Is supported living suitable for me?
Supported living is suitable for anyone that wants to be as independent as possible, but needs a bit of additional help with certain things. It might be an ideal option for you if you:
- have been living in a residential care facility and are ready to move on
- have lived with parents or family, and now want to live by yourself
- want your own place after finishing school or college
- have been living unsupported but now find yourself needing some support.
Will I still be able to get support if I don’t live by myself?
It doesn’t matter whether you live alone in your own home, or share with other people – you will still get the support you need, as set out in your personal care plan.
If living in shared accommodation is right for you, we’ll always make sure discussions and decisions about your support involve you and centre on how you want to live. This will include things like who you’ll live with, how it will work day to day, and how we’ll make sure everyone is comfortable, fulfilled and happy.
- have been living in a residential care facility and are ready to move on
- have lived with parents or family, and now want to live by yourself
- want your own place after finishing school or college
- have been living unsupported but now find yourself needing some support.
How are supported living services funded?
Depending on your circumstances, your local council might pay for all or some of the costs of providing supported living. To determine how much, if any, of the costs it will pay, your local council will conduct an assessment.
In England and Wales, local councils have a legal duty to assess anyone who appears to need care and support, regardless of how much money the person has. This is called a care needs assessment. It takes into account your circumstances, abilities and needs, and determines what sort of care and support is best for you.
If, following a care needs assessment, your council decides you’re eligible for supported living, they’ll look at your financial situation and discuss with you whether they will pay for all or part of your support, whether you have to pay something towards it, or whether you have to pay for all of it.
This will depend on your circumstances, and the council’s budget and funding criteria.
If you are eligible for council-funded support, you may be able to choose how your money is managed. Some have their support funding managed by a social worker, while others choose to have it paid directly to them so they have more control over how to spend it. This is called a direct payment. You can find out more about direct payments here
How can I access your supported living services?
We can provide supported living to people over the age of 18, regardless of how your support will be funded. If you are under 18, we can help you to plan the transition into adult support services through our transition support service. You can find out more about transition support here.
Your local council can refer you to us for supported living, whether or not you are eligible for council funding towards your support costs. But you don’t have to be referred – you can get in touch with us directly.
How do you keep a check on your supported living services?
All of our supported living services are inspected and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England and the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW).
This means all of our care homes are subject to regular visits by independent inspectors to make sure we continue to meet minimum standards of care and support. Inspection findings and reports are made public in both England and Wales, so you can find out how all our residential care facilities are doing at any time.
We also work hard as a charity to monitor how we’re doing. We constantly strive to deliver the highest-quality support that exceeds minimum standards and fully embraces our values. Our Quality and Policy team is responsible for auditing the support we provide to make sure we’re doing exactly that.
Our Personalisation team works closely day to day with all the people we support, to make sure we’re doing what we set out to do, providing individualised, person-centred and flexible support that enables each individual to live a fulfilled and happy life. You can find out more about Personalisation here.
How can Walsingham Support help me with supported living?
If you, a member of your family, or someone you care for would like more information or advice, or have any questions about supported living and the options available to you, get in touch with us.
We’re here to offer guidance and support, wherever you are and whatever you need.
Call us on 0333 405 1030*
You can also fill out the form at the bottom of this page and we’ll get back to you.
* Calls are charged at your local rate, wherever you’re calling from.
