Supporting People
This page explains what Supporting is and the services it provides.
What is Supporting People?
According to the Department for Communities and Local Government:
Supporting People is a grant programme which enables the provision of housing related support services to help vulnerable people maintain or improve their ability to live independently. This support might include helping an older person stay in their own home, helping someone coming out of homelessness to move towards having their own home, or helping a woman fleeing domestic violence. Supporting People is successful. It enables over 1.2 million of society's most vulnerable people to live independently, and in doing so contributes to the achievement of important national and local objectives.
The key focus of the programme is on getting the right services and outcomes for vulnerable people. This needs local authorities, working in partnership with other service commissioners and with service providers, to make sure that all local services, including Supporting People services, are coordinated to work together properly. It requires authorities and providers to make sure that service design and provision is integrated, focused around and involves the users.
Supporting People generally works with three different broad types of need, which are:
Source: DCLG website
- People in receipt of care with support, for whom housing related support underpins health and social care services
- People living independently with support only, for whom a small amount of support makes a critical difference in being able to remain independent
- People experiencing or at risk of social exclusion, for whom housing related support plays an essential part in preventing or dealing with a crisis situation and restoring independence in a sustainable way
What help does Supporting People give?
Source: Oxfordshire website Supporting People Information LeafletSupporting People can help many different people; older people, people with physical, sensory or learning disabilities, people with mental health problems, people fleeing domestic violence, homeless people, young people at risk or leaving care, teenage parents, people with drug and alcohol problems, ex-offenders and refugees providing services that help them do things for themselves as well as help filling in claim forms or arranging for professionals to call, help maintaining the safety and security of their homes, help and support to move on to accommodation with less support, help with budgeting and managing their tenancies and help or assistance with shopping or cleaning. Supporting People does not pay for personal care services like bathing, laundry or having meals prepared.
The Supporting People Team monitors each service to make sure the people providing the service meet certain standards. If users are unhappy with the service provided, they can complain. Service Users should have guidance from the organisation that provides the service about how to do this and if they would rather not complain to them direct for any reason, they can contact the Supporting People Team.