News Articles

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Local Area Agreement

Manchester's Local Area Agreement (LAA) 2008 to 2011 can now be downloaded at http://www.manchesterpartnership.org.uk/

The Local Area Agreement is a three-year agreement between Manchester City Council, it's partners and the government and sets out how we will work together to deliver the Community Strategy and improve Manchester's neighbourhoods by 2015.  It identifies priorities that most affect the lives of Manchester people and targets which, when achieved, will raise the performance of the city significantly as compared with other cities.

Launch of Harm Reduction Works Campaign

Harm Reduction Works, an important new campaign, was launched by Dawn Primarola in London on 28 October 2008 at the National Conference on Injecting Drug Use.  This joint Department of Health and National Treatment Agency campaign is designed to further reduce drug related deaths and increase numbers being tested and vaccinated for blood borne viruses, particularly amongst hard to reach injecting drug users such as the homeless.

For more information and details of campaign resources visit http://www.harmreductionworks.org.uk./

Changes to the backdating of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claims

The Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) have confirmed that the following changes will come into effect as of 6 October 2008:

• working age claimants can now have Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefits, if they have good reason for claiming late, for a maximum of six months from when their claim is submitted.  (Please note that working age claimants include all those under 60 and men aged 60 to 64 getting Income Support or income based Job Seekers Allowance)
• claimants who have reached the age of 60, except those mentioned above, can have benefit backdated for a maximum of three months.  They don't, however, have to have good reason for claiming late, they just have to be entitled.

It is envisaged that the maximum period of backdating for working age claimants will eventually reduce to three months sometime in the future.  The DWP intend to look at this sometime in the future.

National Directory of Services Leaflets

Two new leaflets have been published explaining how to use the Supporting People National Directory of Services.

To download copies of both click here

Proposed changes to the backdating of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claims

As you may be aware the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) have proposed a number of changes to the regulations governing the backdating of both Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) with the objective of bringing them broadly into line with other income related benefits and, therefore, simplifying the benefits system.

At present claimants of working age can have their entitlement backdated up to 52 weeks, if they can show good cause for not applying earlier.  Similarly, older people can receive a backdated payment of up to 12 months, provided they have reached the qualifying stage for Pension Credit.

If implemented the proposals will:

• reduce the time limit for older people to claim Pension Credit, HB and CTB from 12 to 3 months and;
• reduce the backdating period for HB/CTB claimants of working age from 12 to 3 months

The changes are due to take effect from October.  If they go ahead it will increase the importance of service users being given appropriate information at an early stage regarding their entitlement.

Supporting People subsidy payments follow HB rules and, consequently, a service user only qualifies for SP subsidy from the date a HB claim begins.

Please note that Manchester's Provider Training Programme fro July - October includes a number of sessions on how to claim HB effectively.  For further information click here

Catalyst:  A new newsletter for families and carers of people with drug and alcohol problems

Catalyst is a new newsletter for the families and carers of people with substance misuse problems published by the Drug & Alcohol Strategy Team (DAST).  The newsletter will appear 3 or 4 times a year and aims to keep carers abreast of news and developments, including upcoming events and training.

To download a copy of the first issue click here.

New Quality Assessment Framework

As you will be aware a number of Administering Authorities, of which Manchester is one, have been selected to take part in a pilot of the new QAF to run for three months from 1 August to the 24 October 2008.

CLG have published two documents:

Quality Assessment Framework - Core Service Objectives (DRAFT) and;
Using the Quality Assessment Framework

Please note that both documents may be amended following the pilot.

