Supported Living with Dorset Scope
Supported Living was established in 2003 in response to the clear message that emerged from consultation with the people we supported, most of whom had been living in Edward House – some since we first opened as a 28 bed residential home in 1974. In response to this and ‘Valuing People’, the Government white paper, we embarked on a process of enabling the people we support who have a physical and/or learning difficulty to identify with whom they wished to live, and move out into their own places. Supported Living now employs more than 120 staff who support 32 people in 17 locations, mainly in Poole, but also in Bournemouth.
Our Mission and Values
In Supported Living we fundamentally believe in the intrinsic value of each person and their right to participate as a full citizen and be enabled to take as much control of their life as they wish.
We believe life in communities is enhanced when people who have a disability are included in all aspects. Our services are based on the conviction that people who have a disability should live in their own homes and have control over their day-to-day lives just as people without disabilities are afforded.
We also believe that being a part of the community should not be limited by the attainment of certain skills. Assisting individuals achieve true citizenship requires us all to make the concepts of freedom and choice a reality; we do this through our services as well as in our own lives by participating in our own communities.
Access to housing
We work in partnership with Golden Lane Housing who have helped to purchase many of the properties required, as there was no affordable housing available; around £2.5 million has been spent. Each property is of a high standard and has been adapted where necessary to meet the needs of each person.
How people are supported
Each person or group of people that share a property have their own dedicated staff team, led by a Team Leader. Typically, Team Leaders manage two teams of staff, with each team providing a total of between 105 and 200 waking hours of support per week, based on the amount of shared support and one to one support each person requires.
Vision for the future
Dorset Scope Supporting Living aspires to be truly person centred in all it does, and to this end plans a continuous process of consultation about the quality of all aspects of the service provided using the REACH standards as a benchmark.
It is envisaged that as people settle and develop friendships in their community, natural support from friends and others will emerge, which may reduce reliance on paid staff.