It is a new year for Thera South West! Sam Avery, Service Quality Director, and her Executive Assistant, Corrina Turner, are relaunching Thera South West’s Being Heard strategy with an event on the 24 January at The Courtenay Centre in Newton Abbot.
Sam and Corrina sat down with the Thera Communications team to explain the importance of their Being Heard strategy and its impact on the people they support. Corrina said:
Being Heard is important as it allows the people that we support to have a direct line of communication to senior members of our organisation. It gives them the opportunity to discuss their support in a safe and welcoming place.
As Service Quality Director Sam is responsible for ensuring the people we support are comfortable and happy in their care. A key part of this is building relationships with the people we support and ensuring they recognise Sam and trust her. Sam explains:
Being Heard is a way for me to get my face out there and meet the people that we support. It’s easier for them to trust me and confide in me if they know who I am. It helps us build community, but it also allows me to build the relationships I need to build.
Their 2025 launch event is particularly important as it will be attended by Thera South West’s board members, who are hosting their board meeting at the same venue on the same day. Sam continues:
It will give the board members some facetime with the people we support which will be good for both sides. Board members don’t get to see the people we support that much and I think its important for perspective.
Sam and Corrina have put significant effort into organising these events and designing the structure of them. Sam describes the process below:
It begins with understanding the budget that we have and making sure we are working to what the finances allow. From there we have to research potential venues and ensure they’re accessible. They need to have accessible facilities and be easy for transport to reach.
They then had to consider a theme for the event. With it being a relaunch and an introduction to Being Heard they chose the theme “Getting to know you and having your say.” As the events develop they have plans to include outside organisations from within the community:
We are in the process of contacting local community organisations that we feel may have knowledge and experience that can benefit the people we support. Maybe it’s about how to stay safe within your community, or in your own home. We want these events to be places where people with lived experience can come, build relationships, gain skills, and learn.
Sam sees the relationship building as the key foundation behind their being heard strategy:
I want the people we support to meet people that they don’t usually see. They might just click and build relationships within their local community and make friendships.
Being Heard is the cornerstone of Thera South West’s person centred approach to delivering care and support, allowing the people that we support to have a degree of control over their care that they would not receive elsewhere. By relaunching Thera South West’s Being Heard strategy they are ensuring that people with a lived experience of a learning disability are empowered to live the lives they choose.
Find out how Thera South West can support you or your loved one here