Supporting People
Five Year Strategy
Achieving Our Objectives
This section provides a level of detail about the way sin which
we are achieving our strategic objectives and how we continue to
work towards them, as set out in the shadow strategy.
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Objective 1
Partnership working to ensure that the
programme makes a significant contribution of community planning
and social inclusion. |
We will continue to engage in partnerships at all levels and
ensure that there is ongoing commitment at a senior level.
Supporting the Commissioning Body
The Commissioning Body is working more effectively and has
gained confidence in its role over the past twelve months, having
made a number of significant de-commissioning and contract
reduction decisions. We will continue to support the
Commissioning Body by providing robust information on which to base
decisions and monitor the programme. We will continue to
encourage regular attendance at meetings.
Reviewing in partnership
A number of reviews have been carried out in partnership with
other agencies and/or authorities, for example the Drug Action Team
and Community Safety Team. We will continue to review jointly
with appropriate partners as and when we are able to as a means of
improving our own processes and sharing good practice.
Facilitating development
The review programme is well progressed in Bath & North East
Somerset and we are currently working with providers who have been
reviewed to support them in developing and re-focussing their
services to meet identified community needs. One example of
this is the development of new extra care provision for older
people and a re-focussing of traditional sheltered schemes to
provide more support for older people with disabilities and/or
dementia.
Finding our place in the Community Strategy
The Supporting People programme is linked via the Housing Key
Partnership to the Local Strategic Partnership and thereby to the
emerging Community Strategy. We have played an active role in
establishing housing and supported living priorities for the
Community Strategy through the facilitation of a number of planning
workshops. We will continue to ensure that the Supporting
People programme is closely aligned with the emerging Community
Strategy.
Enabling providers
The Bath & North East Somerset Independent Provider Forum is
supported by SITRA. This has proved an effective method of
enabling providers to find their voice and it is our intention to
continue to provide resources to support his arrangement.
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Objective 2
Taking an active role in linking the
programme into other strategic agendas and
initiatives |
We are clear that the Supporting People programme is an
important delivery tool for a range of other agendas, strategies
and plans. Our aim is to play an active role in ensuring that
the potential of the programme to deliver outcomes is always
central in the strategic planning process.
Keeping up to date with other agendas
In the development of this strategy we have engaged with
strategic planners and planning groups through a programme of one
to one visits and presentations. We have reviewed all related
current plans and strategies and have ongoing arrangements in place
to ensure Supporting People representation on a number of key
groups.
Representing the programme
The team has active representation on a number of key planning
groups including the Disability Equality Action Group, the
Homelessness Partnership, the Young Person’s Accommodation Steering
Group, the Older Persons Care Pathways Group, the Learning
Difficulties Local Implementation Group and the Physical and
Sensory Impairment Steering Group. A further aim is to
establish a more formal connection with mental health strategic
planning.
Taking the initiative
Throughout the year we take an active role in hosting and
attendance one-off or occasional strategic planning events.
In this way we have forged links with the Vulnerable Adults
Steering Group, the Older Persons Joint Commissioning Strategy, the
Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, the Bed & Breakfast Task Group, the
Partnership Against Domestic Violence and the Drug Action Team and
Community Safety Plan.
Strengthening the Core Strategy Group
The Core Strategy Group has also played a key role in the
development of this strategy by providing linkages at an
operational level and expanding our understanding of local
need. We are currently reviewing the membership of the Core
Strategy Group in order to enhance its role in providing a
strategic steer, monitoring the programme and feeding into service
reviews. It is likely that the group will have greater
representation from commissioning partners from the PCT in
future.
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Objective 3
Working towards the provision of wider
choice and a range of high quality
services. |
We are committed to providing services which are sensitive to
individuals’ needs and preferences and which reflect the diversity
of our local population.
Reviewing strategically
More recently in the review programme we have focussed our
efforts on reviewing whole sectors of the programme at the same
time e.g. all mental health provision. This is so that we can
evaluate more effectively how services relate to each other and
develop a picture of the range of provision for each service users
group. We have used this information, alongside the needs
mapping information we have gathered, to help us identify
gaps. Our aim is continue to review strategically and where
appropriate re-commission whole sectors to achieve choice and
diversity.
Assisting move on
The Home Seekers Register (part of the council’s choice based
lettings system) has provided particular help with needs mapping
and gap analysis as it tells us how many people with specific needs
are registered for housing at any one time. A key part of the
register is that it highlights people who need assistance to move
on to independent accommodation from a hostel or supported housing
scheme. By working with colleagues in Housing Services, and
with RSLs, we have gained a better understanding of the need for
re-settlement and floating support services.
Providing information
One of the more high impact successes of our Supporting People
local IT system is that it has allowed us to provide a web-enabled
directory of all the services we commission. Colleagues,
partners, service users and indeed anyone who has an interest can
access this directory via the Bath & North East Somerset
website. The directory can be interrogated in a number of
ways and is a powerful tool for anyone wishing to find a service.
The site can be found at www.bathnes.gov.uk then follow the
links - Social & Housing - Supported & Sheltered Housing -
Supporting People - SPOCC.NET
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Objective 4
Decrease levels of homelessness through
the provision of preventative
services |
We recognise homelessness prevention as one of the main aims of
the Supporting People programme and will continue to prioritise it
locally, now and in future years.
