas so they can take part in entrepreneurial activities, which can develop confidence and independence to support individual and group success.
Throughout the Social Care building there are wall mounted visual prompts for those who like to follow timetables, and all learners are encouraged to be active in the production of social stories where important information can be understood.
Learning through activities
We strive to participate in as many enriching opportunities as possible. Our young adults are encouraged to visit sports and community centres and take part in a wide range of physical activities, such as football, archery, and P.E. We promote health and wellbeing and have a trained fitness coach who delivers fun and engaging sessions.
We also have a wood craft hub where our young adults learn about recycling wood and utilising natural products which are foraged locally. We are working at ‘Haystax’, a local farm where our learners plant trees and make bird and bat boxes and bug houses. We have a plot of land where we intend to create a wonderful wildflower haven for wildlife, as well as a sensory and vegetable garden with raised beds. Our work with ‘Haystax’ gives our young people the opportunity to learn as much as possible about nature, whilst enjoying the great outdoors. All our young adults participate in practical skills such as shopping, food preparation and home management skills at a level, expectation to suit their individual needs and progression.
These practical skills activities also include arts and crafts, upcycling, cookery, numeracy and literacy-based games, drama, music, and Makaton sessions.
Our young people also take part in relaxation sessions which includes holistic therapy, Tacpac (linking the sensory world of touch and music) and time in our wonderful sensory room where we have gentle lighting and music, as well as a range of sensory and meaningful items.
The young people who attend Social Care are able to choose the activities they would like to participate in each day. This is a brilliant opportunity to see everyone with a variety of abilities working together, whilst encouraging and supporting one another. We believe that promoting choice, communication and independence tailored to each individual is essential in creating self-confidence and a greater self-belief.
You can find us on Facebook, TiK ToK and Twitter having fun and showing the world what we get up to.