Social work services with accommodation

Tender description

The aim of the nightstop service is to prevent homelessness and the use of unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation, and to reduce rough sleeping by providing longer or short term or temporary accommodation placements, including emergency placements, for young people who are homeless or in housing need. The service will provide a pool of diverse, fully trained ‘hosts’ across the city of Brighton and Hove and surrounding areas. Nightstop staff may work from any location in the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Most placements through Nightstop will be with hosts who live within Brighton and Hove. Occasionally, a young person may be placed in East or West Sussex if there are no hosts available within Brighton and Hove, and if this would be the best outcome for the young person. A radius of 20 miles from the centre of Brighton and Hove with good transport links is acceptable. All accommodation must meet the service provider’s minimum requirements. Service users are to be provided with a room to themselves in a safe environment, with a fully trained host. The service user must have access to washing and laundry facilities. A meal in the evening and breakfast the following morning should be available. The service provider is expected to provide different models of service. Examples include: — single night emergency placement — for when a young person’s housing situation is being investigated, — emergency assessment accommodation — a placement while the young person’s needs are assessed, or they are working with family mediation services, — longer term placement — a chance for a young person to stay with a host for a period while they are helped to work towards their next housing option. Please email rachel.maddison@brighton-hove.gov.uk to express and interest in providing this service or to ask any questions. Young people eligible to access the service will be between 16 and 25 years old and at risk of homelessness. The following priority criteria may be used if there is a waiting list for a placement: 1) At risk of rough sleeping; 2) Vulnerability: the Nightstop service will be one of the options offered to 16 and 17 years old who are undertaking the joint assessment process. The support needs of service users will vary. Some young people referred to the service will have high support needs. The service provider will consider all referrals on a case by case basis, to ensure appropriate host/service user matching. Referrals and allocations will be made following the referral procedures of the young people’s accommodation and support pathway. It is envisaged this service will provide accommodation for young people undertaking the joint assessment process. The service provider can agree referral protocols with referring agencies. The service provider will need to work closely with partner agencies to ensure the service is fully accessible to young people, and work within established protocols, as well as developing new protocols and systems as appropriate. Key Activities — to recruit, disclosure and barring service check, train and manage a volunteer community of hosts (expected number of hosts based on current service 25-30), — to provide 24-hour support to host families, — to ensure health and safety and fire checks of the accommodation, — to facilitate the matching of young people to suitable host families (Note; In 2013-14 there were 121 referrals to the existing service; 55 young people were placed in the service for a total of 341 nights over the year), — to develop strong links with other agencies/support providers to ensure appropriate referrals in to and out of the scheme, — to keep records and carry out administration and monitoring tasks in accordance with the needs of the service and funders, — to promote the service to ensure adequate number and variety of hosts.