Concerns raised over Supporting People Programme

Supported housing providers and users are not fully engaged in
the Supporting People programme, with just 20 months before it is
introduced in April 2003, writes Anabel Unity
Sale.

That is the conclusion of research conducted by Novas-Ouvertures
Group, the supported housing provider and social inclusion agency,
and launched at the National Housing Federation’s Care and
Support Conference this week.

The research, carried out across the group’s services,
found there was an urgent need for national working groups of
voluntary and statutory providers to ensure that consistent
definitions of ‘support’ and ‘care’ across
councils and providers.

It also says there is a lack of guidance to councils on the
involvement of residents and services users at a strategic level in
developing Supporting People plans.

Joe McGarry, Novas-Ouvertures Group chairperson and a former
service user, said: “Supporting People provides a great opportunity
to involve the users and providers of supported housing in the
shaping of future services that are responsive to needs. This
opportunity needs the be grasped by DTLR and local authorities
whilst there is still time.”

A question of support – Implications of Supporting
People from 0870 901 9710.