Having moved away from his family home while still in his teens, Peter never fully mastered the skills he needed for independent living. He found himself getting into difficulties paying bills, drinking alcohol and fighting, eventually ending up in a secure unit.
It was an extremely traumatic experience for Peter, further exacerbated by his autism and heightened sensory differences. Home Manager at Beudygwyn, Louise Parry, says: “When Peter first arrived here he came with nothing, just the clothes he was wearing. He could barely communicate and it took him a long time to get over the trauma of being in prison.”
Encouraging and motivating
Beudygwyn Farm is a rural, residential home, set in 15 acres of grounds with a farm on site. It was the ideal setting for Peter as he needed to limit alcohol consumption while on probation. The quiet environment also enabled him to slowly engage with life again.
“For 12 months, Peter didn’t really want to engage, he was very unmotivated,” remembers Louise. “However, we worked with him to build on the life skills he had, showing him how to cook, clean, and do his laundry.”
Building back
The Beudygwyn Team was also able to call on the knowledge of Achieve together’s in-house PBS Practitioner and health and wellbeing experts to provide additional support. “Through speech and language therapy and support from the team, we also worked to improve Peter’s communication. He can now hold a conversation, which is terrific, and his social skills are much more developed,” says Louise.
Two years on and 23-year-old Peter has been working as a janitor at Beudygwyn for 18 months, thoroughly enjoying the sense of responsibility and accomplishment. He now receives 3-4 hours support per week, a far cry from the early months when he required 1-1 support 5 hours per day. “While Peter will always need some support, this is an amazing outcome and we are very proud of everything that he has achieved,” smiles Louise.
Independence again
Peter’s team support him to the local town to access amenities such as the swimming pool and local gym. He now wants to go to places independently and has gained the skills to do that, so it’s time for him to move on.
His dreams of living more independently again are taking shape. He filled out housing forms and is now moving to ‘step down’ accommodation in the town where he grew up. His support team at Beudygwyn have ensured that he is eased into this new life by degrees. After meeting the team at his new supported living accommodation, he then visited three days a week for a month.
Plans for a job are also afoot. Peter has created a CV through Môn CF, an employment mentorship charity in Anglesey. He learned bricklaying in college and is now hoping to find a job in construction or gardening. We wish him all the luck – it’s wonderful to see Peter regain his zest for life.