Hact Collaborate Resource Kits

Hact have recently published a reference pack which draws on the learning from hact's year-long project working with six partnerships pioneering different collaborative approaches to bidding For Supporting People contracts.  For further information visit http://www.hact.org.uk

Sitra - A Provider's Guide to Procurement

Launched by Baroness Andrew at the recent NHF Housing Care and Support conference this Sitra publication is designed to ease the process of procuring services for those working within  the housing care and support sector.  The guide funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government offers readers a step-by-step analysis of the procurement process and offers helpful suggestions, insights and case histories form organisations who have tendered for services.  It is now available to download from the Sitra website at http://www.sitra.org.uk

Young Persons Task Force

The Young Persons Task Force has been running as a pilot service since November 2007 and is joint initiative run by City Centre Projects, Adactus, Starting Out and Barnardos and funded by Supporting People.  The purpose of the service is:

• To work with young people to help them obtain a tenancy
• To work with social landlords to obtain offers of accommodation and to challenge local lettings policies that preclude young people from being offered tenancies
• To identify good practice in re-housing young people and gaps in good quality housing options advice provision

Housing support workers work with 16 -25 year olds who are ready to move into their own accommodation.  The Young Persons Task Force is building relationships with social housing providers including regulated private landlords and aims to reduce the number of young people who are suspended from the Manchester Housing Register.  The service aims to access offers of accommodation, provider resettlement support and ongoing support where required, as well as referring on to longer term floating support services where required.

The service is aimed at young people with middling not complex needs, who are ready to leave supported housing and young people who are on the Manchester Housing Register and at risk of becoming homeless.

To find out more about this service contact Alex Sporidou on 0161 228 7654 or by email at a.sporidou@ypsf.co.uk

To download a poster advertising the service click here

To download a publicity flyer click here

A Guide to the Human Rights Act:  A booklet for people with Learning Disabilities

The Ministry of Justice with the help of Working with Words has published 'A Guide to the Human Rights Act', a booklet for people with learning disabilities.  It uses examples from work, supported housing, day services and dealing with local authorities to illustrate how human rights apply to everyday life.

To download a copy of the booklet go to http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/human-rights-act-learning-disabilities.pdf

Manchester Move On Plan Protocol Briefing

Manchester Supporting People and Manchester Homelessness Service have jointly commissioned Perry Richards Management Services to assess move on in Manchester and make recommendations for improvement.  This research will use the Homeless Link Move On Plan Protocol (MOPP) to help improve our understanding of move on in the City.  To download a copy of the February 2008 Briefing click here

Reducing Re-offending Housing and Housing Support Resource Pack 2008

Produced by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) this updated framework is intended for all stakeholders involved in the offender housing world.  At  a national, regional and local level it seeks to help to support the development of partnerships and agreements which will improve housing outcomes for offenders, contribute to the reduction in re-offending and enhance public protection.  To download a copy of the pack visit http://noms.justice.gov.uk/news-publications-events/

Launch of Housing Inclusion Project for men and women with drug and alcohol problems

The NACRO Housing Inclusion Project is a pilot project set up to improve access to appropriate accommodation and treatment services for men and women with substance misuse.

The launch will be held at City Centre Project on Oldham Street on Monday 10 December from 12.00 to 15.00.  For more details of the launch please click here

The service has been created as a partnership project.  Supporting People, the Drug and Alcohol Strategy Team, NACRO and English Churches Housing Group are committed to providing this service.  All parties are working to create a contractual relationship to coincide with the launch date.

The service will look at identifying and meeting gaps in service provision to:

• support prison leavers with a history of drug and/or alcohol misuse to access accommodation on release from custody:
• work with people in bed and breakfast type or informal accommodation to access more suitable housing;
• work with service users to access treatment services;
• refer services users housing support services if the need is identified;
• advocate with housing providers on behalf of service users in line with the Rehousing Review List;
• establish links with Registered Social Landlords to enable access to permanent tenancies for service users

For more information about the service including eligibility and referral details please click here.

'New Look' Supporting People Directory Launched

CLG have announced that the updated Supporting People Directory is now accessible at www.spdirectory.org.uk

The revised design will enable the user to access information about housing related support services throughout England via an easy search facility, enabling them to perform a unified, intelligent and faster search, providing clear and accurate results.

