Here you can find out more about the Supporting People programme, the Directory of Services and the website.
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Questions
What is Supporting People?
Is it the same as care services?
Why was Supporting People set up?
Who is Supporting People for?
Who is responsible for Supporting People?
Who funds Supporting People?
What is the Supporting People Directory of Services?
What is the website for?
What kind of support services will I find on this website?
How do I use the site?
Will it tell me anything about the service?
Can I get in touch with a service I am interested in?
What is the Help Button for?
Is there anything else I can do on the site?
Can I look anywhere in the country?
Helpdesk
What is Supporting People?
Supporting People aims to make sure people get the housing-related support they need to live more independently, avoiding life in a care home or hospital, for example, or life on the street. It gives housing-related support to a range of vulnerable people, helping them to make a success of their tenancies, or to move to independent living from other places such as prison or hospital.
Is it the same as care services?
No. The Supporting People programme covers only housing-related support services. For example, services may provide help with life skills such as cooking, paying bills or budgeting, which is part of living
independently. But these should work well with local health or statutory care services, such as personal or nursing care, to help someone live independently.
Why was Supporting People set up?
The idea for Supporting People began in 1996 when a judicial review decided Housing Benefit should in future only pay for rent, and not for support services. The Supporting People programme was launched on 1st April 2003 to replace the old arrangements.
Who is Supporting People for?
Anybody who needs support to live more independently. For example, someone who has:
- been homeless
- been in prison
- drug or alcohol problems
- mental health problems
- HIV/AIDS
- learning difficulties
- physical or sensory disability
- been at risk of domestic violence
- difficulty coping because of their age (such as older people, teenage parents or young people at risk of offending)
- come to the UK as a refugee
- a history of tenancies breaking down.
Who is responsible for Supporting People?
The Department for Communities and Local Government is responsible for Supporting People at central government level.
Supporting People is delivered locally by 150 local authorities and more than 6,000 organisations providing housing-related support.
Who funds Supporting People?
Funds have come from grants including:
- Transitional Housing Benefit
- DSS Resettlement Grant
- Probation Accommodation Grant and others.
- Bringing together various complex funds into one single fund means local authorities can plan services to meet the needs of their local communities much better.
What is the Supporting People Directory of Services?
It provides information on housing-related support all over England. This information used to be held by 150 local authorities, separately. Bringing it together in one place makes it much easier to find the service you need.
What is the website for?
It includes all the information on support services in the Directory. You can use the site to find a support service that is right for you, for a friend or relative, or - if you work with people who need housing-related support - for a client.
What kind of support services will I find on this website?
A huge range - some examples are services that:
- offer sheltered housing support to elderly people,
- help teenage parents gain the skills to live independently or
- help people on probation from prison return to independent living.
They include support with accommodation, for example housing with an on-site, full-time support worker, and ‘floating’ support, for example a weekly home visit from a support worker.
How do I use the site?
You can use the site to search for a suitable support service. The site will take you through a series of screens where you give us information on:
- the area in which you would like to search for a service
- about you
- about your needs
It will then give you a list of suitable support services.
Will it tell me anything about the service?
Yes, it will tell you the service name, who runs it, where it is located, and details about the type of support the service offers. It will also tell you how you can be referred to a service and the contact details you need. However the website will not be able to tell you if the service has any spaces free or if they will definitely be able to help you – you or somebody acting on your behalf would have to contact the service to find out.
In some cases (such as the provision of Domestic Violence Support Services or Support Services for people with HIV/AIDS) we have to keep a service address private to protect service user’s safety.
How will I get in touch with a service I am interested in?
The website will provide you with details of how to get in touch with a service. Sometimes this will be by contacting the service direct (self referral) and sometimes by contacting someone else, for example probation or social service, who can refer you to the service.
What is the help button for?
You can click on the help button on any screen to get a fuller explanation of what is on that screen, and what to do to continue with your search for a support service.
Is there anything else I can do on the site?
If you already know the name of a service provider, or of a service, you can find out more about them by clicking on ‘Already know the name of the service’ in the advance options section on the home page. This will give you more information about the sort of organisation they are, where they operate and the service they run. You can also do an advanced search or search by local or probation authority. A list of all the support services in a particular local authority is available to download by clicking on printable directory. You can then print this list out, however please bear in mind that these lists can be very long, and may become out of date quite quickly if services in an area change.
Can I look anywhere in the country?
Yes. The Directory of Services has information on support right across England. So you can search for a service anywhere in the country.
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Helpdesk
Comments or questions about the Supporting People programme? Contact the CLG Supporting People team. To assist you, all relevant contact details, including a brief overview of areas of responsibility, can be found within the 'Meet the Team' document, located in the 'Contacts' section.
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