Information for Service Users
What is Supporting People?
The Supporting People Fund pays for housing related support services that
landlords, or someone working for them, provides. Support means advice
and help to make it easier for vulnerable people to live independently.
That can include
- Someone to help people to manage their money and pay their bills.
- A community alarm service or warden or scheme manager who is there in
case people need help.
- Someone who helps people to live independently.
- Someone who helps people learn how to follow the rules in their tenancy
agreement.
Housing Benefit and other funding streams used to pay for this type of support.
From April 2003 Supporting People pays this directly to the organisation providing
support.
Supporting People does not pay for any care that people may receive.
How does Supporting People benefit Manchester residents?
Manchester City Council manages Supporting People for the people of
Manchester. This means the Council can make sure support services are
high quality and meet the needs of the people they are aimed at. The Supporting
People Team review section looks at the quality
of services against a national Quality Assessment Framework, and works out if
services are value for money.
The review team talks to providers to make sure they operate
within the framework. They also talk to staff, and to the people who use
the services, to make sure a clear picture is given of the service. As
time goes on, Supporting People will be able to provide information on which
are the best services for Manchester residents.
Service User Consultative Forum 2008 - Unlocking Your Potential
This year's Service User Consultative Forum,
which took place on 6 May, was a resounding success. Over 200 people
descended on the Bridgewater Hall to join in the discussion and have their
say on how services should be shaped to best meet their needs in the future.
To read more about what happened on the day click here
How to get involved
Play a part in Supporting People - the Core User Group
The Core User Group (CUG) consists
of people who use supported housing in Manchester that is funded by Supporting
People. The Group has been running now for three years, and in that time
has contributed to
- Supporting People Shadow Strategy
- Supporting People 5 year Strategy
- Supporting People Complaints Policy
- National Training Package on Service User Involvement
- Manchester’s Service Directory for Supported Housing
- Service User Consultative Forum
- Provider Consultative Forum
In January 2006 some CUG members were trained as lay assessors to
contribute to service reviews. The Supporting People Review Team are
hoping to involve service users who took part in training to work alongside
them during service reviews. CUG members have also taken part in provider seminars, delivering
the national training package on Service User Involvement to all providers in
the city.
Anyone
who receives a Supporting People funded service can come along to the CUG meetings.
Click Here to view the date
of upcoming CUG meetings.
Click here to download a copy
of the latest Core User Group newsletter which features the recent CUG
Annual General Meeting (AGM).
For further information on getting involved email
coreusergroup@yahoo.co.uk
National Training Package on Service User Involvement
Manchester Supporting People Team has produced a national training package
on Service User Involvement for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
The package consists of a film on DVD and a
trainer’s guide (pdf). The film has
been made by people who use services in Manchester – they did all the camera
work, sound recording, and editing, as well as appearing on screen.
The ODPM will be sending the package out to all Supporting People teams in
the country, for them to use with all their providers. The package can
be delivered in a number of ways: as a stand-alone film (20 minutes long), to
lead discussion at forums and strategy days; or broken down into sections and
used to promote discussion. The training is to be aimed at both staff
and service users, raising the level of skill and awareness within both groups.
In Manchester, we will be asking service users from the Core User Group to
get involved in delivering the package to our providers. The team will
then be monitoring how providers use the training, to make sure that the result
is more involvement in service delivery by the people who use services.
Complaints
Complaints Policy
Everyone who receives support - no matter why - has the right to expect a
good quality service. If you are unhappy with the service you receive
please click here to view our Complaints Policy.
Race and Hate Crime Report Line
The race and hate crime report line is an initial contact service
available to any resident of, or visitor to, the City of Manchester.
If you wish to report an incident you can call in complete confidence on
free phone 0800 0830 007 or
click here for further information.
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