Statement of Purpose In relation to the requirements of the Care Quality Commission

Transcription

1 Statement of Purpose In relation to the requirements of the Care Quality Commission 13 th Edition Realise the Unimagined You

2 Portland College Statement of Purpose In relation to the requirements of Care Quality Commission 13 th Edition (December 2013) Quentin Colley Vice Principal & Registered Manager Portland College Nottingham Road Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG18 4TJ

3 Introduction Portland College is an Independent Specialist College of further education. The College provides educational opportunities for learners and a range of independent living activities complimented by residential placements for service users in transition or who may require respite. The category of service falls into three main areas: 1. Young people aged with severe physical and/or learning disabilities that, by nature of their disability, require a degree of care and support. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) currently fund the education of these young people. 2. Adults with disabilities who are unemployed and are referred to Portland College by Jobcentre Plus for specific training aimed at regaining employment funded by the Department for Work & Pensions. 3. People with physical / learning disabilities who may wish to participate in individualised independent living programmes titled Portland Freedom and access residential placements for respite here on campus these can be funded by the service user themselves or by local commissioners of health & social care services These two groups of students whilst sharing some facilities on the campus are provided with separate living accommodation and separate educational facilities. There may be an occasional exception if an employment student also has a severe physical/ learning disability and needs specialist accommodation. The College offers 113 residential placements for learners with physical disabilities and learners with learning disabilities who need care support. The College offers non-residential placements to learners from within the local community who may require some elements of personal care but do not require residential accommodation as part of their programme. For the purpose of our registration as a provider of residential accommodation required under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, we are registering accommodation occupied by those students with a severe disability as defined in Points 1 and 3. Our Statement of Purpose has been prepared to satisfy the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act It should be noted that Portland College is unlike a residential home in that it is an educational establishment and that it does not provide a permanent home for anyone. Students choose to come here to further their education. The year is divided into three academic terms each broken by a half term holiday. Students are free to return home for weekends and the longest half term is unlikely to exceed seven weeks. The College is also subject to inspection by Ofsted which can include accommodation areas and evening and weekend activities. Introduction Introduction

4 Contents Page Number Registered Provider and Manager details 7 Aims, philosophy and expected outcomes for students 8 Arrangement to promote education and private study facilities 9 Arrangement to protect and promote health 10 Staff 11 Organisation structure Student mix age and gender 14 Range of needs that the College is intended to meet 15 Nursing provision 16 Admission criteria and policy on emergency admissions 17 Arrangements for social activities, hobbies, sporting and leisure interests 18 Student consultation on the operation of the College 19 Fire precautions and emergency procedures 20 Arrangements for students attending religious ceremonies of their choice 21 Arrangements for contact between students and relatives, friends and representatives 22 Arrangements for dealing with complaints 23 Arrangements for dealing with Student Plan reviews 24 Number and size of rooms in College 25 Specific therapeutic techniques and supervision arrangements Arrangements for respecting the privacy and dignity of students 28 Policy on behaviour management, use of restraint including disciplinary measures 29 The College aim for year olds 30-31

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6 Registered provider and manager details Relevant Names and Address: i. Registered Provider Dr Mark Dale The Cedars Portland College Nottingham Road Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG18 4TJ Relevant Qualifications BA (Hons) PhD Fellow of Chartered Management Institute ii. Registered Manager Mr Quentin Colley The Cedars Portland College Nottingham Road Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG18 4TJ Relevant Qualifications NVQ 2 Care NVQ 3 Continuing Care NVQ 4 Care NVQ 4 Registered Manager (Adults) Assessor Award D32 /33 & Additional A1 Updates Adult Teaching Cert Stage 1 PG Dip Continuing Education & Training PG Dip Executive Management Level 5 MA Lifelong Learning Fellow of Chartered Management Institute Chartered Manager (Cmgr) Member of the Institute for Learning Designated Person (Safeguarding) Page 7

