Accessing the Supported Lodgings Service

Planned placements are offered to young people who need time and space to develop their independent living skills. It is seen as a temporary arrangement which is defined as up to two years in length. The young person must be 16+ beyond school year 11 and be one of the following; an eligible child, a relevant child or a former relevant as defined under the Children's Leaving Care Act 2000 or have been assessed as a child in need under the Children's Act 1989. A young person would be considered to be eligible for Supported Lodgings if they fall into one or more of the following categories.

A young person must be in need of housing related support and not yet ready to live independently. Housing related support covers the following broad areas:

Maintaining the security of the dwelling:

• Locking up;
• Controlling access;
• Other home security issues.

Maintaining the safety of the home

• Safety of appliances;
• Service of appliances etc;
• Use of appliances;
• Food preparation tasks which could endanger them;
• Smoking issues;
• Other home safety issues.

Complying with the terms of their tenancy:

• Dealing with destructive behaviour;
• Disputes with neighbours/other residents;
• Money management;
• Assisting with form filling, benefit claims etc;
• Food preparation and storage;
• Maintaining interior of home;
• Liaising with health and social care and health professionals;
• Arranging appointments ensuring they are kept;
• Assistance and support to move on;
• Other tenancy issues.

Funding for Supported Lodgings Placements comes from different sources depending on who has financial responsibility for the young person.

Funding must be agreed with the relevant manager before placement.

If it has been identified through the Pathway Plan that a young person's accommodation needs should be met by accessing the Supported Lodgings Service the Referral Information Form (Appendix 1: Referral Information Form), Risk Assessment (Appendix 2: Risk Assessment) and Consent Form (Appendix 3: Consent Form) must be completed by the young person's Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor with the young person and then returned to the Project Co-ordinator.

The Project Co-ordinator will discuss the details with the Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor, and offer a meeting with the young person to give them full information answer any questions they may have.

If for any reason a decision is reached during the assessment that the young person is in disagreement with, the young person has the right to appeal. The Young Person's Advisor will support the young person in making the appeal in writing to the Supported Lodgings Service and will ask for a meeting with the Project Co-ordinator and their line manager. At this meeting the reasons for the decision would be examined and discussed in greater detail.

When the Project Co-ordinator has identified a suitable Supported Lodgings Provider, the Project Co-ordinator/Supported Lodgings Officer will arrange a meeting with the young person and their Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor to inform the young person about the Supported Lodgings Provider.

The Supported Lodgings Officer will contact the Supported Lodgings Provider to arrange a meeting to share details of the young person.

Once satisfied that the match is appropriate a Matching Report (Appendix 4: Matching Report) will be completed by the Supported Lodgings Officer together with the young person's Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor identifying how the Supported Lodgings Provider and placement can meet the young person's needs.

The Matching Report will be shared with the Team Manager for recommendation and approval.

Both the young person and the Supported Lodgings Provider will be made aware that there is no commitment at this stage and the process can be terminated by either party at any time.

The Supported Lodgings Officer will ensure the following are signed by the young person and the Supported Lodgings Provider:

• Placement Agreement (Appendix 5: Placement Agreement);
• Licence Agreement (Appendix 6: Licence Agreement);
• Statement of Confidentiality (Appendix 7: Statement of Confidentiality);
• Safe Care Agreement (Appendix 8: Safe Care Agreement).

The assessment from the existing Pathway Plan will be used as a starting point for setting targets to be reached so all those involved are aware of their role and commitment.

Unplanned emergency placements are offered on a night by night basis for young people who require emergency accommodation. The placements are provided for up to a maximum of 4 weeks, whilst alternative and more permanent accommodation options can be found for the young person.

Whilst placement providers will provide support and guidance during an emergency placement, they will be unable to undertake any in depth Pathway Planning support due to the emergency nature of the placement.

The placement will be monitored through regular telephone calls, face to face visits from the Young Person's Advisor and the Supported Lodgings Officer. Mid placement a meeting will be held to discuss move on.

The Referral Information form and Risk Assessment should be completed and signed off by a manager before a placement can be identified and progressed.

The young person's Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor should ensure the forms within the placement pack (Unplanned Licence Agreement, Housing Benefit forms) are signed and submitted within the first 3 days of placement.

Reviews of the placement will be completed every 6 months as part of the Pathway Plan review, including the young person, Supported Lodgings Provider and the young person's Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor.

Children in Need placements will be reviewed via the existing Care Plan and reviews.

Reviews of progress will be ongoing and monitored by the Supported Lodgings Officer. Information from these reviews will be passed on as appropriate.

If the young person and/or the young person's Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor has any concerns about the placement these will be passed on to the Supported Lodgings Officer to discuss with the Supported Lodgings Provider.

There may be times when the young person, Supported Lodgings Provider, young person's Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor and Supported Lodgings Officer will meet to discuss issues together outside of the Pathway Plan review.

Every effort will be made by the Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor and Supported Lodgings Officer to resolve any differences between the young person and the Supported Lodgings Provider. This will be monitored through regular reviews.

If the young person is ending the placement – the young person must inform their Young Person's Advisor giving 28 days' notice of their intention to end the placement (see the Licence Agreement) and explaining the reasons/concerns for terminating the placement. The Young Person's Advisor should inform the Supported Lodgings Officer.

If the Supported Lodgings Provider is ending the placement - the Supported Lodgings Provider must provide the notice in writing to the Supported Lodgings Officer giving 28 days' notice of their intention to end the placement (see the Licence Agreement) and explaining the reasons/concerns for terminating the placement.

The young person's Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor and will find the young person alternative accommodation. This may be with a respite Supported Lodgings Provider or emergency accommodation.

Evaluation forms should be completed to review the placement:

• The young person should complete the Placement Evaluation form for Young People (Appendix 9: Placement Evaluation - Young Person);
• The Young Person's Advisor should complete the Placement Evaluation form for Young People's Advisors (Appendix 10: Placement Evaluation - Young Person's Advisor);
• The Supported Lodgings Provider should complete the Placement Evaluation form for Providers (Appendix 11: Placement Evaluation - Provider).

The Supported Lodgings Officer will carry out an annual review of the Supported Lodgings Provider. This will include collating information from:

• The young person using the Placement Evaluation form for Young People;
• The Social Worker/Young Person's Advisor using the Placement Evaluation form for Social Worker/Young People's Advisors;
• The Supported Lodgings Provider using the Placement Evaluation form for Providers;
• The Supported Lodgings Provider's supervision records.

This information will be collated into a report presented to the Supported Lodgings Panel to make a recommendation whether to renew the approval of the Supported Lodgings Provider.

The Agency Decision Maker will make the final decision and inform the Project Co-ordinator within 7 working days.

The renewal may be subject to certain conditions which may result in an earlier review to check these conditions have been met.

If the Agency Decision Maker decides that the Supported Lodgings Provider is no longer suitable the provider can appeal (see Assessment Process for Supported Lodgings Providers Procedure).

Appendix 1: Referral Information Form

Appendix 2: Risk Assessment

Appendix 3: Consent Form

Appendix 4: Matching Report

Appendix 5: Placement Agreement

Appendix 5b: Additional Document (Authorisation)

Appendix 6: Licence Agreement

Appendix 7: Statement of Confidentiality

Appendix 8: Safe Care Agreement

Appendix 9: Placement Evaluation - Young Person

Appendix 10: Placement Evaluation - Young Person's Advisor

Appendix 11: Placement Evaluation - Provider

Appendix 12: Supported Lodgings Agreement