STRATEGIC CONTEXT
6.
The Council have been successful
in achieving a Housing Strategy which is deemed fit for purpose by
GOSE. This forms the overarching
strategy for housing and housing-related support services on the Island. There are also three detailed service
strategies which feed into this document, which outline detailed need and
delivery issues. These are, the
Homelessness Strategy, Housing Renewal Strategy and the Supported Housing
Strategy.
7.
The first two of these have
already been approved by members; the third is currently in preparation and is
directly relevant to this report. The
SP Strategy is itself, part of the Supported Housing Strategy. The difference is that SP relates only to
housing-related support and to the implementation of the Government’s
regime. The Supported Housing Strategy
will, in addition to reflecting the SP programme, also cover aspects of housing
where residents require higher care and support.
8.
SP
is a programme with enormous potential to improve and sustain the quality of
life for the most vulnerable of the Island’s community. There is a focus on a number of key factors:
·
prevention services,
·
quality
·
cost effectiveness and
·
new models of service provision.
9.
The purpose of the five year
strategy is to examine critically the services inherited from the previous
funding streams and focus them on local need and strategic priorities. This will ensure that the commissioned
services fully reflect the aims of the SP strategic commissioning partners
(Isle of Wight Council, PCT and the Probation Service).
10.
As part of this process, a
Special Needs Housing Survey was commissioned which involved a comprehensive
mapping exercise of supply and demand on the Island. This was with the intention of informing the strategy and
allowing the development of action plans to fully reflect the needs of the
Island community.
11.
The scope of the strategy
encompasses:
·
The future overall direction of
the Supporting People programme on the Isle of Wight
·
The mapping of unmet needs for
housing related support,
·
A vehicle for obtaining
additional capital funding for the Supported Housing schemes/services by
demonstrating gaps in services and unmet need in housing related support
services
·
Where appropriate, and within
budgetary constraints, to propose increases or refocusing of the supply of
housing related support services for vulnerable people living on the Isle of
Wight
·
A framework for the promotion of
partnership working with a range of stakeholders to enable people to live
independent and fulfilled lives within their communities
12.
The key strategic objectives are
·
To
reconfigure the way that floating support is commissioned and delivered in
partnership with all stakeholders
·
To reconfigure
the way that hostel based provision is commissioned and delivered in
partnership with all stakeholders
·
To
reconfigure the way that older persons accommodation based support is
commissioned and delivered in partnership with all stakeholders
·
To
commission specific in depth client focused housing related support needs
research
·
To
improve the alignment of commissioned services with the priorities of partner
agencies
·
To
explore the opportunities available for independent living through jointly
commissioned services and pooled budgets
·
To begin
to move away from institutional and accommodation based services to more
flexible floating support services
·
To ensure
all services promote independence and are accessible particularly for hard to
reach groups, the disabled and those from BME communities
·
To
increase the accessibility of services for clients and referrers to SP funded
services
·
To work
with providers in order to achieve the Commissioning Body vision that all
providers will be level A (Quality Assessment Framework) by April 2007
13.
The SP Strategy also complements
other Isle of Wight and broader strategies. These include, Valuing People, the
National Standards Framework for mental health and older people, initiatives
through the DAT, Domestic Violence Strategy group and Crime and Disorder
Strategies. Links have also been made
to the work of Connexions and with the Learning Disability partnership Board housing
strategy.
14.
Issues which are covered by the SP
Strategy include:
·
A reconfiguration of sheltered
housing
·
A reconfiguration of floating support
·
Review of hostel provision
·
Key priorities for future funding
·
Strategies for responding to
future budget changes.
15.
The importance of the SP strategy
is three-fold:
a.
It provides a partnership platform
for the delivery of housing which reflects health and social care needs on the
Island.
b.
It will be the basis on which the
Government determines future SP funding.
c.
It will form a template for the SP
Inspection, which is due in 2007.
CONSULTATION
16.
The
strategy was developed as a result of wide ranging consultation. This involved service users, providers,
statutory agencies, the voluntary sector and council members. Key agencies and partners included:
·
The Supporting people
Commissioning Body – the Strategic partnership of health, probation and the
Local Authority
·
The Supporting people Strategic
core group – membership is drawn from all areas of the Administering Authority,
probation and health (PCT) and providers are represented on this group.
