Refer a client

How we work: Assessing the client's needs

 

1. Hoarding Assessment:

We'll start with a pre-arranged meeting at a time convenient for the Client. We work days, evenings & weekends to support our clients, not just 9am to 5pm.

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2. What happens during the assessment?:

We will complete the following with the Client:

 

• A Hoarding Interview to establish:

  • What items are being hoarding

  • How rooms are being used

  • What emotional connections are being placed on items

  • The level of discomfort the Client may feel if items were removed

  • Which emotions are being experienced when looking at the clutter

  • Behaviours around acquisition

• A Hoarding Rating Assessment - used to establish the extent of the problem

• A Home Environmental Index Assessment- to establish health & safety risks, sanitation risks etc

• Activities of Daily Living Assessment - To establish how difficult it is to perform basic tasks around the house

• A Saving Cognitions Inventory - To establish thoughts and emotions around discarding items

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3. Proposed Treatment Plan:

After the assessment we will prepare a Proposed Treatment Plan for the client. This will include for example:

 

• A number of relationship building meetings required with the Client in order to start the decluttering, organising & cleaning interventions

• Strategies to reduce acquiring

• Essential decluttering which can be done over 3 to 5 intensive days or on a smaller, more regular basis depending on the Client's needs

• Professional Organising can be undertaken as part of a larger clear-out project or as a stand alone activity. The Client may not be suffering from a Hoarding Disorder and may just be in extreme disorganisation. This could be due to a number of reasons such as relationship breakdown, bereavement, caring responsibilities or long working hours.

• Hazard to health clear-out: A full scale, whole home clear-out including dealing with pest control, hazardous materials and subsequent deep cleaning to facilitate the Client's return to the home.

• Participation in our Hoarding Recovery College courses

• Participation in our monthly Hoarding Support Group Zoom calls. 

• Regular attendance after the clear-out operation by our trained Therapeutic Cleaners for 12 months following the intervention.

• Working towards our Client's discharge at around 12 months after our initial involvement

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4. Quotation:

We provide a full break down of the most appropriate services and associated costs different as per the levels of intervention within the Proposed Treatment Plan.  We are a private limited Company and do not receive Government funding. Clients must fund our services themselves. (Unless the HSC or Housing Association is providing the funding)

 

On acceptance of the Quotation we provide a Contract for Services and ask for this to be signed off and the agreed deposit to be paid.

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5. Job Plan & Execution of clear-out intervention

Once the Contract has been agreed and the deposit paid, we prepare a Job Plan for the clear-out intervention. This relates mostly to our attendance at the Client's property and will include for example:

• Risk Assessment

  • Hazardous Materials

  • Working at Height

  • COSHH

• Details of proposed rubbish removal - generally through black bags picked up quickly by an unmarked white van and repeat visits as required. We aim to be as discreet as possible so that our Client's neighbours are not alerted to the intervention. Sometimes we have too much rubbish and a skip hire can be the most cost effective solution, we would provide costings during the Quotation stage

• How we will deal with H& S issues raised in the Home Environmental Index Assessment - including sanitation issues, pest control, smoke detectors & CO2 monitors etc

• Who we will need onsite at the time to support the Client

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6. After care plan

Once the initial clear-out / decluttering intervention has been completed we will commence our After Care Plan. Each plan will be tailored to the Client's individual needs, but will include for example:

 

• Regular visits from a Therapeutic cleaner who is trained to work with the Client to address cluttering and failure to discard issues as they arise.

  • Weekly visits months 1 to 3

  • Bi-Weekly visits months 4 to 6

  • Monthly visits months 7 to 12

• Attendance at our online Hoarding Support Group run monthly

• Discharge preparation