Reviewing our place in the homelessness strategy
Our links with the homelessness strategy and the Bed &
Breakfast task group are strengthened by the Planning &
Partnership Manager who also has a half time role within the
Supporting People team. The Homelessness Strategy is about to
be reviewed as part of the new strategic framework for the Housing
Strategy. Homelessness is one of ten delivery plans attached
to the Housing Strategy which in turn feeds into the Community
Strategy. Ongoing overlaps with the Supporting People
programme include the provision of temporary accommodation and
homelessness prevention. Our aim is to continue to prioritise
the provision of services for homeless or potentially homeless
people.
Increasing tenancy support
The Supporting People programme offered opportunities (the
Transitional Housing Benefit Scheme and “pipeline bids”) to
increase tenancy support services for individuals who are at risk
of homelessness. Our view is that those people most at risk
of homelessness tend to be those for whom there is no statutory
duty to provide services. We also recognise another group of
service users who are equally at risk who, although they may be
subject to statutory involvement, find it difficult to engage with
services. For this reason we have used the opportunities
afforded to us by the programme to increase services for single
homeless people, people with drug and alcohol problems, vulnerable
young people and offenders. It is our intention to continue
our support of these groups and to continue to promote effective
partnership working between the various agencies.
Prioritising investment
We currently invest nearly 25% of our Supporting People grant in
services for single homeless people and homeless families. It
is our intention to maintain this percentage level of investment
whilst at the same time supporting providers to develop and
re-focus their services to fit with a more preventative
agenda. Of particular importance in this respect is the
provision of services which help to equip service users with the
necessary skills for maintaining a tenancy.
Looking after care leavers and young homeless people
We have been successful in securing pipeline funding for the
development of a young peoples’ supported lodgings scheme.
This will provide an opportunity for care leavers and young
homeless people to either remain with their foster carers or be
placed with a supported lodgings provider who will play a key role
in helping them to develop independent living skills. We are
pleased to be jointly commissioning this service with colleagues
from the Adolescent & Leaving Care team.
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Objective 5
Developing our inclusive approach to strategic planning which
does not disadvantage any group or
community |
We understand that the profile of our community has changed
significantly in the last ten years. We will make every
effort to ensure that we continue to understand and respond to our
community’s changing needs.
Responding to diversity
In the development of this strategy we have tried to further our
understanding of the needs of Black and Other Minority Ethnic
Groups. We have attempted to engage with local groups such as
the Bath East Asian Chinese group (BEACH) and Bath Race Equality
Council (BREC) to receive specific feedback on strategy aims,
however this has proved difficult due to the limited resources of
such groups for responding to request for information.
Despite this, needs analysis for B&OME groups has helped us to
focus our thinking, particularly in relation to the requirements of
the Quality Assessment Framework (QAF, see below) and how we can
encourage providers to respond to diversity.
Piloting B&OME services
In partnership with Care & Repair in Bath & North East
Somerset we have recently completed a two year pilot of a B&OME
specific home improvement service. The pilot has been
extremely successful in increasing B&OME peoples’ access to
improvements and adaptations generally and has highlighted more
specific issues for B&OME elders concerning the need for
advocacy and accessible information.
Auditing equalities
The Supporting People team has taken a lead role in developing
and carrying out equalities impact assessment audits to ensure that
no part of the programme is impacting adversely on any particular
group. So far we have audited custom and practice within the
team, the review process, financial procedures, our user
involvement strategy and plan and our confidentiality policy.
This work will have a significant impact on the council’s ability
to achieve level 2 of the Equalities Standard.
Enhancing the QAF
Action plans arising from our equalities audits are beginning to
have a positive impact on the delivery of the programme. For
example, we have adopted an enhanced version of the “Fair
Access, Diversity and Inclusion” section of the Quality Assessment
Framework (developed in partnership with our Equalities Team) to
ensure that providers give us real evidence of their equalities
policies and procedures in action. Feedback from providers
suggests that this approach is welcomed. Our aim is to
include local equalities standards based on the enhanced QAF in
future purchasing arrangements.
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Objective 6
Providing services which help to
promote the health, safety and well being of individuals and of the
wider community |
We are committed to providing opportunities for all groups to
develop and maintain their independence and to have a greater
community presence.
Re-settling offenders
Since the start of the Supporting People programme we have
developed two new services for ex-offenders, where no services
previously existed. Using a combination of ODPM pipeline
funding and significant investment from the housing capital
programme we have been able to open a six bed unit for individuals
with an offending background who have been through a drug/alcohol
treatment programme. This “dry house” and it’s linked
re-settlement service (15 units) has worked at full capacity since
opening and has been successful in integrating service users into
the local community. We also jointly support a cross
authority service for offenders with our "Counties that Used to Be
Avon" or "Cuba Group" partners.
Modernising refuge provision
Services for people fleeing domestic abuse have long been
recognised as a priority by the Supporting People programme.
Refuge provision in the area is limited with the current provision
operating from a Georgian property which sometimes presents
problems in relation to access and room size/capacity. The
team has advocated on behalf of the refuge during recent and
ongoing rent increase negotiations and has more recently supported
a bid for Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust funding to
purchase a computer and printer and to provide IT training (there
are currently none). Early discussions have also
taken place with a partner RSL with the aim of making more units of
accommodation available for larger families or for men experiencing
domestic abuse. More detailed strategy proposals in relation
to domestic abuse can be found later in this strategy.
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