In
a response to Government funding changes & the
advent of “Supporting People”, the Floating Support
Service was created in April 2003. The Haven has for many years
offered an Outreach & Resettlement service & therefore
it was a great leap to develop a Floating Support Scheme. This
scheme offers housing related support to women over 16, resident
in Wolverhampton, who have experienced Domestic Violence, and who
wish to sustain their tenancy. In order to launch the scheme, staff
worked hard to identify & locate service users who would benefit
from the service. Once all the new staff were in place, the team
began offering support to between 60 & 70 women. The Floating
Support Service is funded to offer support to women for up to
two years. When nearing the end of the support period, if the
service
user needs further support, she will be referred to suitable
agency in the local area.
In my experience
over the last few years, Supporting People has brought about
changes in how we account for our work
with service
users. These changes have resulted in an increase in forms & systems
that help us account for our work. Amongst other things, staff
are required to produce evidence of an Individual Service Plan
(ISP), which outlines the goals the service user would like to
achieve whilst accessing Floating Support.
The Floating
Support Service has supported many women who have moved from
Domestic Violence Refuges to re-establish
themselves
back in the community. One of our service users who suffers with
mental ill health said “I was at my lowest & had nothing
to get up for in the morning” but since receiving support
from the Floating Support Worker, she said “Now I know how
much I have to look forward to and I am much happier”.
The Support
Worker aims to help a woman & her family settle
into their home after the traumatic experience of Domestic Violence.
Women who use our service are supported in making positive choices
for themselves. We achieve this through an Individual Service Plan
(ISP) which encourages service users to strive towards achievable
goals. These goals will be set by the service user based on her
circumstances at the time. However a key goal for us to include
is the safety of the service user & her children. The Floating
Support Workers endeavour to build up a trusting relationship with
our service users and this woman commented “I don’t
know where I would be now without it (Floating Support Service)”
Another service
user shared her experiences with us by saying “I
have learnt how to cope: how to handle situations with my husband
and also how to handle myself”. This woman has benefited
from the advice & guidance the Floating Support Worker was
able to give her. We hope that with support our service users can
increase their confidence when tackling difficult issues. This
is borne out by another service users comments; “I would
not have taken the steps to leave my abusive relationship without
the advice and support of the Haven Floating Support Service”.
This woman has been able to move forward with her life, successfully
maintaining her tenancy & become more involved in her local
community.
Over the next
few months, the Floating Support Service will be responding to
the recommendations from Supporting
People to improve
our service. After a period of consolidation, we will then be further
developing our service user involvement. In line with Supporting
People requirements, the next challenge will be raising the level
of service to achieve a grade B at our next review in a couple
of year’s time. Meanwhile the Floating Support Team will
continue to support women in their tenancies who wish to rebuild
or stabilise their lives.
If you are interested in accessing the Floating Support service,
please contact the Haven in the following ways: -
Floating Support Team Tel: 01902 572127 / email: fs@havenrefuge.org.uk
24-hour Referral Line Tel: 01902 713003 / email: referrals@havenrefuge.org.uk
We accept referrals from individuals or via an organisation. Each
referral is assessed on an individual basis according to our referral
procedure. The Floating Support Service may operate a waiting list
depending on the capacity of the team members.
Jenni Lewis
Floating Support Service Co-ordinator
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