Market Engagement - Bespoke Supported Living Service

Preliminary market engagement

The adult social care vision for Islington is to be a place made up of strong, inclusive, and connected communities, where regardless of background, people have fair and equal access to adult social care support that enables residents to live healthy fulfilling and independent lives.

Islington Council is seeking to engage with providers capable of delivering a bespoke accommodation and support service to meet the needs of a resident with a learning disability, autism, and complex behaviour and support needs. The resident currently lives outside of Islington, without direct public transport options to facilitate family visits. The council is looking at options for the resident to move closer to Islington. The provider will need to have access to a suitable property where the resident could live and be supported.

Property requirements

The accommodation must be suitable for the resident’s particular needs (including health needs) and be compliant with health and safety requirements related to accommodation.

Ideally, two/three-bedroom ground floor accommodation with a secure private garden large enough to accommodate a trampoline. Preferably, the property will be in a low noise/low congestion area close to open space. Community activities and amenities (e.g. shops and eating facilities) should be easily accessible.

The property will need to be sound-proofed and adapted with specific safety features. Notably, significant areas of the property will need to be padded from floor to ceiling. The property will also need to be designed to meet the sensory requirements of the resident. Some adaptations may be able to be funded via the Disabled Facilities Grant, although this is unlikely to cover all requirements.

It is expected that the resident will have their own tenancy. Rent and service charge costs will need to be covered by housing benefit.

The accommodation itself must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Sufficient rooms to accommodate the resident and the minimum of three (3) staff at all times
• Two bathrooms
• Secure locks, alarms and restrictors for windows and doors
• Office space
• Garden
• Parking

The property would ideally be in Islington or one of the neighbouring boroughs. However, property with good transport links to Islington may also be considered. For the purpose of this engagement, “good” means direct/frequent and affordable transport links to facilitate regular visits by family members and wider circle of support.

Care and support needs

24-hour care and support is required to meet the person’s needs both at home and in the community. This is currently provided in a minimum ratio of 3:1 staff when in the home, and 4:1 outside of the home. The provider will work with the person, their family and their circle of support to improve the resident’s quality of life and help them to meet their personalised goals. Support should be provided in the most imaginative and least restrictive way, with core values around personalisation, independence, and choice and control.

The person to be supported cannot share their home with others.

Staff must be appropriately experienced, skilled, competent and resilient with knowledge and expertise in relation to people with a learning disability, behaviours that challenge, and delivering Positive Behavioural Support.

Expression of interest

The council is seeking expressions of interest from care and support providers for people with a learning disability and autism. Providers must have experience of providing bespoke support for someone with complex care needs and have access to suitable property within the next 12 months. The council has ultimate discretion on all decisions relating to the suitability of a property, including the suitability of its location to meet the wider needs of the resident and their support network..

The council is not looking for a landlord who can supply a suitable property without the wrap around care and support.

There is no contract value associated to this market engagement notice.

This notice is solely to test the current market capacity, it’s publication in no way commits the council to commence a procurement process. Please note, all details in this notice are subject to being updated or changed in any associated procurement process.