7 Aims, philosophy and expected outcomes for students College Mission Statement To maximise ability and minimise disability, by providing opportunities in an inclusive residential setting, for individual empowerment through employment learning, independence and integration. Aim of the Care & Independence Department To work with and enable students to develop to their full potential gaining independence skills in all areas of their lives. Philosophy of the Care & Independence Department For staff to work with students rather than doing tasks for them, according to their Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and associated Person Centred Plan (PCP). Outcomes for Foundation Learners All students have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP), which is initiated with them prior to starting at the College. This is based on an assessment visit which explores their educational abilities, along with their personal aspirations and care needs. The ILP covers a range of areas; formal learning goals, developing independence skills in all aspects of life (daily living, social, sporting and leisure). To work with the student to achieve the goals and targets in the ILP there is a nominated Personal Tutor (education) and Care and Independence Tutor (Care Key Worker). Goals and targets are reviewed every half term (approximately 6 weeks). By the end of their course at Portland College it is envisaged that all students will have reached their original goals together with supplementary targets that are devised during the programme. Whilst the College encourages and wants learners to access and enjoy the extended curricular opportunities, the College encourages students to take personal responsibility for their attendance and participation in any events or activities that may be available. Outcomes for Portland Freedom Citizens Our Freedom citizens are on independent living programmes, have dedicated Person Centred Plans and Personalised Transition Plans. Outcomes relate specifically to citizen s assessment needs in order to promote effective transition towards independent living. Service users accessing short stay breaks have dedicated assessments and Person Centred Plans to ensure their stay at the College meets their needs with a focus on personalisation, enrichment and value added services. Page 8

8 Arrangement to promote education and private study facilities. Portland College is a dedicated further education college offering a wide range of courses designed to enable people with disabilities to develop to their full potential, both academically and in a range of daily living and independence skills. The Foundation Learning students access a coordinated independence program where multi-disciplinary teams of staff work together to promote student independence through a range of activities including family eating, therapy and mobility activities. Students are supported to attend formal classes within the Learning and Teaching Department (Foundation Learning) according to their agreed ILP. Portland College operates an extended curriculum that takes place throughout the waking day. The College fully subscribes to the Valuing People framework and strives to enable people with learning disabilities to have as much choice and control as possible over their lives. The support learners receive across the curriculum and throughout its support services promotes this ethos at all times. The College is also committed to longer term support for our learners and is committed to carrying out longer term research based on the outcomes for learners and identifying the longer term impact that a residential educational placement can have on disabled people. The Foundation Learning Manager plans and evaluates evening and weekend activities for students and a Sports Coordinator provides opportunities for students to engage in a wide range of sporting events both inside and outside the College. The extended curriculum brings together independence, care, leisure and recreation, enabling the variety of formal and informal learning experiences which provide learners with a cohesive and inclusive range of activities. Page 9

9 Arrangement to protect and promote health A skilled and trained staff team The staff team at Portland College (care, independence, education, ancillary, nursing and therapeutic staff) are all trained, appropriately within their role, in ways of protecting and promoting health e.g. basic food hygiene, nutrition, control of infectious diseases, vulnerable adult/child protection, moving and handling, fire evacuation and health and safety at work. Independence training Throughout the waking day staff work together with students via the ILP to encourage students to develop self-help and independence skills in the area of health protection and promotion. Educational opportunities Students undertake independence activities as part of their programme at Portland College. They are placed in defined case loads which are all aligned to the Foundation Learning framework. Specialist facilities Portland College has many specialist facilities within its campus that help students maintain, promote and protect their health. These include: A specialist physiotherapy team and fully equipped gymnasium allowing students to either receive physiotherapy as part of their ILP or follow an interest in fitness. A hydrotherapy facility that meets a specific physical need of some students. A dedicated nursing centre staffed by our nursing team whom are able to provide advice, support and training to students and staff. The nursing centre also has community links with external agencies, supporting access to a local GP practice, though students are able to choose to attend any of the local GP practices. Excellent accommodation, specifically designed to meet the needs of the College community. The College also promotes the use of adaptive technology where appropriate to promote student life styles. Sensory suite to support learners with specific sensory impairments. Adapted transport fleet to support community access. Page 10

10 Staff For the purpose of this section, we are referring to the staffing compliment within Support for Learning. Care The Care & Independence Team at Portland is the largest of the staff teams, because of this it is inevitable that there will be some staff turnover and any list will be out of date very quickly. The care & Independence staff team and qualifications profile may change from time to time. Details of staffing and qualifications are readily available on request. The college Senior Management Team also provide an on-call role at all times to support the duty staff team across college. The College has a dedicated waking nights team that support the students throughout the night and a waking Duty Night Shift Supervisor to manage the staff team and the environment through the night, promoting the students health, safety and well being. In addition to Care and Independence Tutors, we have a qualified and dedicated team of nurses. Although we do not provide direct nursing care, the nursing team assist the care team in a variety of ways including medication and technical support (e.g. tissue viability, continence care) and promote personal health care through dedicated health care promotion activities. In general there are three shifts working a rota system to provide support to students throughout the waking day, with cover throughout the night. Currently each of these shifts consists of a Duty Care and Independence Manager Care and Independence Co-ordinators that manage day-to-day delivery of care within specific accommodation areas and Care and Independence tutors delivering and evaluating personal care, guidance and support. At peak demand times and meal times the teams are supported by additional staff from across the College. The Duty Care and Independence Manager is the senior member of staff after 4pm and assumes responsibility for the College at these times and during the weekend periods, these managers provide cover into the evenings, weekend and overnight. Page 11

