Memorandum from Cambridgeshire Supporting
(SPP 72)
SUMMARY
— So long as the remit of housing-related
support and the emphasis on prevention are retained, the removal
of the ring-fence should be seen as an opportunity for enhancing
services. The majority of SP clients are not eligible for Social
Care services, therefore the emphasis on these socially excluded
groups should remain.
— Cambridgeshire SP will be merging the
Joint Member Group (ie Commissioning Body members and their councillor/non
executive counterparts) with the Cambridgeshire Care Partnership
and the Health and Wellbeing Board to form an Equality and Inclusion
Board. This way, Supporting People will be more integrated and
will be a key decision maker within the LAA.
— All services funded by Cambridgeshire
SP complete the national outcomes forms, clearly showing the relevance
of SP to the districts' Sustainable Community Strategies. All
services are also assessed under the QAF.
— The Transformation Strategy for Adult
Support Services in Cambridgeshire will shortly be consulted on,
with a significant emphasis on prevention and the importance of
other partners such as housing. These key strands of the strategy
are also expected to be reflected in the restructure of the re-named
Community and Adult Services within the County Council.
— NI141 is in the Cambridgeshire LAA.
The SPERG (Supporting People Eastern Region Group) has also identified
a range of other NIs that SP services contribute to.
— With the removal of the eligibility criteria,
we are having discussions with broader partners, such as the strategic
migration partnership, to look at new ways of providing support
to vulnerable people.
— Ten administering authorities delivering
the Supporting People Programme in the East Region undertake collective
work through a body known as Supporting People in the East Region
(SPERG). The group adds value to local working by achieving consistent
outcomes at a Regional level and promotes the interests of vulnerable
service users of Supporting People services seeking to minimise
bureaucracy in adopting Best Practice across the region.
— The SPERG sees a continuing role for
SP in the region and to this end has published a Regional SP Strategy
2008-11. The document is intended to provide a link between local
and national policy and is aimed at enabling Supporting People
to work strategically at a regional level. It evidences the achievements
of SP in the region to ensure an improved understanding of the
Supporting People programme and acknowledgement of the contribution
that it makes to other targets and agendas at a local, regional
and national level. The style, format and content of the regional
strategy mirrors the national strategy.
— Key non-negotiable elements of SP that
must be maintained are: the strategic overview of local services,
preventative role, housing-related, easy access for clients, focus
on socially excluded groups, funding to administer the programme.
— We would favour a limited ring fence
for funding for socially excluded groups, as they are often excluded
from other services. However, eligibility criteria for services
should be relaxed to allow for the development of innovative support
provision.
A. What is happening as a result of the ring
fence removal?
1. Any examples or ways of demonstrating the
benefits of the SP programme, particularly those, which are affected
in any way by the changes.
2. The removal of the ring-fence should
be seen as an opportunity for enhancing services, so long as the
remit of housing-related support and the emphasis on prevention
are retained.
3. All SP funded services in Cambridgeshire
record outcomes achieved for service users via the National Outcomes
Framework. The National Outcomes Framework is divided into five
areas: Achieve Economic Wellbeing, Enjoy and Achieve, Be Healthy,
Stay Safe and Making a Positive Contribution.
4. In Cambridgeshire, the national Outcomes
Framework has been in use since January 2008. Since then, in the
short-term services alone, 868 service users have been supported
to achieve economic wellbeing, 444 service users have been
supported to enjoy and achieve, 694 have been supported to
be healthy, 679 have been supported to stay safe and 619 have
been supported to make a positive contribution.
5. Below are a few case studies to illustrate
the achievements of SP funded services in Cambridgeshire.
6. Case Study 1
Client A was 16 in early 2007 when
her family chose to start a new life in Spain, leaving her with
a difficult choice. She had always shown a talent for art and
had hoped to be able to pursue a career in it. The problem for
client A was that the courses and colleges that she wanted were
in this country. At first she was able to live with her grandmother
locally and during this time began a Level 3 course in Art
and Design at the local college.
7. After a couple of months though, her
grandmother decided to join her family in Spain. This left client
A wanting to continue her course but having nowhere to live. At
this point she was referred to the Foyer by the local Connexions
service and after a successful interview and short time on the
waiting list she was offered a room. Although this was a huge
change in her life, with support she settled well into life in
the Foyer and was soon a popular and active resident, always keen
to be involved with the activities going on, often using her talents
to help produce resources to support them.
