REFLECTIONS ON THE SINGLE ASSESSMENT PROCESS AND THE HOUSING SECTOR DOES HOUSING REMAIN THE MISSING LINK?

Discussion paper on the SAP and the housing sector Housing sector: –Housing sector staff –Housing-related needs –Housing Service Options

Purpose of SAP To separate the assessment process from service provision To introduce a needs-driven process To cover the full range of people’s needs To avoid duplication To achieve co-ordination in assessment and service delivery

COVERAGE OF DOCUMENTATION Who undertakes SAP assessments? Information sharing with the housing sector Inclusion of housing-related needs Inclusion of housing-related service options

Who does SAP assessments? Guidance currently includes only health and social care professionals Contact assessment – assessor requires training but need not be qualified –Should housing staff, e.g. Care and Repair or sheltered wardens do it? –If they gather information now, is it incorporated into SAP assessment?

Overview Assessment Also need not be qualified but must be trained Is a skilled process but may be appropriate for housing staff to be trained selectively

Specialist Assessment Who better to assess housing needs than housing professionals? To be a SAP assessment needs to be –Initiated through SAP process –Use SAP paperwork –Feed back into SAP process

Information Sharing SAP Guidance extends information sharing to health and social care professionals only Anecdotal evidence that housing sector staff excluded Two-way information exchange essential to avoid duplication and enable effective service delivery What is happening in practice?

Needs Domains “Immediate Environment and Resources” Where is: –State of repair of house and garden? –Ability to cope with running home? –Managing tenancy/lease/mortgage/ correspondence? How effective are accredited assessment tools in compensating for this gap?

Current Summary Record service options where is…. –A move to sheltered housing? –A move to Extra Care Housing? –Piper alarm service? –Assistive technology or telecare (theoretically covered by “Equipment to assist daily living”)? –A floating housing-related support package? –Assistance from a care and repair service?

SAP and preventative, low level services “Independence, Well-being and Choice”, “Excluded Older People”, “Opportunity Age” – all emphasise such services. Many housing-related services fall into this category Assessments should record and signpost people to these services, even if they don’t meet FACS threshold and therefore won’t have a care plan.

SAP Documentation - conclusion Inadequate coverage of housing sector staff and services Older people will lose out if those undertaking assessments don’t consider the full range of options. If Green Paper results in a move away from detailed prescription and towards implementing principles outlined in the first slide this may not matter so much.

SUPPORTING PEOPLE AND SAP - Eligibility Move towards increasing requirement for –Eligibility for SP services to be assessed –Clarity of what tasks and activities constitute housing-related support People doing assessment need to know these about SP services and eligibility Efforts need to be made to prevent loss of cohesion between services

SAP and SP Quality Assessment Framework core service objectives “Assessments of needs and risks are carried out for all service users” “Service Users have up-to-date support plans in place” Requirement of broad range of need domains

QAF Assessment Domains Advocacy and communication Budgeting and managing finances Claiming welfare benefits Safety and security of the home Move-on aspirations Setting up home and maintaining home Maintaining tenancy Personal safety and risk Mobility, aids and adaptations Medication Risks to staff and community Physical health and hygiene Emotional well being and mental health Family & social contacts Social and leisure interests Cultural and faith needs Housing need and recent history Practical home care Any other concerns raised by the prospective service user

SP and SAP What is the status of the SP assessment in relation to the Single Assessment Process? What is the relationship of the resulting Support Plan to the SAP care plan?

The Supporting People assessment Where people have both care and support needs, it could be seen as –Duplication of, or substitute for, a contact or overview assessment –Specialist assessment –Provider assessment to prepare a service delivery plan depending on context and timing

The Support Plan Depending again on context and timing it could be seen as –Potential duplication of parts of care plan –Service delivery plan

EXTRA CARE HOUSING AND SAP Wide range of stakeholders with vested interest in assessment and eligibility for their aspect By definition most applicants have care and support needs To avoid duplication, assessments need to be done jointly or by one agency on behalf of the others At some point care plan and support plan must be unified to ensure cohesion for service user

Does housing remain the missing link? It does seems to be an important missing link: –Inadequate coverage of the housing sector in SAP Guidance and documentation –Introduction of Supporting People creating a new schism However, NOW is the opportunity to address these issues……………

“Opportunity Age” and “Independence, Well-Being and Choice” The promise of “ a transparent and simplified assessment process of need…” Individual budgets – intention to pilot inclusion of SP services in 9 areas New professional role – care manager or broker or navigator – provided they do know full range of services Renewed emphasis on preventative services = opportunity to address issues in this discussion paper

What are your views? What is your perception of the coverage of housing-related needs domains and services in the SAP documentation you are using? Should some housing professionals be trained to undertake contact and even overview assessments? What is happening in your localities at the interface between Supporting People Assessments and assessments under the Single Assessment Process? Are there any steps which would help to improve the situation locally or nationally?

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Contact Details: Sue Garwood Extra Care Specialist Phone: Mobile: Web: