Supported Living ICB Funded

Why might it be of interest?

Supported living is an option for any disabled young person who meets the criteria.  If a young person would meet the criteria for a care act assessment and a social care package then they’re going to meet the criteria when funded by the ICB.

However, the NHS is not as geared up to supported living as is social care and the route into supported living will be different, quite possibly need more parental input and options may be more limited at any one time.

You will need to find out who the Case Manager is at the ICB and discuss the options for supported living with them in the first instance.  If you don’t know if a Case Manager has been allocated, then contact the main switchboard on 020 3968 2390.

The process is similar to a Social Services process:

• an assessment takes place
• reports gathered from College placement / EHCP etc
• Case Managers find out what parents want for their young person
  • local
  • with others
  • alone
  • flat
  • shared house
  • urban
  • rural etc

The case manager is then responsible for finding a suitable placement and they will involve the parents in the process.

It always good to remind the case manager when the College placement is ending and keep reminding:

• if ICB is told too early the individual is not a priority and just goes to bottom of list as ICB have so many cases to deal with
• if too late, it becomes an emergency and you have to take what is on offer or the young person goes back to live at the family home until something is found
• if the young person returns to the family home they may slip back down the priority list again as they are deemed safe
• until it becomes an emergency and then you go back to the take what you are offered cycle again

In this parent’s experience there doesn’t appear to be any capacity planning.

There is no ICB brokerage / homes (housing stock) / or joined up working with social services. The NHS do have some hospitals they own and use for learning disability, but this is usually in exceptional cases.

This parent’s experience is that the case managers (for Supported Living or Residential care) look / search for ‘bed vacancies’ and fit a square peg into a round hole as there is so little choice or stock availability.  ICB have a relationship with different providers and access to bed vacancies lists – similar to what social services will have and, in Richmond, Karl Burgess – and this results in ‘competing’ for beds.

For supported living – ICB only fund the carer hours based on their CHC needs assessment and that is it!  ICB do not provide social care support / pay for activities / assist with holiday grants etc. Parents are on their own. If you ask Social Services for a Social worker they will refer you back to the ICB and you go around in circles.

In this parent’s opinion ICB funded Supported Living may not suitable for complex needs because of this.

Once a bed / provider is found they then put the parents in touch to visit the provision and the parents are responsible for checking out the tenancy agreement / rent to pay etc.

If the Supported Living provider is an Exempt provider*, the parents can apply for Housing Benefit through the Council to pay the rent.  If not an Exempt provider, for example it is a private / Ltd care company, then rent is claimed through Universal Credit. Some care providers assist the parents with the process and others leave it all to the parents to do.

Parents can get together with other parents where they feel their young people would work well together in a supported living home and parent commission the provision.  In this instance the parent group would most likely approach a local organisation providing housing.  In some areas this could be local housing associations who will take direct referrals (ie referrals other than from the LA); or it could be a local housing provider or charity that provides housing and care.  If the provider is an Exempt provider (see below) the family can claim Housing Benefit** to pay the rent and some additional service charges.

If the parent group take on a private rental their young people can claim the housing element under Universal Credit to pay their rent.  This amount is subject to the relevant Local Housing Allowance and is not as generous as Housing Benefit in that there is a cap on the amount the council will pay and fewer service charges are included which means the young people would have to pay more of the bills themselves.

A parent could buy a house which would offer good security to the young people but there is a lot to consider if you go down this route.  We have other documents which give you more information about this option.  The parents also need to select a care provider – or they may chose to leave this to the ICB.

Once the house is sourced the parents need to speak to their case workers – ideally keeping them part of the conversation throughout.  The ICB will do their needs assessment and will then pay the care provider chosen directly.

*Supported Living exempt status / **Housing Benefit

More information available in Supported Living – notes about exempt status