8. As time passed she developed skills in
cooking and budgeting and was able to live very successfully as
an independent young lady. Through all this time, with the support
and stability that the Foyer offered, she was able to maintain
a very high standard of academic work. In fact her work was chosen
to figure prominently in the end of year exhibition.
9. With the grades she had achieved she
was able to apply to all her first choice universities and made
visits all over the country. She was lucky enough to receive offers
from all the ones she had applied to. She decided to accept an
offer from De Montford in Leicester, where she is currently studying
a three-year degree course in Fine Art. The skills that she learnt
during her time in the Foyer have proved invaluable in allowing
her to make this move successfully and the bursary supplied by
the Foyer Federation still helps to support her as she continues
in successful independent living.
10. Case Study 2
Client B moved in to supported accommodation,
following a period of homelessness. At that time she was a Class
A drug user with an offending history going back five years. She
had substantial former tenant arrears and had a young daughter
who was being cared for by a former partner. She had very low
self-esteem. The service worked with the client to address her
drug misuse, by providing ongoing emotional and practical support
and the environment for positive change, enabling the service
user to see a future for herself and her daughter.
11. The service enabled the client to take
control of her own life and decision making by working with her
on budgeting skills, form filling, access to other services and
maintaining her tenancy including rent payment. The service supported
her to address her former tenant arrears and she set up a repayment
agreement, which she has maintained.
12. After nine months the client had developed
enough independence for her to move to the move on house, which
is low level supported accommodation, where clients are responsible
for their own bills, have their own front door and receive visiting
support from the service. The service advocated on behalf of the
client to social services and supported her through their assessment
process, for her daughter to be able to live with her when she
moved to independent accommodation.
13. As part of her planned resettlement,
the client moved to a two bed roomed house with her daughter.
The service is now in a transition period, handing over the support
to a floating support service. It was agreed with the client that
she would continue to benefit from ongoing support having not
had her daughter living with her for nearly three years. There
is evidence to suggest that the client remains drug free and has
not offended for nearly two years.
14. Case Study 3
When client C arrived at the support service
he was in very poor health. He had a history of crime, having
convictions for theft, deception, burglary and being involved
in supplying class A drugs. Sentences imposed for these offences
included a Combination Order, a Community Service Order, a period
of imprisonment in a Young Offender's Institution and a Community
Rehabilitation Order.
15. Client C displayed behavioural difficulties
whilst at school, which led him to gravitate towards other disaffected
young people. Consequently he first became involved with drugs
at age 11, progressing on to Heroin at age 15. This was the beginning
of a long habit of drug misuse. Although tenant C's parents wanted
to support their son when they discovered that he was misusing
illicit drugs, they were unable to cope and he was asked to leave
the family home, which led to a breakdown of communication. After
this it was some years before contact was re-established. After
leaving home client C was sometimes able to stay with friends,
but he was often compelled to spend periods of time on the street.
16. Client C was referred to the service
by his probation officer. When he had adjusted to having secure
accommodation a support plan was drawn up with him, to enable
him to progress with his life. The plan included such things as
ways to address his drug misuse, re-establishing contact with
his family, obtaining a job or training and dealing with his rent
arrears. The plan included sections on what action needed to be
taken to achieve a positive outcome in each area, who was to take
the action and the anticipated end results. In due course, with
constant support from staff, client C was able to address his
drug misuse and consequently stop offending. He re-established
contact with his family who were very grateful for the service's
input and for giving them back the son that they remembered.
17. The next stage was for client C to obtain
his own accommodation. The service put in a nomination to the
City Council on his behalf, which was accepted. A new support
plan was put into operation to ensure that the move went smoothly.
Support was given in accessing essential local services and amenities,
budgeting, applying for grants and benefits and in setting up
his new home.
18. When client C had successfully moved
into his new home staff pledged to continue supporting him for
a minimum of six months in the first instance, with the possibility
of a further six months support if required. Client C is now happy
in his new home and he has obtained fulfilling employment, which
he enjoys.
19. 2. Whether the removal of the ring
fence has in practice to date led to significant changes in resources
for housing related support and care in your locality, or if any
are planned?
20. As we have not yet removed it in Cambridgeshire
it is too early to comment. However, it is important to consider
the potential impact on the "Supporting People" funded
services where there are other financial pressures in services,
such as Social Care.
21. 3. Any changes in commissioning and
decision making structures.
22. We have retained current governance
structures, ie the Commissioning Body and the Core Strategy Group.
