Supporting People Plan - Supporting People With A Physical Disability

• There are an estimated 6960 people with a physical disability requiring support services in North Lanarkshire. Of these around 613 are estimated to have high support needs linked to accommodation.
• The Social Work Department currently provides information, advice, care or support to over 5,000 people. Numbers of people with a physical disability are growing.
• There is a significant shortfall in volume, choice and availability of floating support services.

Table 10: 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 physical disability receiving existing services the main forms of housing support currently being unmet included:

• 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 56 places in total linked to accommodation in Airdrie, Coatbridge and Wishaw. Services are concentrated in Wishaw.
• Four voluntary sector agencies provide 88 floating support places. No provision is directly provided by the local authority or purchased from the private sector.

Table11: Nos. of Housing Support Places

Source: NLC

• The survey also showed that among older people 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 physical disability requiring housing support.
• 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.