11 Organisation structure The whole College organisational structure can be found at the back of this booklet. The Support for Learning team is as follows:

12 Organisation structure (continued) The structure within the Care and Independence Department is as follows:

13 Student mix age and gender As described in the Introduction, Portland College provides Further Education for young people aged with physical and/or learning disabilities, which by nature of their disability require a degree of care and support. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) mainly commission the services delivered to these young people, however this is on occasion supported by Social Services and students that self fund. Students come to Portland College on an individual programme; dependent on funding this may range from a short course to longer term study and some may attend for a number of years. The age range of students/ citizens will be over 16 and because the College population will vary from year to year, precise details will be made available during any regulation/ inspection visits. The College also monitors this data very closely through its Equality Diversity and Inclusion Committee to ensure the College is promoting the rights, needs and choices of all of its community. Page 14

14 Range of needs that the College is intended to meet The primary support need of students at Portland College will be their physical and/or learning disability. The College will carry out a detailed multidisciplinary assessment of all learners to identify an appropriate programme of study, support, care and guidance. The College will only offer programmes to learners that can demonstrate educational progression and who do not exhibit severe forms of aggression, self harm or abusive behaviour. The College will however endeavour to work with external agencies, parents and potential learners to find alternative placements if the college is unable to meet their assessed needs. Page 15

15 Nursing Provision Portland College provides nursing care Monday to Friday between the hours of 8.00am and 6.00pm. The Nursing team comprises of Registered General Nurses and a Health Care Assistant. They provide a range of nursing support that reflects activities undertaken either in the community or in similar specialist residential further education colleges. The Nursing team will use their clinical judgement to provide Nursing care and interventions specific to the individual learner to maintain and improve health and promote wellbeing. The nursing staff link with external agencies such as GP s, local PCTs, Dentists, Dieticians, Specialist Sexual Health Services and Pharmacies. The Nursing team are highly skilled and trained to ensure their compliance with the Nursing Midwifery Council registration and routinely attend training sessions and conferences to comply with registration requirements. Should a learner require any medical assistance, in the absence of a registered nurse, the local GP surgery would be contacted or a referral to emergency services would be made in order to safeguard their welfare. The promotion of learners health and well being is a primary focus of the nursing team who work with all learners to develop their own individual Health Care Plans and identify their specific support needs. Focusing on healthy lifestyles, the Nursing team can provide advice and guidance on nutrition, general health and wellbeing, signpost students to specialist health care support externally, and promotes the College s FRESH approach (Friendships, Relationships, Education and Sexual Health) to all learners. Page 16

16 Admission criteria and policy on emergency admissions Portland College does not normally accept emergency admissions. The admissions process usually starts as part of the young person s transition planning whilst at school. This will involve all who are concerned in the young person s future and the formal assessment of need is usually led by their local Connexions service. If appropriate, further education will be considered. There are a number of colleges that provide further education for those with a physical disability and learning disabilities. If the Local Authority agrees to the placement, an individual contract is drawn up by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). The contract directs the exact amount of care delivery and therapeutic support that the prospective student should receive. Students and their carers may consider a number of colleges to be suitable based on their directories and prospectuses. Once a student has shown an interest in Portland College, a member of our staff team responsible for admissions will explain about the courses on offer and how support is provided. The assessments team will also try to ensure that we are able to meet the care support and guidance needs if the applicant is successful and a range of visits and College open days will be available. If the applicant is interested in a place at Portland College, they are invited to experience the College by attending a two-day residential assessment. Only after this assessment visit, if all involved are confident that the College can meet their needs, is a place offered. In most cases the offer of a place, if accepted in principle, is subject to a funding assessment by the Local Authority in the prospective students home area. Page 17

