Supporting PeopleThe Supporting People Initiative is a means of funding Supported Housing arrangements for vulnerable people. It is based on the idea of supporting people to get and keep tenancies, therefore avoiding problems of homelessness. The Supporting People programme is not meant to meet the short-notice needs of people with accommodation and/or support needs. Services however, such as emergency hostels or other support schemes, which can sometimes provide a rapid response can be developed using Supporting People funding.
FAQ
The Supporting People Team within Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is responsible for overseeing the scheme, and provides a structure for identifying needs, planning for new services and ensuring that existing schemes are regularly reviewed and monitored. The Supporting People Team also pays providers for the Supporting People services they provide. The team offers its service to Joint Planning Groups rather than directly to individual Service Users, and our work needs to be closely linked to relevant Strategies and Plans such as the Homelessness Strategy and the Health, Social Care and Well-Being Plan.
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Planning needs to take into account the views of service users and independent bodies such as voluntary organisations, as well as professional staff.
New service development can be achieved through the Annual Supporting People Operational Plan (SPOP), submitted each September as a bid for funding from the following April. Planning groups therefore must decide their priorities in the course of each year. Overall priorities across all client groups are then decided by the Supporting People Planning Group, and included in the SPOP, which requires approval by Council before submission to the Welsh Assembly. Please note that bids will not necessarily be successful.
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Since April 2003 there have been two separate funding channels within the Supporting People Programme:
- Supporting People Grant (SPG). Applies to Community Care and Older Persons’ services. Based on Transitional Housing Benefit (General Counselling and Support) levels at 31/3/03, these sums were transferred to local authorities from April 2003.
- Supporting People Revenue Grant (SPRG). Applies to all other eligible supported housing projects. This fund will be administered by Welsh Assembly until April 2006 then passed over to the Authority. April 2005 will see the introduction of a Tariff system which provides a level of funding depending on the type of accommodation and support.
Common requirements for both SPRG and SPG:
- Evidence of need for accommodation-related support and, in particular, need not met by current services.
- The requirement to develop a Supporting People Operational Plan (SPOP).
- The requirement to conduct annual reviews of existing services.
- Supporting People funding cannot be used to pay for Personal Care services.
- Registered Care Homes are not eligible.
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Access to a Supporting People funded service will generally be via Care Managers (Social Workers) or the relevant Joint Planning Group.
In the shorter term, clients can be referred to an existing scheme. Care Managers may make referrals direct to providers.
People may join a Supporting People Scheme as long as there is a space.
If there is no space or the existing services cannot meet the need, the matter should be referred to the Planning Group.
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For further information about Supporting People, please contact:
Senior Team Leader - Supporting People
Integrated Adult Services Directorate
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Ty Keir Hardie
Avenue de Clichy
Merthyr Tydfil
CF47 8XE
Tel: 01685 724630
Fax: 01685 384868
E-mail: SupportingPeople@merthyr.gov.uk
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