Quarriers North Ayrshire Supported Accommodation

Quarriers recognise that there is no simple solutions for young people who have accommodation problems in as much as it often accompanies a range of other issues, which face them. Quarriers have moved away from prescriptive models of support and by experience have developed flexible systems and services that are in the main needs led.

Quarriers also recognise that provision, no matter how comprehensive must sit alongside clear working practice that acknowledges the need for young people to have adequate support, young people must also be supported into opportunities that reflect their aspirations, this includes areas of employment, secure housing and community life.

Quarriers have entered into partnership with North Ayrshire Council and Cunningham Housing Association to deliver high quality supports to young people in a residential setting.

The service has developed a range of provision for young people who have connections with North Ayrshire and who are aged between 16 and 25.

The project accommodates a large staff team, which includes residential and fieldwork staff based at 2 separate locations. A five-bedded unit in Kilwinning that works with young women and 19 units of new build supported accommodation in Saltcoats. Both offer a wide range of opportunities to young vulnerable people. The Saltcoats site includes 4 separate flats, which form part of a larger housing development. Our range of accommodation gives the project the opportunity to work in a variety of settings with young men and women.

ELEMENTS OF SERVICE

We aim to establish a safe and secure environment for young people who access the service and work with them in an effort to promote the necessary skills and learning required for independent living.

We ensure that young people can access a flexible service that can meet a broad range of needs at any given time and promote the use of relevant services to ensure their health and well being, including sexual health, addiction services, mental health services, etc.

We attempt to ensure that young people develop the confidence and skills to access normative opportunities around employment and training.

We endeavour to work towards the establishment / re-establishment of links with families, friends and communities by support in the areas of conciliation / reconciliation.

The service offers a number of elements including accommodation in times of crisis. We provide detailed assessment in relation to need and support requirements, both short term and long-term. The project, when appropriate can offer time out for individuals in an effort to resolve short-term crisis.

A fundamental strand of the service is the practical application of support, by encouraging young people to maintain or re-establish community and family networks, which often disintegrate during periods of estrangement. These networks often play a crucial role in the ability of young people to sustain settled accommodation.

The service also works closely with North Ayrshire Council in an effort to provide a safety net for young people who are having difficulty sustaining independent or semi independent accommodation, this will be achieved in a planned manner, which will ultimately benefit all parties particularly the young person.

The systems of support available for young people are designed to respond to their needs at any given time. In-house counselling support can be offered, support in areas of addiction, sexual health, and debt poverty can be delivered when necessary.

The project operates a key worker system. The keyworker coordinates much of the activity around a young persons stay in the project. We ensure that keywork systems are inclusive and young person centred. The keyworker also acts as an advocate for the young person in areas of benefit entitlements and other rights.

The designated keyworker as well as offering specific support also coordinates the young peoples move to more permanent accommodation and will ensure that adequate external supports are also coordinated. Once young people move into their own accommodation support is provided by a dedicated outreach team.

Young people who engage with the project will enter a system which includes the 3 key elements of assessment, planning and review, this system will be underpinned by the development of clear collaborative working practices between Quarriers, referring agencies and most crucially young people.

This project offers a unique opportunity for the right individuals to break new ground in the area of provision of supported accommodation in Ayrshire.