Which Way Home? 21 Maintaining an open ended commitment A concern by many respondents was that a clear understanding of a key element of a housing-led A number of respondents commented on the approach in relation to maintaining a commitment to diverse nature of support that was required by open ended support was not always appreciated in different service users, and the crucial local policy contexts. For example, although there commitment to maintaining open ended support was much praise for the work that tenancy for people. Respondents emphasised that part of sustainment services often undertake, there was this approach was about offering and enabling some anxiety that this model of time limited support support whatever the changing housing for people with low to medium support needs circumstances of the service user. As two service would become associated with an overall housing- users commented, led approach, “ It’nd ahdnbecafusleofe.oAe dutt’sso otucbaidtto iusg., “ hehprtehateyoestcoctldnsootn pusisng iinhpbacedomehteroltwtittsaodoiuirurraelTdn,evirdytirohtualacolsitroppuS.noitalosidnannochesnahtaahtmmnorfinprnalelpllf’puolyaebeywa,meerstuhacseAb go around: ‘I’m not doing this again. I’m tired and is time limited. There are strict time lines now. I’m going straight’. But you can come to about how long you can be in contact with the door after you’re been with (Simon someone. Our tenants are saying something else: Community). After you’ve moved out you can ‘we’re frightened. We’re isolated’. The systems still go to the door. No one’s going to say ‘well don’t support us to do that (staff). you don’t live here anymore’. The door’s always open (Service user) An issue therefore was the extent to which services might be alerted to emerging difficulties “ Shane e,rganiyatiowon’tyget a thhrdgeftourstec,ofnfdh, Sxperad cteppederack fromrsuptpors.eOne s such asecivrtrefasesuecivbsybdesneihILetiha,tigimuo–snuostubocmoc sixth. Simon Community never turn their respondent commented that people who lived in back. Never (Service user) social housing were more likely to have the potential to remain linked to supports such as There were two aspects to this issue of clinics due to the security of tenure they enjoy, as maintaining open ended support. The first was well as landlords who are more likely to be aware of that the amount of time that an individual visit support issues and take steps to assist people to might take, and building in the flexibility to link with supports. In contrast, it was noted that accommodate this into case loads. The second people in private renting are much more likely to aspect was keeping open the potential for make a number of moves, and risk slipping out of support in the long term. Part of this latter issue contact with services. related to the need for services to recognise fluctuations in level of support that people may Risk management and staff safety want, with periods when a need for support may be relatively high, drop, and then go up again, There was some discussion by respondents of the use of diverse risk management strategies that “ youaknow,uatquickeinttervendionltobse ppentas, gooud bdeempldyas ras uieicesalaeynatine pisrticularkarevO.rrtsgnrnqedeoeifitneiplurcroesuynotluownmniassycnneT people to maintain their tenancy, and it’s low management plans were heavy drinkers, where to medium support. What we have experienced there was a greater emphasis on minimising is that for some of our clients, because maybe community harm. it’s mental health, where you can move somebody in and you can sustain them. Get Another aspect of risk management related to staff them linked into services. So everything is safety, and duties of care for employees, especially going to go for a while. And then they either where workers were visiting people alone out in the come off their medication or they become ill community. One solution was for individual staff to and then it all collapses again (staff). double up on visits with other services as and when they had appointments with service users.
Which Way Home?
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