HAS Piloting New Floating Support Service

Posted on 23rd Jun

The Guild working in Partnership with Plymouth City Council Adult Social Care
is developing a floating support service for People with Sensory Disabilities. Grace Mole the Guilds Hearing and Sight Centre Outreach Manager said, “This service could make a real difference to peoples lives and compliments the work carried out by the specialist sensory impairment workers. It enables us to take the Hearing and Sight Centre out into the Community. This 12 months pilot will determine the level of need in the city and give us a basis to build for the future.“

The Service will

• Provide care and support to sensory impaired individuals who require assistance in order to enable them to maintain, or improve, their ability to live independently.
• Provide support to individuals either in their own homes or at an agreed location.
• ensure that levels of support offered meet the assessed needs of the individual as part of an integrated support plan or where relevant, as part of an integrated package of service in partnership with other agencies, as appropriate.
  
  The service is for adults of 18 years old and upwards who have sensory or hearing impairments or dual sensory loss which significantly affects their ability to maintain independence living.
  
  Support May include:
• Claiming appropriate benefits and money management
• Ensure that referrals are made to appropriate agencies where necessary in order to access mobility training, low vision aids and equipment
• Ensure that all agencies who will engage with the client, i.e. landlords, utilities providers etc are aware of their needs, and that all information is provided is their chosen accessible format.
  
• Setting up systems to pay for accommodation
  
• Support to get all the necessary services into the accommodation i.e. utilities 
  
• Support to identify disrepair and hazards within, or outside, the home. To access assistance to resolve these issues in order to eliminate risks, and support falls prevention. Engage with statutory agencies to access financial assistance packages and support e.g. Disabled Facilities Grants, Care & Repair Home improvement Agency assistance and Handyperson services.
  
• Identifying unmet needs and accessing appropriate support i.e. care & support needs & sensory/disability related needs
  
• Support to access community services i.e. G.P, Home Call, social interaction
  
• Support to tackle fuel poverty & poor housing conditions via access to external support/funding streams i.e. local authority financial assistance packages, Warm Front grants etc
  
• Support to access alternative sources of funding to resolve housing difficulties i.e. charities, benevolent funds, etc
  
• Accessing support to resolve neighbour nuisance & anti social behaviour problems