CLG would be happy to receive your feedback on the updated Directory via form which can be found on the Directory of Services website under 'Contact Us'

New knowledge base on preventing and tackling youth homelessness

Communities and Local Government has commissioned the National Youth Homelessness Scheme (NYHS) to help deliver the measures announced by Government in November 2006 to further prevent and tackle youth homelessness through workstreams addressing early intervention and prevention and addressing accommodation and wider non-accommodation needs.

As part of the Scheme a web-based practice resource for providers of services to young people who are or at risk of being homeless has been created, incorporating downloadable tools and case studies of effective practice in preventative work, accommodation and support and person specific services.  The site can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/youthhomelessness/

Manchester Domestic Abuse Strategy Newsletter - Issue 1

Manchester Domestic Abuse Strategy has just published the first issue of it's newsletter which will provide regular updates and information on the work being done across the city to tackle domestic violence.

To download a copy of the newsletter click here

Children Missing Education (CME) - Guidelines and Practice

The government is concerned about any child missing education, as it is not just children's educational attainment that is put at risk, but also potentially their safety and welfare.  That is why the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a statutory duty on all local authorities to make arrangements to identify children missing education in their area.  The duty came into force on 27 February 2007.

Children missing education are defined as children of compulsory school age who are not on a school roll and who are not receiving a suitable education otherwise, such as at home, privately, or in alternative provision.

Manchester City Council are well aware that children and young people who attend school regularly are less likely to be engaged in anti social behaviour and that school acts as a crucial protective factor for families.

To download a copy of Manchester City Council's guidelines and practice click here

SITRA Provider Benchmarking Service - Year 3

SITRA, in partnership with the National Housing and HouseMark, have relaunched their benchmarking service for a third year from September 2007.  The benchmarking service can help providers:

• be more competitive
• develop a better understanding of the relationship between costs and quality
• develop an understanding of the scope, if any, for efficiency savings or gains, so that they can negotiate funding levels with more confidence

For more information about the benchmarking project visit  http://www.sitra.org.uk or email benchmarking@sitra.org

Directory of Drug Services in Manchester

The Drug & Alcohol Strategy Team has just published Coming Off, Staying Off, a comprehensive directory of drugs services in city.

Who's it for?

• adults who live in Manchester who are experiencing problems with the misuse of drugs, mainly heroin or stimulants such as cocaine, crack or amphetamines
• anyone who has an adult friend or family member who needs help because of their drug taking
• people or organisations who work with adults who need help because of their drug taking

Coming Off, Staying Off also gives outline information for young people who use drugs; for people who misuse alcohol and for people whose use cannabis.

Subjects and services covered

Coming Off:  Getting into treatment; what if you're pregnant/arrested/in prison/using stimulants; blood borne virus testing and vaccinations; needle exchanges; detoxification
Staying Off:  Rehabilation; structured day care
Support:  Advice on benefits etc; housing and homelessness; carers; mental health; general healthcare from GP's and other useful information

The directory is published in English with translation in Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bangla, Chinese, Arabic and Somali.  In time the directory will be available on-line.

To obtain copies of the directory please contact:

Roger Bysouth
Community Action Officer
Drug & Alcohol Strategy Team
Manchester City Council
4 Floor
Heron House
Brazennose Street
Manchester
M2 5EA

Tel: 0161 219 6930      Fax:  0161 234 5248     Email:  r.bysouth@manchester.gov.uk

The Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 for England and Wales received Royal Assent on  7 April 2005 and is due to come into effect during 2007.

The Act affects everyone aged over 16 and provides a statutory framework to empower and protect people who may not be able to make some decisions for themselves, for example, people with dementia, learning disabilities, mental health problems, stroke or head injuries.

It makes clear who can take decisions in which situations and how they should go about this.

It enables people to plan ahead for a time when they may lose capacity.

The Act will cover major decisions about someone's property and affairs, healthcare treatment or where the person lives, as well as everyday decisions about personal care or what someone eats, where the person lacks capacity to make the decision themselves.

For further information about the new Act and the changes that will occur visit http://www.guardianship.gov.uk

Hact - Supporting People Capacity Building Project 2007

Hact is seeking potential partners to work with on this project, which is aimed at helping small, community based or specialist housing support providers to thrive within the Supporting People framework through forming partnerships, consortium bids or other forms of collaborative approaches.

