Learning Disabilities Support Services

What is the purpose of this meeting?

This is to confirm what services you require, how many hours support you need to do this and who will pay for this. This is called your ‘package of care’. It may be just a few hours support, perhaps to get out more and meet people, on the other hand you may wish to move on to independent living, in a supported tenancy and you may need somebody to support you at all times.

Who needs to be involved?

Within this ‘package of care’ we want to know what you want first and foremost, but we welcome the involvement of anyone who can best help assess your needs. This could be a parent, relative, carer, friend, social worker or care manager. Together we can look at assessing want you want and how to get the support you may need.

Who pays for this support?

There are three main ways in which payment for your support needs are met.

You may be in receipt of ‘Direct Payments,’ this is monies awarded to you through social services which would enable you to purchase services from us directly. Alternatively you may be in receipt of respite ‘vouchers’ which can be used for some outreach services. Services can also be commissioned through your social worker or care manager, once your needs have been agreed.

What if you can't afford a home of your own?

We can work on your behalf to help you achieve this; we frequently work closely with social services, housing associations, landlords, occupational therapists and benefits agencies to help meet housing needs. This could be something as simple as having rails fitted to aid mobility, or applying for benefits where this is necessary to help meet rent and other bills.

What if your needs change later on?

Well this does happen, it could be that you may require additional help, perhaps on holiday or in sickness, alternatively you may have become more independent and want less support. Either way we can arrange a meeting at any time to review your needs.

How long does this process take?

It's difficult to say and dependant on your housing and support needs, It could be about four weeks if it is outreach work or within an existing tenancy, but it could take longer if your housing or care needs are very specific. We will keep you involved and informed all the way though the process.

What about the quality of your services?

Shared Approach constantly strives to get the best possible outcomes for our service users; we are closely monitored and inspected by several regulatory bodies and carefully listen to the people who use our services. (see Quality Assurance section).

What if I am not happy?

Obviously we hope this never happens, we want you to be happy with the service we provide. If you are not you can complain. You can talk to whoever you feel comfortable with, this might be one of your support team or one of the managers. If you tell us what the problem is we will do our best to deal with it directly or if serious get someone else to look into your complaint. You might prefer to talk to a friend, parent, relative, carer, advocate or directly to our inspectors.

'Service Users Guide' to complaining