Supporting People Plan - Supportinng People With Learning Disabilities

• There are an estimated 3057 people with a learning disability requiring support services in North Lanarkshire. Of these around 671 are estimated to have high support needs.
• The Social Work Department currently provides information, advice, care or support to over 600 people.
• There is a shortfall in volume, choice and availability of floating support services.

Table 8: Estimated Nos. of People with Housing Support Needs

Source: NLC/2001 Census/East Lothian Council/Pathways Research, 2001

• A survey of 135 individuals in North Lanarkshire showed that among people with a learning disability receiving existing services the main forms of housing support currently unmet was:
• life skills including food preparation/storage and assistance with budgeting or money management and dealing with social work staff or relatives.
• Cleaning of rooms and exterior windows (56%).
• Maintaining safety and security of the dwelling (12%) such as ensuring security of home and arranging adaptations to cope with disability.

An average of 1.5 hours of unmet housing support was assessed as requiring to be provided each week for each individual.

• Two voluntary sector agencies provide 53 places in total linked to accommodation in Bellshill, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld/Kilsyth. The local authority provides a further 4 places and a private sector agency provides 1 place.
• Nine voluntary sector agencies provide a total of 162 floating support places across North Lanarkshire. The local authority provides 15 places. No provision is purchased from the private sector.

Table 9: Nos. of Housing Support Places

Source: NLC

• The survey also showed that among people with a learning disability receiving existing services the main forms of housing support currently being provided was:
• General counselling and support (100%).
• Maintaining safety and security of the dwelling (100%) such as ensuring security of home, arranging for trade persons and arranging adaptations to cope with disability.
• Assistance with compliance with tenancy agreement (97%) especially life skills including food preparation/storage and assistance with budgeting or money management (and dealing with social work staff or relatives.
• Cleaning of rooms and exterior windows (94%).

An average of 48 hours of housing support was being provided each week to each individual.

• Need to expand floating support service provision.
• Services specifically tailored to the needs of those high levels of needs.
• A broad range of floating support services providing greater choice.

• Better identify the needs of people with a learning disability requiring housing support.
• Develop services for people who are part of planned hospital discharge programme.
• Develop services for people who may have their existing residential care service reconfigured.
• Develop services for people currently living in inappropriate accommodation or who have inappropriate support and who wish live independently.
• Introduce housing support services for owner occupiers with identified needs
• Extend the number and range of services providing support at home.
• Undertake comprehensive review of all services to better target service profile towards needs.

[Back to Contents] [Forward to Next Section]