What Happens Now I Am Approved?

Congratulations, now you have been approved as a supported lodgings provider you will be allocated a Supported Lodgings Social Worker from the Supported Lodgings Team. They will make sure you have all the information and support needed to offer the best possible experiences for when young people come to live with you.

Your approval as a supported lodgings provider will be regularly reviewed, see Reviewing my Approval and Appeals.

You will be asked to enter into an Agreement with the Service which will be reviewed annually

Purpose and Objectives:

• To offer accommodation to a young person in your own home for an agreed period of time;
• To enable a young person to prepare for their independence through working with all parties involved in the young person’s Pathway Plan.

Skills/ Tasks required:

• To provide, clean, comfortable and safe accommodation for young people;
• To provide a young person with their own bedroom which is their own private space;
• To comply with annual home safety checks and make any necessary adaptations/ repairs as advised;
• To undertake a DBS check every five years and disclose any changes in regards to criminal record straight away to the Supported Lodgings team. This also includes any person living in the home aged over 18;
• To undertake a medical as and when this is required;
• When supporting a young person under the age of 18 our providers are to engage in 4-6 weekly supervision with your allocated Supported Lodgings Social Worker and take on board advice and guidance offered;
• When supporting a young person over the age of 18 our providers are to engage in 8-12 weekly supervision with your allocated Supported Lodgings Social Worker and take on board advice and guidance offered;
• To let your Supported Lodgings social worker know of any significant changes in your household, family or personal circumstances as soon as possible;
• To show a commitment to your learning and development by attending as many of the training sessions available each year and to let us know of reasons for any none attendance. Please find link to your training programme: Durham CC LMS: Log in to the site;
• To engage in the review process and including re- approval of your status as a supported lodging provider on a yearly basis;
• To make every effort to attend meetings that you are invited to regarding the young person;
• To be involved in the development of the Pathway Plan/ Care Plan and work in accordance with this, with the aim of achieving set goals;
• To liaise closely with the young person’s social worker/ young person’s advisor as appropriate and talk to workers when there are any issues or worries regarding the young person;
• To always consider a young person’s safety first and foremost and to be able to act appropriately when we become aware of any worries. This includes being able to determine who to contact and when;
• To advocate on behalf of the young person and ensure their voices are heard and their wishes and feelings are considered;
• To use excellent communication skills with young people, be available for young people to talk to and to listen effectively;
• To provide balanced, reasoned and carefully considered advice to young people where appropriate;
• To make efforts to resolve any issues with young people that might arise in a fair, reasonable and calm manner;
• To have a respectful approach to young people and a positive outlook;
• To have the ability to challenge negative behaviour/ language when required
• To have the ability to set clear and consistent boundaries;
• To have the ability to act as a good role model to our young people in every aspect of life;
• To be able to identify the skills, talents and positive characteristics of each individual young person and encourage these;
• To encourage a young person to build their own self-confidence & self-esteem;
• To actively support a young person in regards to their identity e.g. in regards to their personal and family relationships;
• To promote a young person’s education/ training/ employment e.g. by encouraging attendance or helping them to consider available options;
• To promote a young person’s health by helping them to access professional support as required and encouraging healthy choices;
• To assist with practical tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing, shopping, budgeting, and using public transport but always with the aim of teaching young people to do these things themselves;
• To show understanding and respect in regards to young people’s situation and backgrounds;
• To always work in line with the services policies and procedures;
• To work in an anti-discriminatory way supporting the young person if they are suffering any types of discrimination or bullying such as due to the young person’s race, religion, gender, identity or disability.

The service will contact you when looking for a provider for a young person who is in your approval category. When they do, you need to be sure that the young person will be suited to you and your family.

It will be useful to prepare a list of questions that you may want to ask when they call. If you are unsure about any young person’s information at this stage you must discuss this with the Service.

You may want to ask:

1. The social worker’s/young person’s advisor’s name, and if the young person is known to any other team/agency/service, for example, The Full Circle Service;
2. The young person’s name, age, how they identify in relation to gender, ethnic origin, religion;
3. Does the young person have any special dietary, cultural or linguistic needs;
4. The young person’s legal status;
5. General picture of the family situation;
6. What are the family time arrangements?
7. How is the young person’s health, do they have any allergies or medical equipment or are they currently on medication;
8. Are they at school, college, or in employment such an apprenticeship? Are there any issues;
9. Does the young person have any communication issues?
10. Any there any behavioural issues?
11. Are there any known or previous experiences the young person has had which might mean they behave in a different way (due to their past trauma), e.g. aggression;
12. Who will bring the young person to my home and with what clothes and belongings?
13. When will I receive full information about the young person?

You need as much information as possible about a young person before they come into your home.

You should receive written information before the young person moves in. Occasionally for example in emergencies, there can be a delay, but this should be no longer than 5 days. No information can be withheld from you without a manager’s approval and this will only be in rare cases.

Wherever possible there should be a period of introductions between you, your family and the young person.

This should involve:

• The young person receiving information about you, your home and members of your family including your extended family if necessary;
• The young person having at least one overnight visit where possible before they come to live with you.

Throughout the introduction process, you should talk to the young person about general information such as household rules and expectations.

The young person should be encouraged to talk about what they expect so they can sort out any concerns before it is agreed they can move in.

The young person, the service and the provider develop a living arrangement agreement, on the day the young person comes to live with you .

From time to time, providers will be needed for young people who have entered the UK as unaccompanied asylum seekers, unaccompanied migrants or victims of modern slavery including trafficking.

Some of these young people will have been trafficked or persecuted and may have witnessed or been subject to horrific acts of violence. Other migrants may have been sent in search of a better life, or may have been brought to the UK for private fostering and subsequently exploited or abandoned when the arrangement fails.

We support young people particularly in relation to meeting their cultural needs and addressing any trauma they may have experienced. Your Supported Lodgings Social Worker can help you to develop a better understanding of the circumstances and the support which can be accessed for both you and the young person.

The Care Plan provides information of the work that must be done to meet the needs of the young person. It is the social worker of the young person or the young person’s Advisor who holds responsibility for specific advice or support in relation to the young person’s Care Plan, the placement plan and/or Pathway Plan.

This usually includes:

• The Placement Plan;
• The Pathway Plan;
• The Health Plan;
• The Personal Education Plan;
• The contingency plan;
• The date of the young person’s first Children in Care Review (within 20 working days);
• The name of the Independent Reviewing Officer.

The Supervising Social Worker, you, the young person, family members if appropriate and the young person’s social worker/young person’s advisor will put together the  Plan. This is completed either on the day or within five days of a placement being made.

The  Plan covers:

• Purpose of living with the provider;
• Any agreements about health or educational needs;
• The young person’s personal history;
• The young person’s likes/dislikes;
• The rules and expectations of all household members, including the young person and how the provider will help the young person gain further independence skills;
• Agreements for in-direct/direct family time between the young person, family or relevant individuals;
• When social work visits to the young person and yourself will happen and any review meetings.

See Understanding Placement Plans and Looked After Reviews. 

The young person should receive this when they come to live with you. This guide will help young people understand supported lodgings and provide information that may be important to them. It will tell them about their rights and how they can contact people such as their Independent Reviewing Officer, Children’s Commissioner or Ofsted if they wish to raise a concern.

It will also explain the information which the Service keeps on them and why, including who it might be shared with, and their right to access their case file.

It may be useful if a professional or you go through the guide with the young person so they understand their plan and their rights.

If the young person needs the Guide in another format such as in another language or Makaton the Service should provide it.

Click here to view Young Persons Guide to Supported Lodgings.