·
The Supporting people Inclusive
forum – Provider led
·
Individual Needs Groups – i.e. –
mental health, learning disability etc – clients are involved in these groups
and have a direct influence on the direction of service development
·
The Supporting people 5 year
Commissioning Strategy will be available on the ODPM “knowledge web” (www.spkweb.org.uk)
and on the Isle of Wight Council web site for wider consultation.
17.
The draft SP strategy has been
subject to consultation with all of these groups with a major part of the
Island’s annual Supporting People Conference held on 10th February
2005 being devoted to the strategy.
FINANCIAL/BUDGET
IMPLICATIONS
18.
The
Supporting People grant is a ring fenced grant specifically for the
commissioning of SP services. All
service development or re-engineering must be managed within the ring fenced
grant. However, the grant nationally is
under pressure and the Administering Authority will need to make difficult
commissioning decisions in over the next 5 years. The Commissioning Strategy, which be agreed by the Commissioning
Body, sets out the framework for this.
The Government has recently announced that SP Grant will be cut by 6% in
2005/06, 5% in 2006/07 and 2007/08.
19.
The
ODPM issue an administration grant that part funds the business functions of
the Supporting people Team; currently the directorate match funds the
administration grant in order that the programme can meet its obligations under
the grant conditions and statutory guidance.
Government grant will be cut by 20% in 2005/06.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
20.
It is a condition of the Grant Conditions and Statutory Guidance that the
Administering Authority develop a Supporting People 5 year Commissioning
Strategy.
OPTIONS
21.
The
Supporting People strategy is in effect the summation of a range of option
appraisals relating to local needs and support provision. The strategy seeks to optimise the matching
of supply to need in a cost effective, quantity based way within the context of
reduced grant funding.
22.
The production of a Supporting
People strategy is not optional, it is a condition of the Supporting People
grant conditions that local authorities develop a 5 year strategy by March
2005. The strategy proposed has been
developed in the light of current needs, knowledge and resources.
EVALUATION/RISK MANAGEMENT
23.
The
strategy identifies a range of risks through its analysis of service provision
and needs mapping. It provides for the
management of identified risks through the actions proposed to meet the
strategic objectives.
24.
£7.2m
grant funded housing related support services has been provided in
2004/05. This is a ring fenced grant,
however it will be reduced by 6% in 2005/06, 5% in 2006/07 and 2007/08.
25.
20%
of the programme is delivered by three providers. The programme also has a significant number of individual
providers. An outcome of the strategy
is to produce a better balanced provision of support by a number of organisations
that are financially sound, capable of providing the capacity needed and
meeting the quality standards required.
The SP team through the Quality Assessment Framework regularly monitor
and review the provision of services.
Full risk assessments will be completed as part of the service
reconfiguration project thus allowing the continued refinement of contingency
plans.
26.
Homelessness
poses significant risks to the council.
In providing housing related support to approximately 2,000 people the
strategy will directly complement the Homelessness and Housing Strategies and,
through tenancy sustainment help prevent the occurrence of homelessness.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
27.
It
is recommended that the Executive agree the Supporting People Commissioning
Strategy
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APPENDICES ATTACHED
28.
The Supporting people 5 year Commissioning Strategy -
This has been circulated to Members of the Executive Committee only. If you
wish to view the Strategy please visit the Council website at :
http://wightnet2000.iow.gov.uk/councillors/papers/docs_list.asp?cmteId=10
BACKGROUND
PAPERS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT
29.
There are four legal documents
which underpin the Supporting people Framework and have been used in
preparation of this report.
The Supporting people (England) Directions 2003
The Supporting People Programme Grant & Grant
Conditions
The Supporting People Grant Guidance
The Local Authorities (Charges for specified
welfare services) (England) Regulations 2003
In addition the following documents have been used in the
preparation of this report.
Supporting People – Policy into Practice: DTLR: January
2001
Supporting People Administrative Guidance: DTLR: October
2001
The Interim Financial Package: ODPM: October 2002
Contact Point : Yvonne May, Supporting People Manager, ' 550471
e-mail [email protected]
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PHILIP TAYLOR
Acting Head of Housing Services
|
GORDON KENDALL
Portfolio Holder for Adult and
Community Services
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