Residential/Respite accommodation comprises of 16 apartments, within four complexes, The Community Apartments, The Farmhouse Apartments, The Stable Apartments and The Courtyard Apartments.
Criteria for admission:
- Residents must be 18 years or over. A transition period from age 17 years may be considered on an individual basis subject to the availability of suitable accommodation
- Residents must have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder with/without an Intellectual Disability
- Residents must have a service level agreement between themselves, their parent/guardian, St. Joseph’s Foundation and the Health Service Executive.
Residents must present with:
- current challenging behavior including serious physical aggression towards oneself or others, or significant damage to property
- current behavior in a community setting which is preventing, limiting or delaying further access to and use of ordinary community facilities
- be a service user whose challenging behavior is putting them in conflict with their current service or family to the point of exclusion or breakdown of their support.
The development is designed, to provide each resident with their own apartment; providing them with their own space, which is very important. It also gives them the opportunity to meet with and engage with their fellow residents.
The service is designed on a Step In, Step Down and Step Out model of service. Iinitially, the residents may require high levels of supports, and through education and training these supports may be reduced and, hopefully, in time, the resident will be able to live a life of their choosing in the community.
This process which is based on a Step In, Step Down and Step Out model of service was implemented as a result of research carried out by our team, comprising of Parents, Board Members, Multi Disciplinary Team members, Staff and Service Users at home and abroad. The Psychology Department at University of Limerick are undertaking a Research Project on the benefits of this model of service to service users.