FAQ’s

• Does Assist support people who use wheelchairs? How about personal care?

  Assist has tried to make its buildings as accessible as possible, but this is limited due to the age and the listed status of the properties concerned.

  Lazar House is a better option for those people who use wheelchairs, for example, but we do have accessible toilets on the ground floor of all Assist properties – as well as a wheelchair accessible vehicle to help access the Gardens and other community based activities. The Gardens site itself has also been made far more accessible in recent years, with more hard surfacing and more raised beds installed over that time.

  Due to the listed building status of the buildings that Assist uses, we are unfortunately not able to offer more than basic personal care support.

• Who arranges transport to and from Assist?

  This is usually arranged between the individual’s family and Social Services. Costs for this transport may be covered if the Local Authority agree that no other arrangements can be made. If appropriate, Assist can help travel train individuals so that they manage the journeys independently.

• What are the Assist start and finish times?

  Members can arrive at Assist from 8.30am and group sessions begin at 9am. Lunch time is usually from 12-1pm but all day groups may have different times. All groups finish at 3pm and members leave between 3pm and 3.30pm (taxi pick-ups are staggered to manage exit times safely).

• What groups will I join when I first join Assist and how often does the timetable change?

  When people first arrive at Assist, individuals will be supported to join the groups on the existing timetable that best suit their needs.

  Timetables change 3 times a year, so individuals will soon be supported to make choices about the specific groups and activities they would like to take part in – as everyone is consulted during the new timetable preparation period.

• What is the charge for attending Assist?

  Assist generally charges £63.54 a day (£9.08 per hour)
  Higher rates are charged for the 2 year Skills and Employment pathway and for individuals requiring one to one support. Otherwise individuals are charged the same flat rate, regardless of their levels of need, as everyone then receives the same, person-centred and progressive style of support.

• Can you administer medication?

  No. We are able to store it safely in our medicine cabinet or fridge, but we cannot administer it. We can prompt an individual when it is time to take it, and we will keep countersigned records when it has been self administered.

• Can members go out at break times?

  Depending on their level of independence, some of our members will receive travel training to go to the local shops, or to and from work placements if it is safe for them to do so. A careful assessment is made by the travel training team, and individuals can be signed off on certain routes.

• What do members do for lunch at Assist?

  Members usually bring a packed lunch – unless they are in a cooking group which means that they will prepare their own lunch in one of our kitchens. If a packed lunch is needed, please note that the members don’t have access to a microwave to heat up food. We do, however, have vending machines so that hot drinks and soup can be purchased for 50p a cup.

• How is progress recognised at Assist Trust?

  Recognising progress and achievement is a large part of what we do at Assist. We do so by building on the strengths people have and focus strongly on social skills, daily living skills and job skills. Any groups or activities that involve things like reading, writing or money skills always work on ways of applying those skills in the real world. Instead of giving out certificates, we praise people for progress made, whenever it occurs.

  Staff also nominate members for their achievements in groups and every 3 weeks we post a new members achievements video on our Social Media pages and on the Members Achievements page on our website, with photos and descriptions of these achievements.