What is the Supported Living Service?  

Its aim is to provide positive support for adults with a learning disability, enabling them to live in their own homes within the community.  

Support workers are employed to assist day-to-day living, and to encourage and motivate tenants to live as they choose.  We promote self-reliance, independence and encourage each tenant to reach his or her full potential. We aim to provide a good quality service to meet the needs of the individual, by offering tenants an opportunity to develop access to:-

• Rights
• Choices
• Independence
• Inclusion

Who can use the service?  

Anybody over the age of 18 with a learning disability, and an assessed need for housing and support is eligible to receive a service from us.  

How do I apply?  

To access the Supported Living Service, you must first contact Social Care Direct, see the Contact Social Care Direct link.    

What is the charge for the service?  

The Community Care Assessment includes a financial assessment, which will help decide the financial contribution you will need to make to receive this service.   These assessments will identify your and/or your family's or carers needs so that we can provide you with an appropriate package of support to fit your needs.

Where is the accommodation?  

The Supported Living Service has accommodation throughout the Wakefield and Pontefract area. Service users have their own tenancies, and they live in properties that are owned by the Council and by Housing Associations. As tenancies are either shared or individual, you can decide which one you would prefer.  

Each service user who accesses one of the Learning Disability services has a Community Care Assessment, which undertaken by a social worker or social care manager. On admission to the service, this information is used, along with knowledge of the service user, to develop an in-house care plan. These care plans help staff support the service user in their daily living, and may include information about health, medication, personal care, likes, dislikes, wishes, choices and other details.

• Care plans are updated on a regular basis in response to the changing needs of the service user, their achievements etc.
• Care plans are kept on the service user file, that is held in the work unit, having been agreed with the service user, family members and other professionals.
• They are reviewed on a regular basis, at least annually, at the annual review.

Most parts of the service are beginning to undertake person centred planning. This form of planning enables people to choose the things they want to do, including employment, leisure and social activities. Person centred plans belong to the individual and are shared only with the people that the service user themselves would choose to share them with.