17 Arrangements for social activities, hobbies, sporting and leisure interests The cross college departments work together to deliver the students Individual Learning Plan, ensuring that the bowls, range of archery timetabled and extracurricular Games, expressive activities arts, meet drama. their needs. Discos, Additionally, videos, music Portland meditation. College has Duke its own of Edinburgh Youth Service, Awards which Scheme. operates Young in Peoples partnership Forum. with Nottinghamshire County Council youth work provision. The range of activities and facilities on offer to students includes: New Start Club Our students can enjoy a range of leisure facilities in the Club, which includes a recreation hall, lounge and well equipped games room. Bingo, quizzes, games, theatre performances and discos are regular features of the entertainment programme. Portland Leisure Centre Sports e.g. boccia, unihoc, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, netball, bowls, archery Games, expressive arts, drama. Discos, videos, music and meditation. Young Peoples Forum. Sport Portland has developed a sport and physical recreation scheme accredited by East Midlands Further Education Council. The programme includes timetabled sports sessions, visits to watch other teams and sports events, local sports clubs and regional competitions. The College has a dedicated Sports Coordinator to engage students in activities both inside and outside the College at local, national and international levels. Trips Many students enjoy a range of trips and visits as part of the curriculum and to extend social activities outside of the College. Local Facilities Students are supported to make use of local leisure facilities, theatre, cinema, tenpin bowling, and shopping. The College has access to a fleet of specially adapted mini-buses. Page 18

18 Student consultation on operation of the College Opportunities to engage with our students is essential in our ability to plan and provide an effective provision, that continually promotes the needs and interests of our learners. We have a number of mechanisms in place that afford all learners opportunities to raise issues to members of the college team and committees. We engage with our learners in several ways, chief among them is our Student Council, which is comprised of student appointed representatives, who bring issues raised by their fellow students to the council to be addressed. This meeting is held twice a term and is chaired by the Assistant Principal for Learning and Teaching, regularly accompanied by managers from across the college who are invited to respond to issues raised. Minutes are produced in various formats (audio/symbolised/large print) and distributed to the student body. Student council representatives are also actively involved in a series of additional committees; LAMB (Looking After Mind and Body), Food Council, EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), Health and Safety and our Quality Improvement Committee. All of these meetings have student representation and these representatives relay student views to each meeting and as such ensures a high degree of student involvement in the overall planning of the college. In order to inform representatives students are supported to arrange both day and residential student forums once a month, which are led by students and issues raised are relayed onto either the student council representative for escalation to the Student Council or appropriate managers, who are invited on occasion to give feedback directly to the forum. Regular student surveys and tutorial systems also afford opportunities for individual students to raise issues and inform future planning of our provision, ensuring that what the college offers is what the students require, this holistic, high profile is important to the college, who look to continually develop opportunities for learners to express their views in a supported and equitable way. Page 19

19 Fire precautions and emergency procedures Portland College is committed to ensuring the health and safety of its students, visitors and staff. The College has a comprehensive Health and Safety manual and procedures which all staff are familiar with as part of their initial workplace induction and receive regular refresher training. The College has rigorous procedures for dealing with any fire or emergency evacuations which are regularly reviewed. We seek the support and guidance of external agencies, police, fire and other emergency services to ensure our practices meet and wherever possible exceed legislation and policy to safeguard our learners. The College Health and Safety Manager manages day-to-day health and safety issues, overseen by the senior management team and the Board of Governors. Page 20

20 Arrangements for students attending religious services of their choice Portland College is able to support students to follow their chosen beliefs by enabling their attendance at a place of worship and to observe routines and diets. The College has its own multi-faith centre, called The O Zone, which is available to all students of all faiths and none, together with a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee to promote the rights and choices of learners and to establish links with external sources to further support individual choice, faith and beliefs. The College has a voluntary Chaplaincy service and provides learners with opportunities to celebrate special occasions and religious festivals. Page 21

21 Arrangements for contact between students and relatives, friends and representatives Students are encouraged to maintain contact with their family carers whilst at Portland College. Many students now bring their own mobile telephones for this purpose though there are payphones throughout the campus. Internal phones are now equipped with hands free kits to promote access and privacy. The College also encourages safe use of internet technology to enable students to keep in touch with significant others. All accommodation is wireless internet enabled and students can access the facility free of charge during their residential placement. Some students require help with communication and Key Workers are able to support students through this process along with the College s specialist Alternative Augmentative Communication team. Friends and carers are able to visit the College, though we ask visitors to be mindful that students need to be attending classes, together with respecting our controlled access and visitors and pets policy at all times to promote student and staff safety. Page 22

