Short term specialist support to recruit and support potential Shared Lives in Denbighshire

Descriptions

Denbighshire Community Support Services are looking to procure short term specialist support to recruit and support potential Shared Lives Carers, with a view to increasing the number & range of Shared Lives settings in Denbighshire.1. Background: Shared Lives is the term used to describe a situation where an individual or a family (known as the Shared Lives Carer) welcome another person into their own home and provide short or long term support to that person – arranged and paid for by the Council.Shared Lives Carers are trained, supported, managed and monitored by registered Shared Lives (SL) Schemes. Denbighshire has its’ own well established in-house registered SL Scheme. In addition to the Registered Manager function, there is a part time Coordinator, who is responsible for supporting a small number of SL Carers. This scheme is commonly known as Shared Lives in Denbighshire.Denbighshire Community Support Services have allocated £10,000 from a Welsh Government (Carers Respite) grant for 2017/18, to fund the identification, recruitment and support of new SL Carers to the registered SL scheme. It is anticipated that this will be a short term piece of work, of less than 6 months duration. The work will require specialist knowledge and skills - as such, we would like to recruit the services of an individual or an organisation with extensive experience of SL’s, knowledge and understanding of how best to recruit SL Carers and a flair for promotion and marketing.Developing the existing (DCC registered) scheme by recruiting more (and more varied) SL Carers should increase capacity to meet needs locally, particularly the need for respite care.2. Existing Provision: Within the Denbighshire SL scheme there are currently less than ten SL Carers/families providing medium to long term supported accommodation or regular respite. In addition, there are a small number of ‘spot purchased SL’s (procured by Social Workers via an external agency). Most of the people currently supported in a SL setting are individuals with a learning disability.The majority of the existing SL Carers in the Denbighshire SL scheme are families who had previously fostered the person they now care for, or who had an historic ‘shared lives’ arrangement with the person they now care for. Although these situations work well and the SL Carers are well supported, there is little capacity for these Carers to take new referrals. The number of SL Carers and the number of individuals supported via the Denbighshire SL scheme has remained fairly static since the scheme was first established/registered more than 10 years ago. This is largely because recruiting new and suitable new SL Carers has proved difficult.In recent years some Denbighshire Social Workers have had to spot purchase SLs externally, (via an independent organisation). This is because the existing in-house SL Carers have been unable to meet the needs of the service users referred by the Social Workers.3. Demand: Information gathered from Social Work staff indicates that there is a demand for more (and more varied types of) SL settings. There are a number of reasons for this changing demand, including the increasing need for:1) Weekend and short term breaks (as an alternative to the existing respite beds, which are intended for people with high levels of need)2) Preparation for independent living (skill building away from the family home, for example where families might be reluctant or unable to help)3) Long term supported housing (as an alternative to community living (CL), for example where CL is not needed or wanted)4) Respite for existing SL Carers (to support them in their role, as they are often providing long term full time care without a break)There is also an acknowledgement that the scheme should be extended so as to support citizens with a wider range of needs (other than learning disabilities) – for example, to older people.Appendix 1, provides a summary of the level and type of demand in relation to adults with complex disabilities, and a brief outline of how we anticipate the SL scheme can help to meet that demand. This has been included so as to give potential providers an outline of the potential demand for Shared Lives settings.4. Next steps: We are particularly keen to increase the number of SL Carers who are willing to provide respite to some of the citizens we support. Meeting this type of demand via traditional means (for example, using Care Home beds for respite) is expensive, and in many cases, unnecessary as most of these individuals do not need to be supported in a Care Home setting.Expanding the range and number of SL Carers managed by the DCC registered scheme would appear to be the most appropriate and cost effective way of meeting the demand. In order to do this however, we need to raise awareness of the benefits of being an SL Carer, and we need to improve understanding of the role. Through a targeted campaign, we need to recruit a pool of new Carers from a range of backgrounds. This includes supporting potential new Carers through the application and selection process.The Project brief below, provides an outline of what we expect the successful individual or organisation to achieve within the prescribed timescale, and details of how to submit an expression of interest.5. Project Brief – specification for potential Project Providersa. Name of project: Developing Shared Lives in Denbighshireb. Project duration: 6 months (to commence prior to 31/12/17)c. Amount of funding: £10,000 maximumd. Aim: to increase the number and range of SL Carers in Denbighshiree. Objectives:1) To identify where and how to best attract potential SL Carers2) To develop a targeted campaign aimed at raising awareness and understanding of the SL Carer role amongst groups of people most likely to suit the role3) To work with the SL Coordinator to raise awareness of the SL scheme amongst Local Authority staff, with a view to encouraging referrals4) To produce marketing and promotional materials & to establish marketing techniques5) To encourage potential SL Carers to apply by providing information about the role6) To support potential SL Carers through the application process7) To compliment the work of the SL Coordinator and to build on existing practice8)To leave a legacy of success, on which the Local Authority can build – to include effective promotional materials and successful marketing techniques.In order to achieve these objectives the project provider will need to work closely with the SL Coordinator, and will need to gain an understanding of her role and workload. The provider will need to develop close working links with Shared Lives Plus (Wales).f. Outcomes: By the end of this project there will be:1) An increase in the number of Denbighshire based SL carers (target number is a minimum of 4 new SL Carers being supported through the application and selection process)2) Increased respite provision via SL Carers3) More choice for citizens about how and where their respite is provided4) Greater awareness and understanding of the role and benefits of SL Caring amongst potential SL Carers and amongst referring staff5) Greater local knowledge about the most effective means of attracting new SL Carers to the role6) Greater local knowledge about the information and support needs of potential SL Carers7) Effective working links with Shared Lives Walesg. Skills, knowledge and experience required: It is anticipated that the project provider will:-1) Have demonstrable experience of Shared Lives2) Understand the principles and objectives in relation to SLs3) Have a good understanding of the profile of potential SL Carers – the type of person who might be interested in the role, and who would make a good SL Carer4) Be able to identify and respond to the support needs of potential SL Carers as they go through the selection process5) Have proven experience of focused marketing campaigns, and in-particular the recruitment of people to new rolesNOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at http://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=74532.