Accreditation

This is a regular assessment of a support provider| to check if they are able to provide a good quality Supporting People service. We check their competency, capability and financial viability.

Administering Authority ( AA )

The local authority which receives the Supporting People Grant| and administers contracts for Supporting People services.

Accountable Officer ( AO )

This is the person with ultimate responsibility for overseeing the Supporting People programme within the Local Authority. In Gateshead it is Mrs Fiona Brown who is also the Head of Service for Planning, Performance & Support.

Benchmarking

A comparison of similar services by quality, performance and cost with other local Councils in the North East. This is one of the ways of ensuring that the quality of services in Gateshead continues to improve.

Best Value

A duty on local authorities to assess and review the services they provide for local people and improve them by the best means available. This must be done in consultation with the people who use the services and the wider local community.

Block Contract

The means by which the Supporting People team purchase support services for more than one person, usually in advance of the service being delivered.

Block Gross Contract

A contract for a support service| which is delivered for a short period, i.e. less than two years. Payments are made for a fixed number of service users|.

Block Subsidy Contract

A contract for a support service which is usually long-term or permanent, e.g. sheltered housing. Grant payments to the provider will vary, depending on how many people receiving the support service qualify for the subsidy at any given time. Providers tell the SP  team on a monthly basis who has moved in and out of their service, and the payment is adjusted accordingly.

BME  community

Black Minority Ethnic community

Care - personal and social

Supporting People does not pay for care. It only pays for housing related support|. It may fund some services which also provide care, but Supporting People only pays for the housing related support in those services.

Client Group

A category, such as 'older people' or 'single homeless' used to help the SP teams monitor who is accessing services, and identify where there is need for new services.

Client Record Form

These are completed by providers each time they take on a new client. Details such as previous type of accommodation, client group| and ethnicity are recorded so Supporting People teams can monitor who is using the services.

Commissioning Body

In Gateshead, the Commissioning Body is made up of representatives from all of the partners involved in Supporting People, such as Housing, Social Services, Health ( PCT |) and Probation. This Body looks at the existing supply of supported housing, identifies areas where there is a need for new services, makes decisions about SP services & will sometimes jointly commission services.

Contract Schedules

These are part of the Supporting People contract| and contain details of the services to be provided in that contract and the cost of each service

Cross Authority Group

Neighbouring Local Authorities working together to plan and develop policies and services across the group and for the purpose of benchmarking|. Gateshead works alongside Sunderland, Newcastle, South & North Tyneside, Northumberland, Darlington, Stockton, Durham, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Redcar & Cleveland.

Cross Authority Provision

A service designated by the ODPM | to provide support for service users originating from another Administering Authority's area i.e. not Gateshead residents.

DV

Domestic Violence

Fairer Charging

For chargeable services in social care a Fairer Charging financial assessment is done for service users. It is a locally set means test, used to assess how much, if anything, service users have to pay for the support they get. When a Charging Policy is introduced in Gateshead this will be used as the basis for the new Policy.

Floating Support

This kind of support is 'attached' to the person, not the property and can follow a service user if they move to another address.It only lasts for as long as the client needs it. The client does not have to live at a certain address to receive the support.

Foundations

The National Co-ordinating Body for Home Improvement Agencies ( HIA )|

Home Improvement Agency ( HIA )

An agency which enables vulnerable people to maintain their independence in their chosen home for the foreseeable future. ‘Vulnerable people’ may include older people, people on low incomes, disabled people etc. The homes would usually be private rented, leasehold or owner-occupied.

Housing Benefit

A means tested state benefit paid to council or private tenants who need help paying their rent.

Housing Related Support

Support specifically aimed at helping people to establish themselves, or stay in, their own homes. Examples of housing related support include helping people learn to: manage their money, apply for benefits, keep their home secure, access other services.

Hub Services

A proposed national supporting people website. It will offer features such as a national directory of support services. See Kweb|, below

Inclusive Forum

Currently occur twice per year. All service providers and people who use services are invited to attend these events which usually gathers people's views about varioussupporting peopleissues & developments.