We will be merging the Joint Member Group (ie CB members and their
councillor/non executive counterparts) with the Cambridgeshire
Care Partnership and the Health and Wellbeing Board to form an
Equality and Inclusion Board. This way, Supporting People will
be more integrated as a result and will be able to influence key
decisions within the LAA.
23. 4. Is there continuing monitoring
of outcomes, use of the QAF?
24. Yes, all SP funded services in Cambridgeshire
complete outcomes forms for service users, showing very clearly
the benefits of SP services to service users and the relevance
of SP services to the districts' Sustainable Community Strategies
and other partners. The QAF is also being used and all providers
have recently completed a self-assessment based on the refreshed
QAF. We acknowledge that the refreshed QAF is less prescriptive
than the earlier version. The QAF also plays a part in tender
evaluations, as applicants are scored, among other things, based
on previous QAF scores achieved or similar evidence.
25. 5. Any other indicators of the continuing
priority attached to HRS locally.
26. The Transformation Strategy for Adult
Support Services in Cambridgeshire will shortly be consulted on,
with a significant emphasis on prevention and the importance of
other partners such as housing. These key strands of the strategy
are also expected to be reflected in the restructure of the re-named
Community and Adult Services within the County Council. We have
also co-written the Cambridgeshire 2009 Extra Care Strategy.
27. NI141 is in the Cambridgeshire
LAA. The SPERG (Supporting People Eastern Region Group) has also
identified other NIs that SP services contribute to. See Appendix
for NIs.
28. 6. Whether the removal of the eligibility
criteria has led to the development of, or plans for, innovative
and flexible new service models?
29. Yes—whilst we have not at this
stage commissioned new services models, we are having discussions
with broader partners, such as the strategic migration partnership,
to look at new ways of providing support to vulnerable people.
30. 7. Any indications of particular service
groups losing out or other implications for particular groups.
31. As stated above (Q1), we see an opportunity
in the removal of the ring-fence so long as the emphasis on prevention
is retained and there will be a stronger emphasis on those groups
that are not eligible for services provided by adult social care.
We acknowledge the potential threats posed by the removal of the
ring fence, however this is potentially mitigated by the focus
on Prevention in the Adult Support Services Transformation Strategy.
In addition, the Supporting People Programme was recently highlighted
by the Director of Adult Support Services as the preventative
programme in Cambridgeshire due to it's focus on "excluded
groups" not covered by statutory services.
32. Of the 1,738 new clients that accessed
SP services in Cambridgeshire between April and December 2008,
only 167 had been accepted as requiring services under either
Care management (Social Services) or the Care Programme Approach
(CPA). Of these, only 47 were from socially excluded groups
and none of them were single homeless, rough sleepers or travellers.
This data shows the importance of focusing on socially excluded
groups and prevention rather than care in the future.
33. 8. Whether local and regional structures—Forums,
RIGs—are effective in promoting and defending HRS and whether
they are continuing or developing in the new environment?
34. Ten administering authorities delivering
the Supporting People Programme in the East Region undertake collective
work through a body known as Supporting People in the East Region
(SPERG). The group adds value to local working by achieving consistent
outcomes at a Regional level and promotes the interests of vulnerable
service users of Supporting People services seeking to minimise
bureaucracy in adopting Best Practice across the region.
35. The Programme received £121 million
funding in 2008-09 and in this region contracts with over
400 providers delivering services for 21 different client
groups and assisted with providing services to 97,000 households
during 2007.
36. The SPERG sees a continuing role for
SP in the region and to this end has published a Regional SP Strategy
2008-11. The document is intended to provide a link between local
and national policy and is aimed at enabling Supporting People
to work strategically at a regional level. It evidences the achievements
of SP in the region to ensure an improved understanding of the
Supporting People programme and acknowledgement of the contribution
that it makes to other targets and agendas at a local, regional
and national level. The style, format and content of the regional
strategy mirrors the national strategy.
37. Within the region the Programme has
driven up standards of services with each team completing service
reviews on their existing services and establishing whether the
service was appropriate and delivering good value for money. Close
links have been developed with key agencies in the East Region
and the Programme has been successful in attracting capital funding
from the Housing Corporation (now known as Homes and Community
Agency) through the development of a Capital Allocations Model
in partnership with these agencies
38. Supporting People is still seen by some
as a bureaucratic process and as the National Strategy states,
we are working hard to reduce this bureaucracy. This also includes
looking at how we can share Contract Management and Monitoring
with colleagues in Cambridgeshire Adults Support Services and
Children's Services. Regionally, the SPERG has reduced bureaucracy
for providers and Supporting People teams with our regional response
to developing an accreditation process and the development of
a regional contract for services funded by Supporting People only.
