Our Process
Here at Choice & Harmony we are grateful for every enquiry made with us. We understand there are many different companies out there that offer a wide variety of services. We also understand that because of those different services, every entry application process can be different.
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Therefore, it can be daunting to apply to a place you never heard of before, so below is our application process broken down into a 4 simple steps.
Our 4 step application process
First enquiry
First meeting
Waiting to hear from the council
Transition into the service
It all starts with the first enquiry, whether that be a phone call or an email. Our staff will ask you as the parent /carer a series of questions to help us best understand what it is you are looking for and if this is the right service for you and your loved one/client.
We will invite you and your loved one/ service user in for a face to face meeting with our management team. More in-depth questions will be asked from yourselves and the service user (if they are able to). This gives us a chance to ask anything we think is relevant or needed and vice versa. After the meeting, either the management team or the senior support worker will happily show you around the building and answer any last minute queries you may have.
After the first meeting, if all parties are happy with the placement in Choice & Harmony, including that of the potential service user, we will offer a placement. If our fees are to be funded by the local authority, it is then the responsibility of the parent / carer to contact the potential service user's care manger and inform them you would like the service user to attend here. The care manager then makes an application to the funding panel for approval. If/once approved, Choice & Harmony will be contacted by the council to confirm funding.
Following funding approval, a transition period is set up. Experience has shown that for the first week or two, what seems to work best, is a gradual integration. On their first day, we suggest they only attend a few hours in the morning and then go home at lunch. During this first visit, we ask the parent/carer to remain here and complete all the necessary paperwork.
For their next day at the centre, we suggest they attend in the afternoon. We encourage them to bring their lunch with them and spend the remainder of afternoon here. Parents/carers are not required to stay here during this period.
Providing a slower transition for service users has proven to be very successful, allowing them to experience the service at a pace that is suitable for them. These transitional days are free of charge.
After these two days most service users are comfortable enough to attend full days, as normal. However, if required, an extended integration period can be arranged.