Joint Commissioning Body ( JCB )

See Commissioning Body| – above

KWeb

The Supporting People Knowledge website – this is accessible to all by logging on to www.spkweb.org.uk| The Kweb contains all the guidance, discussion and related documents on the Supporting People programme

Legacy Funding

Legacy funding is the total amount of money paid to a service before the Supporting People Programme| came into effect on 01.04.03. There were seven types of legacy funding, including transitional housing benefit|, supported housing management grant and PAG |s.

Managing Agent

A managing agent is an organisation providing housing management services (such as collecting rent) on behalf of another body. The managing agent may also provide the support services.

NHF – National Housing Federation

Also known as the NatFed, the NHF provides advice and support for not-for-profit housing providers. Their website address is www.housing.org.uk|

ODPM

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. This is the government department which oversees the implementation of Supporting People and monitors the performance of each administering authority.

PAG

Probation Accommodation Grant; paid by the Home Office to probation services to fund accommodation and support to ex-offenders. The PAG was transferred to the Supporting People Grant in April 2003.

PCT

Primary Care Trust – the PCT in Gateshead is responsible for planning and providing healthcare services across the Borough. They are partners in the SP programme, along with Social Services and Probation.

Performance Indicators

Performance statistics submitted to the Supporting People teams by support providers. They are used as part of monitoring contracts and their quality.

Pipeline Scheme

In Supporting People terms, this is a service which was due to open after 1st April 2003.

Provider adjustments

These are sent, on a monthly basis, to the Supporting People teams by providers of block subsidy services. They detail clients who have moved in or out of the service and payment is adjusted accordingly.

Provider Forum

A meeting where all Providers are invited to attend to talk about and raise issues in relation to their services, payments, developments, reviews etc

Provider notification

Notification from the Supporting People team to providers about their Supporting People payment.

QAF

Quality Assessment Framework. Providers self assess their service against national objectives (such as consulting service users on how they want the service to be run). The Supporting People team use the results as part of the scheme reviews and benchmarking| process, with the aim of continually improving the quality of Gateshead services.

Registered Social Landlord ( RSL )

A non profit-making voluntary group, generally a Housing Association, formed to provide affordable housing.

Service Review

A service review examines the support provided to see if there is a need for it, if it is good quality support, if it gives value for money and if there needs to be any changes. See also, QAF.

Service Users

People who live in supported housing schemes or receive a SP support service. Service users will regularly be asked for their feedback about the services provided to them during a service review|, by their Providers & invited to Forums where they can meet other service users and have discussions about the SP services. The SP Team will also expand on opportunities for service users to get involved.

Service User Forum

A meeting to which all people who use SP services are invited to talk about their involvement, raise issues about their services, talk about service developments, engage in a discussions & have their views heard.

Sheltered Housing

Housing specifically for older and/or disabled people. Includes a block or group of houses with resident or visiting warden, and individual houses, bungalows and flats which receive support from a mobile warden or pendant (emergency) alarm service.

SP

Supporting People

Spot contract

The purchase of support services for individuals, usually on an emergency basis or on demand. Such purchases can also be paid for after the service has been delivered.

Steady State

This refers to the period after 1st April 2003, when services were paid for by Supporting People.

Supporting People Grant

Money from the government to pay for housing related support services under the SP programme.

Supporting People programme

The programme came into effect on 1st April 2003, and pays for all services providing housing related support|. Services are monitored on their quality, performance and cost.

Supporting People strategy

The Strategy is a five year plan for managing the Supported Housing sector in Gateshead.

Support Provider

The organisation providing housing-related support services paid for by Supporting People. Organisation types include Registered Social Landlords, voluntary sector organisations, local authorities, charities and the private sector.

Support Service

A service eligible for funding through Supporting People. This could include advice on maintaining a tenancy, help with filling in forms, help with keeping accommodation safe and secure, etc.

Transitional Housing Benefit ( THB )

Up to 31st March 2003, THB paid for housing related support in instances where the service user needed help to pay for their service.

Validation Visit

A visit by a SP Quality Officer to a support service to establish whether the provider is achieving the standards they have been contracted to deliver. The Quality Officer also consults services users and staff, to find out their views of the service. The aim of these visits is to work with providers to improve the quality of services in Gateshead, and the findings feed into the service review|.