A benchmarking database was also produced across the SP teams
in the region and a further solution to benchmarking that links
our regional data with national data is currently being explored.
A regional contract for Supporting People and Adult Social Care
and a regional strategic commissioning toolkit are also being
developed which will further strengthen the work Supporting People
undertake within the East Region.
39. SPERG continues to look for and develop
effective promotion of regional working and developing close working
links with other regional bodies in order to promote the Supporting
People Programme and the best interests of those vulnerable people
that are served by the services delivered through the Programme.
40. B. What should we be arguing for?
9. What are the key non-negotiable elements
of SP that must be maintained, particularly if you believe or
have evidence that they are under threat?
41. Strategic overview
The Local Supporting People Programme keeps
a strategic overview of supported housing and related services
in the area, where there would otherwise be a lack of strategic
direction and focus, by bringing together partners from housing,
health, probation and social care.
42. In Cambridgeshire, the SP team recently
commissioned a detailed needs analysis to identify gaps of provision
and lack of equity in the county. The results of the needs analysis
will inform future commissioning and ensure future equity in provision
across the county as well as equity across different client groups
and service types. This information will be represented within
the Joint Strategic Needs Assessments to ensure significant emphasis
on housing-related support.
43. Preventative
Supporting People Services are different from
many statutory services in that they are preventative and work
to prevent events and situation from escalating. As a direct result
of this preventative work, referrals to statutory services are
often not required. Hence, a reduction in preventative services
would increase the burden on statutory services, which often are
more costly.
44. Housing-related
Whilst we welcome the removal of the eligibility
criteria, the focus on independent living and maintaining tenancies
should remain and any support activities carried out should link
back to the overarching aim of supporting independent living and
avoiding evictions and homelessness.
45. Easy access
Another benefit of SP services is the ease of
access, as service users can self-refer and referrals are accepted
from many sources, not only professionals. Also, these services
are not restricted to social care eligibility criteria and hence
there is greater equality of access for clients. Some services
such as night shelters and women's refuges also provide direct
access to people in need.
46. Socially excluded groups
The Supporting People Programme provides services
for socially excluded groups for whom no other services are available.
These groups include homeless people and rough sleepers, young
people at risk and travellers, women fleeing domestic violence
and ex-offenders.
47. Funding to administer the programme
This is needed to cover the increasing administration
of the programme, especially the increasing need for competitive
tendering and initiatives such as personal budgets and self-directed
support. Such funding is necessary to ensure that money is not
drawn away from services.
48. 10. What national safeguards should
be argued for and might be politically and operationally achievable
to protect the achievements of the programme?
49. We would favour a limited ring fence
for funding for socially excluded groups, as they are often excluded
from other services. However, eligibility criteria for services
should be relaxed to allow for the development of innovative support
provision.
50. 1. If you believe there should be
a new ring fenced or targeted funds and/or new or strengthened
monitoring/inspection arrangements, who should be responsible
for them?
51. At a local level the value of Commissioning
Bodies being responsible for the programme grant should be maintained.
The Audit Commission should carry out the monitoring and inspection
arrangements.
52. Any other comments:
53. We are implementing the National Strategy
locally.
A few exampled of how we have adopted the National
Strategy locally:
— Keeping people that need services at
the heart of the programme
Consider how to respond to demographic changes
54.
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| Governments expectation of Local Authorities
| How this is being addressed in Cambridgeshire
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| Consider how to respond to demographic changes
| We have completed a needs analysis to build on CLG's growth model looking at demographic change across all client groups until 2026.
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— Enhancing partnership with the Third Sector
55.
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| Governments expectation of Local Authorities
| How this is being addressed in Cambridgeshire
|
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| Meet the full costs and reasonable overheads associated with 3rd sector delivery.
| The Commissioning Body has committed to full cost recovery.
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— Delivering in the new government landscape
56.
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| Governments expectation of Local Authorities
| How this is being addressed in Cambridgeshire
|
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| Make housing support part of a coordinated approach to delivering for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged by ensuring SP is integrated into the LAA
| We now have an SP indicator in the Local Area Agreement and it is proposed that Joint Member Group will form the new Partnership Board for the Equality and Inclusion Theme.
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— Increasing efficiency and reducing bureaucracy
57.
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| Governments expectation of Local Authorities
| How this is being addressed in Cambridgeshire
|
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| Benchmark service costs | We are working with the Supporting People Eastern Region Group to implement a benchmarking tool across the region.
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