Introduction
The Service Manager and staff team provide housing-related support to vulnerable young people aged 16 – 24 to support them to prepare for independent tenancies. The Independent Living Workers provide a support package to tenants based on a key-working system, within an Independent Living Plan agreed with the tenant and regular reviews of their needs and goals. Support can include tenancy management, independent living skills, budgeting and personal finances, education, literacy and numeracy, employment and training, social activity, health and life style, personal safety, emotional well being, culture and faith, and future choices.
Description of the service
Following an extensive re-development in 2007, the Fairfield Road Young Persons’ service now comprises three different tiers of service and support.
Acorn House
- Offers medium levels of support to tenants in five self contained Flats, each with their own bedroom, lounge, kitchen area and bathroom, with staff on site daily, and night cover seven days a week.
- This is the highest and more intensively supported aspect of the service and clients can be provided with support around all of the above areas.
- The expectation is that tenants move on to general needs housing or the outreach or allocated service once they are ready.
Outreach Service
- Offers low to medium levels of floating support which is provided in three outreach properties, two of which are located in Burgess Hill, and one in Haywards Heath.
- Clients can be supported in all the above area’s but are expected to have a higher level of understanding, skill, and independence in these areas. Staff provide floating support on an outreach basis through planned key-working sessions, on average twice a week, and are also available for telephone support when needed.
- The expectation is that tenants move on to general needs housing or the allocated service once they are ready.
Allocated Service
- Offers low level floating support to clients who are allocated a property via the Common Housing Register, and initially receive an Assured Shorthold or Introductory Tenancy.
- This aspect of the service has access to four properties in any 12 month period.
- Staff provide floating support on an outreach basis through planned key-working sessions, on average once a week for 12 months, and again are available for telephone support when needed.
- The type of support provided can include all the areas mentioned above, but will have a greater focus on maintaining their tenancy over a longer period of time and ensuring that they understand their rights and responsibilities for when support ends.
- Tenants do not have to move home once they no longer need support, and providing their tenancy has been successfully established and maintained they are offered an Assured Tenancy.
Move on
- Move On is discussed at regular intervals with the tenant and their support team.
- Tenants will normally move in to the main Acorn House site whilst they develop the skills, experience and confidence to enable them to move on and take on the responsibility of an independent tenancy.
- Move on may then be to the Outreach or Allocated service, or to independent accommodation.
Who could benefit from this service?
Any young person who is in housing need and would need some support to maintain their housing, could benefit from these services.
This could include young people in any of the following circumstances:
- Those who have been asked to leave home, for whatever reason, and may not yet be at the stage where they are ready to live completely independently.
- Those who are inappropriately housed, e.g. Sofa Surfing, overcrowding, or street homeless.
- Those who have been living independently previously who have experienced a relationship breakdown, mental health problem or who for whatever reason have found independent living difficult.
- Those who have left care, or the armed forces, and need a period of support to learn to live independently.
- Please note, this is not an exhaustive list and all applications are assessed on their individual merit.
Our approach to delivering services
We work in partnership with Connexions, Social Services, GPs, family/carers and other appropriate professionals to ensure the person we are supporting is able to maintain and develop a network of support, and have access to the support they require. This approach helps prevent accommodation breaking down and crises.
Our local knowledge of mainstream and specialist services in the community enable us to signpost people on to activities, resources and other sources of support and information, where necessary.
Our skilled and committed staff work 1:1 with people to support them to identify their wishes and draw up a goal-orientated individual support plan to develop the necessary skills and confidence to live more independently and manage without specialist support.
Recovery
Sussex Oakleaf is committed to the principles of recovery-based service delivery. This means we believe that everyone has the ability to learn or regain the ability to be in charge of their own life. We understand recovery to be a person’s individual journey to a life that has personal meaning and fulfillment for them, and includes living well in the presence or absence of symptoms or other difficulties.
Staff receive training and supervision to ensure their practice embodies recovery-based values, and that we retain the hope and belief that the people we support are able to live their lives as they wish, and recover a sense of control. This approach enables people to have a central role in designing their lives and their support, and to have support from staff to use tools such as Wellness Recovery Action Plans or the PATH planning model, should they wish.
Community Housing Support Service
Offers floating support to four clients who are already in a property and need support to maintain their current accommodation. They can be in housing association, private rented or owner occupiers properties. This support service can last for a period of three months to two years dependent on service user need and engagement.
Staff provide floating support on an outreach basis through planned key-working sessions and again are available for telephone support when needed.
The type of support provided can include all the areas mentioned above and will have a greater focus on maintaining their tenancy/accommodation and ensuring that they understand their rights and responsibilities for when support ends.
For more information, please contact:
01444 459517 or send an email to info@sussexoakleaf.org.uk
Two thirds of all British press and TV coverage on mental health includes an association with violence. (Health Education Authority 1998) 44% of respondents to a study by the Mental Health Foundation in 2000 reported stigma and discrimination from GPs. Sandamas and Hogman, 2000, found that black people are twice as likely to be involuntarily detained under the Mental Health Act than white people.