Partners in the project will be helped in two main ways:

• facilitation and support from hact's project team;
• funding to support some of the costs of the partnership

In exchange, participating organisation will be expected to take part in an evaluation, facilitated learning between projects and agree to their experiences being written up so that the learning fro the project can be shared more widely.

From further information about the scheme visit http://www.hact.org.uk

SITRA - Review of Year 2 of the Supporting People Benchmarking Project

Year 2 of the SITRA / NHF/ HouseMark support benchmarking project is now complete.  The service had been provided free for two years, on the basis of a now expired CLG grant and was developed and managed by a partnership between SITRA, Housemark and the National Housing Federation (NHF).  A sizeable percentage of all Supporting People Funded services participated.  To download a copy of the review visit www.sitra.org.uk

Manchester Dual Diagnosis Mentally Disordered Pilot

The Manchester Dual Diagnosis Mentally Disordered Offenders Pilot (MDO) is a new service for Manchester that aims to provide integrated and intensive evidence based mental health care to male offenders who consider themselves to be residents of Manchester and have a probable diagnosis of mental illness and co-morbid problematic substance misuse.

The pilot runs from June to November 2007.  For further information click here.

Important Announcement Regarding Electronic Submission of Client Record Forms

The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced that all Client Record data will be submitted electronically from April 2007. This means that paper Client Record Forms will not be accepted by the SP Client Record Office for clients who start to receive SP services from 1 April 2007.

The move to electronic submission has been prompted by a need to make the collection and extraction of information more efficient - the processing of paper returns is slower and labour intensive and electronic returns will reduce the costs of photocopying and postage for the providers.  Electronic returns will also enable providers to generate report and carry out their own analysis of data submitted.

The SP Client Record Office are already in the process of contacting providers who currently submit paper Client Record forms to discuss which electronic method will best suit their organisation's needs.

There are three ways to submit your returns electronically:

1. SP Digital - a free software program which enables you to enter and edit the data on your computer before generating a text file which is then emailed to the Client Record Office.
2. CROSS (Client Record On-line Submission System) - this system allows you to complete Client Record Forms on-line.  As with SP Digital it contains a reporting feature and the ability to export your own data for use in further analysis.
3. Extract information from your own housing management system - for organisations that collect Client Record information through their existing housing management systems, data can be extracted following the specifications set by the Client Record Office.

To find out more about these methods visit the SP Client Record Office website at www.spclientrecord.org.uk

Alternatively you can contact the office on 01334 461765 or by email at sphelp@st-andrews.ac.uk

Please note that some services will continue to be excluded from the Client Record System.  These are:

• Sheltered Housing
• Very Sheltered Housing
• Almshouses
• Peripatetic Warden Services
• Leasehold Schemes
• Home Improvement Agencies
• Community Alarms

Performance Indicators 2007/08 - Notice for all Supporting People Providers 

From April 2007 we will ONLY accept PI's via our website

You will still need to send a copy of the workbook to supporting.people@manchester.gov.uk (with your Service ID in the message line) for audit purposes but only web based returns will contribute towards your PI submission record.

It is important that returns are accurate and made on time as PI's:

• are monitored as part of your contract compliance, and non-submission will result in a contract default notice being issued.

• are now part of the review methodology and contribute towards the outcome of your service review

• are submitted by SP teams to CLG on a quarterly basis and are also subject to examination by the Audit Commission

Housing Improvement Agencies have their own workbooks which should be emailed to b.smith3@manchester.gov.uk and not returned over the website.

Please note that following feedback from providers, alarm providers and PI workshops the CLG are looking into issues relating to the completing of the Community Alarm workbook.  As a consequence the collection of Community Alarm PI's have been suspended for the time being.

Dates for when the website will be open to receive your 2007/08 PI returns are published on the How to use the website page.

Please contact Bob Smith (0161 234 3605) if you need further information on submitting your PIs.

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