Options Malvern View celebrates national recognition

Options Malvern View are celebrating after receiving a national commendation for the high quality support they offer. The service which supports young adults with a range of needs to live as independently as possible was recently given the internationally-recognised Autism Accreditation quality standard, with a commendation, by the National Autistic Society (NAS).

The National Autistic Society Autism Accreditation programme aims to improve the quality of service provision for people with autism and Asperger syndrome by providing autism-specific quality assurances.

The service was reviewed by the charity earlier this year and is now in line for a Professional Excellence award after receiving a special commendation for encouraging the promotion of independence in people with autism.

On average, the National Autistic Society gives out less than 20 commendations to services across the UK each year.

In the report from the charity, Options Malvern View, at The Rhydd, was praised for its ‘strong ethos of the development of independence throughout the service’.

Staff were noted to have ‘an unconditional positive regard for people with autism throughout all activities’ and were described as ‘consistent, confident and knowledgeable’.

The review team was impressed with ‘the service and the high quality support offered to people with autism’ and noted that ‘everyone the team met displayed a very obvious pride in what they had achieved in the service and the support and encouragement provided to all was very positive’.

All parents surveyed as part of the review were either happy or very happy with the service provided by Options Malvern View.

Regional Head of Service, Helen Cook, said everyone at Options Malvern View was thrilled with the outcome.

“Options Malvern View staff work really hard to support independence in those young people we support, so to receive such a positive accreditation is fantastic, especially because to get a commendation is quite rare,” said Helen.

“There’s a real buzz around the place and everyone is really proud. We get some fantastic outcomes for the people we support and this is largely down to the dedication of our staff and the close working relationship we have with the Options Autism Clinical Team. We also have some great facilities, including a courtyard café where service users can work, and a sensory garden which is in the final stages of development.”

Left to right – Liz Atkinson (Life Skills Instructor), Nick Waller (Flat Manager), Chris Lown (Team Leader), Chris Mawby (Registered Manager), Josh Wheeler (Deputy Registered Manager), Emma Cropper (Flat Manager), Kim Willis (Life Skills Instructor), Jemma Murphy (Team Leader) & Helen Hughes (Clinical Lead & Psychologist).