People who may need support include:

• Older people
• People with Learning difficulties
• People with physical disabilities
• People fleeing domestic violence
• Young vulnerable people
• Families who may be having difficulties in coping and may be at risk of losing their home
• Refugees
• People who are homeless
• People with Mental Health problems
• Offenders & those at risk of offending
• People with Chronic illness, e.g. HIV/AIDS
• People with drug & alcohol problems
• Young People leaving care

Some people need support for a long time, maybe permanently.  Other people just need support to help them through a crisis.

Here are some examples of what we will be able to do:

• Help older people remain in their own home as long as they wish to.
• Continue to provide services, for example wardens ,in sheltered schemes.
• Help young people leaving care prepare for greater independence through training in basic skills such as cooking and hygiene.
• Help people leaving institutions such as prison, or who have been homeless, prepare for independence again for example with help filling in forms.
• Provide on-going support for people adjusting to more independent living, if moving into their own home after living in a special supported housing scheme.

Supporting people will improve services by:

• Being flexible– helping those who need it, rather than limited access to services based on where you live.
• Having a Strategic Framework – planned services based upon the needs of the community.
• Offering more services – the opportunity to develop new services.  For example, helping people stay in their home if they wish or help with earlier discharge from hospital.
• Giving people choice – the right to choose which services they wish to receive.
• Greater recognition of minority, cultural and community needs
• Giving people the right to be involved in the planning process.

For more information or details of how your or your community could become involved, please contact the Supporting People Team.