What People Say
My brother Jeremy is the most precious thing in the world to my mum and I. His welfare and happiness are our priority. Our father was Gordon Croft and the Croft Centre was named in his memory. Dad was a founder of the North Eastern Society for Autistic Children and he devoted his life to promoting awareness of Autism and making sure there is residential care and appropriate education and opportunities for Autistic people.
Jeremy has a timetable specific to him including woodwork, massage sessions, hydrotherapy pool visits, shopping trips, social outings and domestic duties. He also has been on some wonderful holidays. Over the years Jeremy has enjoyed swimming, horse-riding, pottery and many other activities.
Our son, aged 28 years, has resided with ESPA for over 7 years. After looking in depth at numerous places, we discovered ESPA and have not looked back since.
The variety of facilities which ESPA provides is exceptional. Our son initially resided at Ashleigh, Newcastle and attended North Rye College for 3 years. During this time the progress which he made was beyond all our expectations. His increased self-confidence and growing ability to relate socially with both staff and peers was particularly noticeable. On completion of the 3 years at Ashleigh, a residential place became available at East Dene Court, Seaham, which we very pleased to accept.
ESPA is very much a person centred organisation. The staff are able to understand individual needs and develop a specific programme for each young person. The structure allows them to encourage each person to develop a sense of well-being within the community where they reside. They provide realistic aims which focus upon the individual needs of each person. (more…)
My daughter Nicola has lived in an ESPA house for twenty years. She is a complex young woman who suffers from a significant learning disability and autism. She also has a diagnosis of a bipolar disorder. Her mental state is difficult to manage with medication and she presents with a range of challenging behaviours which arise out of her underlying conditions. She has a number of obsessional activities and in addition suffers from extreme anxiety which can precipitate distress and disturbed outbursts. The ESPA team have allowed her to be who she is, respectful always of her happiness and rights, striving always to give her the best quality of life. The ESPA team has worked with my family and me to make important decisions about her health and welfare, keeping us informed of changes, problems and successes as they have occurred. The care they have given her is over and above what is expected.
