What is Semi-Independent Accommodation?

Our Semi-independent houses are there to help young adults make a smooth transition into adulthood, fully equipped, and prepared to live independently. Supported accommodation is accommodation with support to enable the transition into independence. Young People will require various levels of housing related support and guidance to help them gain the skills they need to live independently. Global Access Care has a semi-independent or supported accommodation service provision for vulnerable young adults aged 16-25. Our Service is devised to cater for young people with varying support needs such as challenging behaviour and complex needs.

What Placements Do We Offer?

Intensive 24/7 Placement

The facilities are staffed 24/7 and tailored one to one support and usually ideal for very complex and challenging vulnerable young people. Our trained and experienced staff use the person-centred approach which allows them to offer appropriate support to our young people further to identifying and addressing their specific needs, presenting both risky and challenging behaviours. The ultimate goal is for the young person to positively engage with relevant local community services independently and safely so they could achieve the desired outcomes. Facilities are fitted with CCTV cameras outside and in communal areas to ensure safety of our vulnerable young people in line with the Data Protection Code of Practice for Surveillance Camera and Personal Information.

Emergency

Global Access Care works with different Local Authorities and in our years of experience have realised that young people’s needs for support and accommodation can vary on a daily basis and this could be placements breakdowns, young people being released from police custody, young people at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) or Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) who might be in need of immediate accommodation.

UASC & CSE

We offer accommodation to unaccompanied minors from the day they arrive in the UK and depending on their needs and the impact assessments could be shared or solo placements. We offer accommodation to young people at risk of CSE and while in our accommodation support is tailor made to address the needs the young person through our dedicated and experienced staff. Each young person will have a key worker and sessions will include how a young person can build positive and safe relationships, online grooming, online grooming, offending behaviours among others.

Shared Placements

Young people can share accommodation depending on their needs, risk assessments and where impact assessments are positive. Our placements team have a robust matching process and work closely with the Social Workers and Personal Advisors ensuring that the young people are placed in houses that meet their needs and support will be adjusted accordingly to changing needs of the young person.

Individual Placements

Smooth transition into adulthood is a key priority for our young people and these facilities are designed for young people who might have been in a 24/7 support or previously in a shared placement and such houses are a perfect step-down route in their journey to independence. The young person will still have a dedicated key worker offering support. However, there will be a place aiming at gradually reducing the support with the aim of the young person moving from supported to their own independent accommodation.

What Support is offered?

Each young person will be allocated a keyworker and their role will be to develop and programme for each Young Person to work towards to develop skills for independence transitioning into adulthood. Our experienced staff will engage the young person formally or informally in a learning programme to evidence the Young Person’s preparation and progression to facilitate a successful and smooth transition and this is dependent on individual needs.

Every young person in our semi-independent accommodation facilities will receive a customized support/care packaged and a devoted support worker based on individual baseline assessments completed using the Star Outcomes Approach. This support package or plan will be part of their plan to eventually move forward independently.

Our Outcomes Star Toolkit is a useful measure of progress or lack of being made by each young person. Staff will deliver appropriate opportunities for young people to enhance their social and personal development. This will include enabling Young People to improve their decision-making skills and opportunities to engage in leisure activities, hobbies and sport depending on their choices. For school and college leavers support will include encouragement to obtain or sustain employment or further education/training.

Key worker critical support role will include supporting the young person to acquire practical, daily life knowledge and skills such as:

Accessing universal support services e.g., youth service

Being responsible for their own self-care, personal hygiene.

How to safely operate home appliances i.e., launder and take care of their clothes.

Routine day-day domestic chores e.g., household cleaning

How to carry out minor maintenance tasks in line with health and safety requirements

Ability to manage finances and develop above average budgetary skills.

Build up on skills, which will allow them to prepare and cook their own meals, giving a balanced and healthy diet.

Developing day to day shopping skills including budgeting

Developing skills and understanding of how to manage unforeseen events for example within the house like plumbing and utility disruption.

Ability to maintain a good physical and mental health and as well welfare including the emotional attributes of living independently.

How to obtain knowledge about and access to health services i.e., NHS, Dentists, Opticians

How to seek/ claim benefits, grants and allowances appropriate to the Young Persons depending on their personal circumstances

Providing support and assistance to personalise the Young Person living space i.e., their bedrooms.

Provide support and assistance to access local leisure/social activities.

Supporting Young People to develop positive daily routines.

Living responsibly in a community environment and building on understanding of citizenship expectations.

Encouraging Young People to engage in appropriate community and targeted events-this could include for example events organised by the Local Authority.

Each young person in our semi-independent accommodation facilities receives a tailored care packaged and a dedicated support worker based on individual assessment. This care package will be part of their plan to eventually move forward independently. Tailored plans include emotional support and practical help in education, health, and day-to-day issues.

In addition, we offer one-to-one support with legal issues, benefits and moving forward with life. Our dedicated staff offer mentoring, relationship-building, self-image, confidence therapy, assist with promoting self-motivation and using local facilities, for example, public transport.

We believe semi-independent support plays a vital role in a young persons’ journey to full independence and that all young people under our care feel included, nurtured, and valued, giving them the best head start in life like everyone else.

Accommodation

All our properties are furnished to a very high-quality standard in line with service specification from different Local Authorities we work with. They usually come with standard furnishings and our young people are given an opportunity to design rooms in line with their choices and preferences. All our facilities will come with free WIFI for all our young people.

The house will come fully furnished, and each young person’s room is furnished with a double bed, bedside table, lamp, wardrobe, chest of drawers, and desk with chair. The living area depending on type of placement is furnished with a minimum of 2-seater sofa, coffee table, dining table, chairs, and smart TV.

Kitchens are fully kitted out with kitchen equipment, crockery, cutlery, and utensils. Our staff will closely work with the young person through keywork sessions to ensure the home environment is always kept to an above average hygiene standard.

Every young person will be given a key to his/her room to ensure they have privacy and as an organisation discourage them from sharing their key codes or access keys with their friends or colleagues in their absence. We encourage young people especially in shared placements to have regular house meetings and have a say in the way their want their home to function.

To promote positive interaction and building positive relationships young people area always encouraged to engage in group activities like watching movies or playing games in their communal areas. Our shared houses have communal lounges and dining areas, which we use to encourage our young people to engage in group activities such as eating together, games and movie nights.

As part of compliance with our building audits and contract requirements all our facilities are fitted with fire extinguishers, fire blanket, carbon monoxide and smoke alarms. Our dedicated staff carry out weekly fire checks and monthly building audits to ensure our young people living in a safe environment. We have a robust system in place to ensure all gas and electric certificates are up to date.