Low Laithes is a bespoke residential service in the Wombwell area of Barnsley. The service provides high standards of accommodation, care and support for 35 adults with complex care needs, including behaviours that challenge and a learning disability, often associated with autism. People who live here benefit from the close proximity to the town centre and the nearby countryside. It has a 'Good' rating from the CQC.

At Low Laithes our mission is to enhance the lives of the people we support by focusing on their individual needs, strengths and aspirations. We aim to enable each person to maximise their potential and achieve a progressively more independent and better quality of life; supporting people to get to a place where they have greater choice and control in their lives.

Our Approach at Low Laithes
Positive behaviour support (PBS) is the framework we use for everything we do. It is values driven, evidence-based and practical. Focusing on people’s rights provides the ethical compass which guides our approach to working with people.

We understand that behaviours that challenge arise from an interaction between a person’s needs and the environment and strive to provide capable support environments which maximise learning. Holistic assessment enables high quality personalised support to achieve outcomes for people which are meaningful. PBS is a compassionate approach to supporting people to have a good quality of life and in doing so, minimises the risk of behaviours that challenge.

Our philosophy
The team at Low Laithes want people to be successful in their lives. To have access to and enjoy the same activities and opportunities as anyone else. To live as independently as possible and develop lifelong skills and build positive, meaningful relationships with the people who support them and the wider community.

We pride ourselves on offering a high quality residential provision and seek to provide the foundations for ongoing, positive progress for people who live there. We support people to develop greater independence in an environment that offers warmth, security, consistency and understanding. A purposeful and calm atmosphere is encouraged through the professional approach adopted by all staff. Trust and positive relationships between the people we support and staff underpin the ethos within the service.

We help people prepare for their future by providing a wide range of opportunities for learning and development, appropriate to the needs and wishes of each person. We think that it is important to understand people’s hopes and wishes for their future by working closely with them and their families and whenever possible we support them to achieve these.

Therapeutic Services at Low Laithes
Low Laithes has an in-house team of therapists and clinicians. The Applied Psychology Team is made up of Psychologists and Behaviour Therapists, with support from assistants. The team aims to understand the emotional, social and behavioural needs of a person to reduce any distress and promote positive wellbeing. They work with people being supported and their staff teams to develop a PBS plan, which communicates their preferences, strengths and needs in relation to achieving the best quality of life possible. It summarises relevant information about the person, to support those around them to assist and promote wellbeing and reduce distress as required.