22 Arrangements for dealing with concerns, complaints, comments, compliments, child and adult protection The College has a comprehensive concerns, complaints, comments and compliments procedure, which encourages anyone to voice complaints or concerns, and make comments and compliments on any part of our service the procedure explains how we can support them through the process. A quick access guide is widely circulated and a full copy of our procedure is available on request. Copies are held on accommodation and various communal areas. The College has a strong focus of safeguarding its community and actively works with external agencies to promote community safety and well-being. We also employ effective staff recruitment and selection processes to ensure suitability of all staff and volunteers who support the College. The College has dedicated child and adult safeguarding procedures. All staff are trained on the procedure and there is a Designated Person for Safeguarding in place. Page 23

23 Arrangements for dealing with Student Plan reviews All students have an Individual Learning Plan and Person Centred Care Plan, which is initiated with them prior to starting at the College. This is based on an appropriate assessment of their educational abilities and needs along with their personal aspirations and care/ support/ guidance needs. The ILP covers a range of areas, formal learning goals, developing independence skills in all aspects of life (daily living, social, sporting and leisure) and specific care needs. To work with the student to achieve the goals and targets in the ILP, there is a nominated Pastoral Tutor (education) and Care and Independence Tutor (Care Key Worker). Goals and targets are reviewed every half term (approximately 6 weeks). By the end of their course at Portland College it is envisaged that all students will have reached their original goals together with supplementary targets that are devised during the programme. Page 24

24 The College s Physical Environment The College is specifically designed for people with physical and learning disabilities and our accommodation is of an excellent standard and equipped to meet the needs of the learners it serves. Our teaching and learning environments are equipped with state of the art technology and boast spacious and accessible resources to promote the learning experience. Our residential accommodation is of an excellent standard providing learners with private bedrooms and access to communal areas equipped with appropriate leisure equipment. The College is on a 40 acre campus and has a small animal farm, leisure centre, hydrotherapy pool and various leisure environments to provide positive experiences for the learners. Room sizes and layouts are available on request from the College and we encourage any potential learners to attend our open days to see what can be offered to them should they wish to become a Portland College student. Page 25

25 Specific therapeutic techniques and supervision arrangements Portland College is able to provide Physiotherapy, Hydrotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy to enable students to be able to participate in College and everyday life. Speech and Language Therapy The current SLT team consists of a principal Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), a specialist SLT, two further speech and language therapists and two assistant SLTs. The department provides for: Learners with a wide range of communication impairments. Learners with dysphagia (eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties). Learners with social communication difficulties. The SLT department promotes a crosscollege 24 hour communication model. They work closely with colleagues across college including: Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) Education Care Independence Physiotherapy Occupational Therapy Nursing Catering The work carried out involves assessment, direct and indirect therapy either individually and or groups, counselling, reviews, working with the AAC Skills Department, report writing/dissemination of information, liaison with parents and support for learners in classes or residential areas. Speech and Language Therapists provide regular in-service training for staff supporting learners with both communication and eating and drinking. In addition, staff have presented papers and workshops at National Conferences in Alternative and Augmentative Communication, introduced innovative ways of working with communication aids, undertaken research, developed links with schools and colleges, attended regular training events/study days/conferences for all aspects of their work. As the team are employees of the NHS service, they also access continuing professional development opportunities and support from the NHS and wider SLT team. All qualified speech and language therapists in the team are members of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists and registered with the Health Professions Council. Physiotherapy The Portland Physiotherapy Department provides support for all types of disabilities. The students are assessed initially according to their needs and timetabled to attend for treatment sessions. The majority of the students in the Foundation Learning Department are given training which leads to better trunk control leading to greater mobility and better access to their education and to their living and working environment, thus leading to improvement of overall physical ability. Page 26

26 Specific therapeutic techniques and supervision arrangements (continued) The College has a superb multi gym unit which is accessed throughout the day and planned evening enrichment activities. The unit is specially adapted for use by people with disabilities. The Hydrotherapy Pool enhances the facilities available for the students and also provides a relaxing leisure facility for them during evenings and weekends. The Physiotherapy team focuses on promoting independence, working in the residential accommodation and educational areas with the teams, ensuring that best practice is achieved through multi-disciplinary team working. The introduction of a college wide Wheelchair Driving License scheme has been extremely successful and our students benefit from achieving different levels of wheelchair driving skills to aid their independence and safety during activities and daily life. in personal care to being more able to pay attention in lessons. Specialist assessments Specialist assessments also take place in: Equipment Sensory Independent Travel Risk Assessment Friendships, Relationships, Education and Sexual Health (FRESH) Driving About the team The occupational therapy team consists of two HPC registered occupational therapists and one occupational therapy assistant. They are highly qualified and present their work at national conferences together with hosting national training events. Occupational Therapy The occupational therapy (OT) team provides person-centred practical evidence based support to enable learners to develop their everyday skills. This ranges from becoming more independent Page 27

