Dartington House Brochure.pdf - Westminster Society for People ...

Dartington House
Service Guide
The Westminster Society aims to provide quality services and create new
opportunities for people with learning disabilities and their families. We
lead the way within learning disability services and be the organisation
people choose to support them throughout their lives.
Supported Housing
We provide a range of secure tenancy supported housing
accommodation for people with learning disabilities with tailor made
support packages varying from 24 hour on site support to individual
tenancies with a few hours support each week.
Our supported housing services enable individuals with learning
disabilities to gain greater levels of independence in all areas of their
lives within a supportive environment and to pursue their goals by
providing advice, information, and practical support.
Dedicated staff teams support people to live in their own homes,
manage their tenancies and to be healthy, safe and secure. Support is
provided in all aspects of a person’s life depending on their needs and
aspirations. This includes support with day to day living skills, tenancies
and housing management, emotional and health well being, medication,
personal care, access to social, educational and work opportunities,
personal safety, personal development and fi nancial management.
Registered charity no. 801081

Dartington House
The aim of this service is to provide stable and
supportive independent housing which enables people
to gain the skills and confi dence necessary to live as
independently as possible while having the safety,
security and reassurance of staff support through the
day and night.
The 24 hour staff team provides support to 4 tenants
living in shared accommodation. The current age
range of the tenants is between 20 and 50 years.
The service is in Little Venice and close to Maida Vale
and Bayswater and with easy access to local shops,
café’s, cinemas, restaurants and pubs. It is supported
by a variety of local health services and has very good
access to local bus routes and tube lines.
This maisonette is split over two fl oors and is not
wheelchair accessible.

Facilities
• 4 bedroms
• Living / dining room
• Kitchen
• Offi ce
• 1 bathroom
(with WC and Shower)
• Utility room with WC
• Patio area
Supported Housing
Team Support
The team provides 24 hour support to tenants both in
their homes and in the community and consists of a Team
Manager, Assistant Team Manager and a dedicated group
of Outreach Support Workers. Support is also provided
to the team by a Service Manager who is based at The
Westminster Society’s head offi ce a short walk away.
All team members are only employed following a strict
recruitment process and after Criminal Records Checks
(CRB) and satisfactory references have been obtained. Each
team member receives a thorough induction, high quality
ongoing training and regular supervision and appraisal.
Each tenant has an assessment which looks at the skills
necessary to live successfully in a supported housing
service. Short and long term goals are set and progress is
reviewed every six months or more regularly as required.
Each tenant has an allocated Key Worker who coordinates
their support planning and review meetings however the
whole team works to support everyone to develop skills and
work towards reaching personal aims and aspirations.
Each tenant also has an Individual Risk Assessment which
identifi es potential risks and the actions and support
required by the team to minimise these risks.

Tenancy Support
The Westminster Society also has a Building and Property
Department based at our head offi ce in Croxley Road.
They provide additional advice, information and support
to tenants on housing related matters including tenant’s
rights and responsibilities, maintenance issues, benefi ts
advice and support with rent payments.
We have a comprehensive quality assurance system which
includes an annual building and fi re risk assessment called
“Keeping My Home Safe”. A member of the Building and
Property team visits each tenant in their fl at to assess
and action any repairs, maintenance, decoration or
refurbishment that is required.
Tenants are issued with Assured tenancy agreements. The
tenant will also be given the Tenants Charter provided by
the Housing Corporation which outlines their legal rights
as a tenant and what they can expect. A member of the
Building and Property team go though this at the start of
each tenancy.
We also employ a Benefi ts Offi cer to provide advice,
information and practical support to ensure that tenants
receive the benefi ts they are entitled to.
Tenant Participation and Consultation
Tenants are actively encouraged to participate in the decision making process for issues
that affect them personally as well as the management of their home.
We use several systems to ensure that every tenant’s voice is heard including:
• Tenants Meetings - held on a weekly basis for any tenants interested in attending
• House Meetings - held on a weekly basis for shared housing services
• Informal Discussions - held on a daily basis
• Support Planning Meetings
• Tenants Action Group - held on a monthly basis to discuss current
organisational issues that arise
• Annual Tenant Satisfaction Surveys
• Complaints
• Annual Risk Assessment Visits - ‘Keeping My Home Safe’
• Staff Appraisals
Supporting People and Learning Disability Partnerships also continually monitor the quality
of services provided.

Complaints
All complaints are important and will be treated seriously, thoroughly investigated and
responded to quickly and fairly.
All tenants are encouraged to exercise their right to complain if they are dissatisfi ed about
the service they receive from The Westminster Society. An advocate from the Advocacy
Project can provide independent support to tenants if needed.
The Westminster Society’s complaints procedure sets out the process for making a
complaint including how to appeal should a tenant be dissatisfi ed with the outcome of
their complaint. The complaints procedure is given to all new tenants as part of their
information pack at the start of their tenancy.
Confi dentiality and Data Protection
The Westminster Society recognises the right of tenants to confi dentiality. All tenants have
access to their own personal fi les and the information contained within. The team will support
each tenant to understand any information recorded. Copies of personal information can
be made on request. Tenants also have the right to access certain information held on
computer fi les and we fully comply with the Data Protection Act.
Funding Arrangements
The cost of the individual support packages are funded by the local authority. An individual’s
support needs are assessed before they move in so that there is a clear agreement about
the number of support hours a person needs.
The current cost of each support hour is £17.75. This hourly rate is the same during the day,
in the evenings and at weekends. It also includes the cost for the 24 hour on-call service
and the ongoing tenancy support provided by our Building and Property Department.

Referrals & Assessments
The tenancies are available to any adult with a learning disability. The team provides a 24 hour
sleep-in on-call service and support with personal care can be delivered by the existing team
or through our domiciliary care registration status.
Referral enquiries can be made to:
Mandy Crowford (Director of Adult Services)
The Westminster Society
16a Croxley Road
London, W9 3HL
Phone: 020 8968 7376
Once a referral has been made the prospective tenant will have an assessment to identify
the support hours they need and enable the individual support package to be planned and
implemented.
The Westminster Society
The Westminster Society started in 1962 by a group
of parents who wanted to make sure that there would
be local services for their children and to make things
better for children and adults with learning disabilities
living in Westminster.
Over the years we have grown considerably and
now employ over 250 people and provide registered
care and supported housing for over 100 adults with
learning disabilities as well as community support
services, leisure and holiday schemes, short breaks,
a drop in, playschemes, a family centre, a pre-school
nursery, play and youth services and a family support
service.
For further information on our services, please contact us:
16a Croxley Road, London, W9 3HL
Phone: 020 8968 7376 Email: westminstersociety@wspld.org
Visit: www.wspld.org.uk

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