Residential Services
What are the Residential Services?
Stepping Stone Trust is a Christian-based psychiatric recovery service which has been operating since 1990. It is the initiative of Spreydon Baptist Church. There are nine houses and nine flats which can cater for 57 residents. We have separate residential services. The adult team provides care for 22 and the youth team caters for 12 young people, and the long-term residential services work with 23 clients.
Who can we provide a residential service to?
We work with people aged 14 to 80 and who want to be a part of a process moving towards independent living in the community!! You need to have been assessed by the Needs Assessment teams as requiring Level III (24 hour) residential support and be currently part of the mental health service to access these services.
Who can't we provide a residential service to?
We are unable to provide for the specialised needs of those with current alcohol and drug dependency and those who are at risk of harming others. We also do not work with those who are intellectually impaired.
The Houses and Flats
We have warm and fully furnished houses. You can bring your own personal belongings and furniture or you can supply it.The smallest house can have five flatmates, the largest can have seven flatmates. Everyone has their own room. There is a pleasant living environment and each house is located close to bus routes, shops, malls and parks. We are very close to mental health services, counsellors, G.P.s and most houses are within 5 minutes of Hillmorton Hospital. In 1998 we opened seven self-contained single flats for the adult service. This is for those wanting a place of their own yet remaining part of the residential service.
The Programme
It is important that people have a desire to want to participate in a recovery process. The focus of the programme is to help people live in the community with self-esteem, dignity and skills. Each client has a primary worker and together they set goals and work out a plan to meet these. Daily living tasks e.g. cooking, cleaning and household tasks are part of living here with staff there to assist you. We encourage people to join other community groups, do courses or start developing work skills as part of their personal development. We also run our own daily programme here which is a mixture of education, recreation, communication and life skill learning.
The Staff
We have a well-qualified, multidisciplinary team made up of social workers, nurses, O.T.'s, community workers, group coordinators, degree trained and support role people. Our team has a high commitment to ongoing mental health training, supervision, and personal development. The staff are available on site 24 hours per day, 7 days a week across the residential services.
Payment
We are funded by the District Health Board and Work and Income N.Z. A personal allowance is paid each week to those who claim a benefit. This goes towards your clothing, transport, entertainment, medication and other personal items.
Referrals
A needs assessment is required to access these services. This is available from the Needs Coordination Centre at Princess Margaret Hospital, Toiora Arotake or through Lifelinks. Talk to your caseworker, G.P. or hospital staff about this process.
Give us a ring to visit our facilities and to make a referral
Phone (03) 337 1062 - Adult referrals
Phone (03) 363 4135 - Youth referral
Phone (03) 339 0240 - Long-term Residential
Email stepstone@xtra.co.nz