27 Arrangements for respecting the privacy and dignity of students Privacy and dignity are principles that underpin the care practices at Portland College. All staff undergo thorough induction and foundation training, which includes the principles of good practice that underpin our care services. All students have private rooms, which are designed to promote privacy and dignity, including lockable doors, a call alarm system and where identified in the person centred plan a care auditory monitoring system. The respect for personal privacy and dignity is seen as a crucial part of both induction and on-going training for all staff. Only staff with legitimate operational reasons have access to the residences and aspects of privacy and dignity are covered in our visitors policy, to reinforce the College s approach. Page 28

28 Policy on behaviour management, use of restraint including disciplinary measures The College recognises that where there are instances of a student displaying challenging behaviour, it may be necessary to positively handle that person in order to protect themselves and others. The College policy on dealing with challenging behaviour and aggression advocates that such occasions should be unusual, and time limited. There is a procedure of identifying any student who may be at risk either as a result of physical or emotional ill health, and bring together significant staff to discuss appropriate action. The Vice Principal: Support for Learning is responsible for overseeing such action and together with the Assistant Principal: Learning and Teaching, Head of Foundation Learning and Head of Independent Living and Social Care authorising any action that may be required. The College strives to ensure all employees receive sector approved training in supporting learners who display physical and challenging behaviour and as a result we have an experienced team of professionals who support students effectively by promoting non intrusive physical and psychological intervention techniques. Robust policies and procedures exist to support staff members and guidance is offered where required, significantly staff are encouraged to reflect on any incidents and discuss their actions within a critical friend scenario, therefore enabling staff members to comment on any improvements or alterations to their intervention and learn from their experiences. Page 29

29 The College aim for 16 and 17 year olds Our Foundation Learning students are typically aged between 16 to 25 years of age, with the majority being between the ages of 18 to 21 years of age. The College recognises that a small number of its students of both genders are 16 or 17 years old, with a range of complex needs. In so doing it acknowledges the responsibility for ensuring that their needs are met, and that they are therefore among our more vulnerable students. The Care Home provides a positive experience of college life and an otherwise unattainable level of access to education. The mission statement of the college is: To To maximise the ability and minimise the the effects effects of of disability of of students through the the provision of opportunities for for learning in in an an inclusive specialist residential residential environment environment giving giving individuals empowerment through employment, employment, independence independence and and integration. integration. All our learners are offered places after a full assessment of their educational, care, support and guidance needs, the college is a specialist in communication systems appropriate to its student group. All have an individual plan to meet their individual requirements with goals. Much of the educational curriculum (both in and outside formal classroom settings) involves meeting goals in relation to learners social, emotional and communication needs, with students working towards the overall goal of increased independence. Leisure activities take place both in and outside the college with staff supporting students in their interests. Health care needs are assessed and treated by qualified staff. Meals are provided by staff who are employed specifically to cater for the dietary requirements of the students, meals are of high quality; reflect student feedback and medical advice. These are served in high quality facilities. College procedures reflect the need to ensure the proper protection of students. Services are provided within purpose built accommodation and staffing is in line with student needs. All staff receive supervision, appraisal, training and induction the College approach is externally recognised by Investor in People status. Level 2 and 3 Diploma programmes are well established on the new Qualifications and Credit Framework with many staff accessing their programme through the modern apprenticeship route. All staff are encouraged to pursue continual professional development. Page 30

30 The College aim for 16 and 17 year olds (continued) A Student Council exists to allow students to have a voice in the way the College is run. Students are encouraged and enabled to follow their own faiths or beliefs, and there is a designated space for people of all faiths (and none) on site for those wishing to attend. Concerns, Complaints, Comments and Compliments are managed in line with the College policy. Accommodation is single roomed and students do not share. Involvement by parents, relatives and friends is encouraged and private use of telephone is provided and supported. Page 31

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32 Portland College Nottingham Road Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG18 4TJ Company Limited by Guarantee Registered Charity No Patron. HM The Queen