SUPPORTING PEOPLE
Briefing
2006
What is Supporting People
Supporting people is a government initiative aimed at
enabling people with housing related support needs to
live independently in the community.
It is targeted at vulnerable people and funded by the
Department for Communities and Local Government
(DCLG), formerly the ODPM.
The Vision for Merton Supporting People
“To enable vulnerable people to
maximise their independence,
building safe and fulfilling lives in the
community through support to their
housing circumstances that meets
their needs”
The Budget

For 2006/2007 DCLG have announced that Merton will
receive £3,287,911
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Reduction of 1.76% = £57,856
Efficiency savings means no service reductions
For 2007/2008 the budget estimate is £3,123,515
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Means 5% reduction = £164,396
Redistribution formula
May have to decommission services
Funding by client group
Young People at Risk
5%
Domestic violence
4%
Homeless families
1%
Frail Elderly
3%
Offenders
2%
Older people
7%
Physical or sensory
1%
Teenage Parents
1%
Alcohol problems
4%
HIV/AIDS
1%
Single Homeless
27%
Learning disabilities
10%
Mental Health
34%
Percentage of units per client group
People w ith HIV/AIDS
0.6%
Teenage parents
0.8%
Women at risk of domestic
violence
1.4%
Young people at risk or
leaving care
3.1%
Young single homeless
w ith support needs
5.5%
Homeless families
3.7%
Offenders or people at risk
of offending
0.5%
People w ith alcohol
problems
0.7%
Older People w ith support
needs
59.3%
Single homeless people
w ith support needs
7.3%
People w ith Physical (or
Sensory) Disabilities
People w ith Learning
3.1%
Disabilities
3.5%
People w ith Mental Health
problems
10.5%
SUPPORTING PEOPLE AND GOVERNANCE
Merton as an Administering Authority for
Supporting People
The Supporting People Team is responsible for:

Delivery, management and administration of the
programme
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Management of individual contracts

Monitoring and reporting on grant expenditure

Development of local performance indicators with key
partners

Management and support of the provider base
Merton as an Administering Authority for
Supporting People (continued)

Communication and consultation strategy for the
programme

Pursuit of cross authority and cross agency
procurement and service delivery

Completion of the service review process, reporting on
outcomes and carrying out validation visits
The Seven Key Objectives in the
Supporting People Strategy
• Improve our partnership working with service providers,
stakeholders, support agencies and service users
• Improve needs analysis with a special emphasis on
people excluded from services and services to the BME
community
• Work with other boroughs to develop accessible services
for people across borough boundaries
• Improve communications with an emphasis towards
service-users and access to services
The Seven Key Objectives in the
Supporting People Strategy (continued)
• Increase resources towards generic floating support
services and get the balance right between
accommodation-based services and floating support
• Set high standards for quality and value for money in
the service review programme and performance
monitoring
• Use the budget creatively, linking with other funding
streams for multi-dimensional needs and ensure the
overall programme is cohesively linked into other
corporate plans and wider partnerships
Progress and Achievements 2005/06

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New sheltered housing scheme for ethnic
elders
YMCA – a remodelling success story
Merton Young Single Homeless Forum
(MYSHF) nomination panel
First direct payment – a learning disability
client
Progress and Achievements 2005/06
(continued)

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Move-on accommodation for mental health clients
Additional floating support for clients
 Drug and alcohol problems
 New Merton tenants
 Physical and sensory disabilities
Jigsaw4U obtaining ALG development bid funding
Reach out visits
Looking ahead : Challenges for 2006 - 2007
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Improve communications
Engage with service users
National Supporting People Strategy
Redistribution formula
Value for Money
Engaging with voluntary sector
Explore joint funding initiatives
Successful inspection
Visit every accommodation-based service
Our Priorities

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Increase Floating Support
Develop a high level support scheme for young people
at risk - Mitcham Park
Develop an extra care scheme for frail elderly at
Wykeham Lodge
Support for people with substance misuse
Increase number of move on accommodation units
Supporting People Inspection
A Team of Audit Commission Inspectors will be visiting
Merton on 21st August 2006 for one week. The
timetable will be agreed in advance and the Team will
undertake a range of activities: interviews, focus
groups, and reality checks including visits to provider
services, mystery shopping and file checks.
What is the focus of the
inspection?
The Audit Commission will assess Merton’s SP
programme against two key questions:

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How good is the service?
What are the prospects for improvement?
The AC will then score each question on a scale
from 3 star excellent through to no star poor
How good is the service?
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Governance
Delivery Arrangements
Service Reviews
Value for Money
Service User Involvement
Access to Service Information
Diversity
Outcomes for Service Users
Will the service improve?
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What is the service’s track record for delivering
improvement?
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How well does the service manage
performance?
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Does the service have the capacity to
improve?
What will happen during the
inspection?
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Inspectors will be in Merton conducting fieldwork
during the week commencing 21st August 2006
They will be looking for evidence to see how well we
are performing, functioning as a partnership and what
our future prospects for improving are
They will interview senior staff, frontline staff and other
people from the partnership
They will conduct reality checks with service providers
and mystery shopper exercises
Who will be involved?
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Merton Council
Partners in the SP programme:
Primary Care Trust
Probation Service
Service Providers
Service Users
Users and Carer groups and
voluntary groups
What needs to be done?
There are important submissions and work that has to be
done in the months before the inspection:
 We have to complete a pre-inspection self assessment
 We have to put together a library of documents and
“evidence” to demonstrate our commitment to service
delivery and continuous improvement
 Also we have to be prepared, ready and informed in
time for the on site inspection visit in August
What should I be doing about the
inspection?
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Don’t Panic!
Be aware of Supporting People and know why
it is important to your department
Keep informed and learn more by reading this
and other inspection briefings
Know that the Inspection will involve you,
directly or indirectly
What should I be doing about the
inspection? (2)
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Remember the inspection is for our benefit. It
will help us to see how and where we need to
improve our programme The principle behind
the inspection is to enable us to improve
outcomes for service users
Please cooperate with the inspection
preparation process and the eventual
inspection
Contact Details
www.merton.gov.uk/supporting-people
supportingpeople@merton.gov.uk
Supporting People Team:
Eileen Nutting, SP Manager
020 8545 3841 eileen.nutting@merton.gov.uk
Nick Robinson, SP Monitoring and Review Officer (interim)
020 8545 4734 nick.robinson@merton.gov.uk
Michael Dockery, SP Programme and Development Officer
020 8545 3844 michael.dockery@merton.gov.uk
Clair McQueenie, SP Finance and I.T Officer
020 8545 4050 clair.mcqueenie@merton.gov.uk