Supported Lodgings Scheme
Are you aged 16 – 21 years, have been in Local Authority care on your 16th birthday (and school leaving date) and are now ready to move on but, are not sure what your options might be?
OR
Are you a member of the public who has a spare room in their home and would like to offer accommodation and support to a young person who is coming out of Local Authority care?
Many young people leaving care find it difficult to move on to full independence straight away. Some like a bit of time out of the care system to get into routines with money/college/work and general independent living skills before they go on to have their own flats. Others have spoken of enjoying the extra time to develop their own ideas without the immediate influence of lots of other young people living around them.
It was for these reasons and to provide an alternative to other accommodation options that the “Supported Lodgings Scheme” was set up.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the scheme:
What is supported lodgings?Accommodation with built in support offered by individuals of families with a spare room. Some young people become part of the family, others like a bit more independence. What age are the young people who live in Supported Lodgings placements?Anywhere between 16 – 21 years. How long can a placement be for?It varies from person to person and can be a short stay of only a few weeks of up to a maximum stay of 2 years. Who offers supported lodgings?Ordinary individuals of families from the community. On application to become a carer they are assessed, police checked and then undergo training to ensure they are going to be able to offer the right level of support to a young person who may come to live in their home. Who supports the young person?Either a Childcare Social Worker who is already involved, a Throughcare Worker or occasionally both. |
The Lodging provider would receive a weekly allowance from Stirling Council for providing the accommodation, food and the support that would be needed to help prepare the young people for independence. Young people would also be expected to pay towards the accommodation. This amount would be dependant on their earning. Allowance details would be discussed as part of the assessment process.
House agreement
When moving into a Supported Lodgings placement there will be a meeting between the young person, their Throughcare Worker or a Childcare Worker, the carer and the Supported Lodgings Co-ordinator. This meeting will consider the conditions of the placement and the proposed length of stay in it.
Discussions will also consider:
- when the young person will be given their own key to the house
- expectations for use of time during the day e.g. training, college, employment
- what the young person’s responsibilities as a member of the household will be?
- what will happen if the conditions of the House Agreement are broken?
By the end of a successful Supported Lodgings placement it is hoped that the young person will be ready to move on to their own tenancy or other accommodation of their choice.
Further information
Please read our brochure on Supported Lodgings
If you are interested in finding out more about Supported Lodgings or if you’d like to consider becoming a carer for the scheme, please contact:
Stirling Council
Ruth Beaumont
Fostering/Adoption team
Drummond House
Stirling
FK8 2EG
Tel: 01786 471177
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