Bolton Five Year Supporting People Strategy Easy Read Version If you think you need some support to live independently, or someone you know does then this Strategy will help you.

What is Supporting People? What is a Supporting People Strategy? Support to live independently, wherever you live and whoever you are A Supporting People Strategy is a big plan written by the council, the Primary Care Trust and Probation Services. It is written for everyone who works with people who need help and support. This includes people who work in social services, probation services, housing and health care. It tells everyone what sort of housing related support people need to live independently in Bolton. It tells them what needs to be changed so it can be made available to everyone. This will make it easier for you to get support that meets your needs. Supporting People pays for any housing related support you get and is paid for the organisation that gives you support. Housing related support includes: - Help to contact other people like social services, health, doctors and colleges Help to make sure your home is safe and secure Help provided by a warden in sheltered housing

Help and support for different people Everyone has different needs. You may only want support once or you may need it everyday You may want someone to support you in your own home, wherever you live You may want to live somewhere where support is available when you need it most The council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services have been learning about what support people living in Bolton need. They have also been learning about the services that already provide support in Bolton. They have spoken to lots of people to see what needs to be improved. They have had to decide if the services that already exist offer everyone the support they need. The Supporting People Strategy plans to make services available to people who are not able to get support at the moment. The Supporting People Strategy says There should be a number of different types of support available to you You should be able to choose You should be able to access support when you need it

What’s in the Bolton Supporting Strategy? Making Bolton a safer place If you have left prison or have been in trouble with the police, support to live independently may help you stay out of trouble in the future If you use drugs or have an alcohol problem, support to live independently may help you stop using drugs or drinking Improving your health and wellbeing If you have a disability or mental health problem, support may help you manage a home on your own If you are a young person, support may help you learn how to look after yourself and look after a home of your own The Supporting People Strategy is split into five parts. Making Bolton a better place to live The first part of the Strategy describes how the council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services wrote the Strategy. They look at how helping you to live independently could make Bolton a better place to live. These are examples: - Living in a nice home Support should help you to live in home that is safe and warm and in a nice area

Good help and support that meets your needs Everyone working together to help you The second part of the Strategy is about how the council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services make sure that you get good support. You will get good support if the people working in social services, housing and health care work together. People have worked together for two years so far and support has already improved. The Strategy says that people should keep working together. Good support services should: - Help you live independently Help you find out quickly what support you need and give you the right support when you need it Help you find out about other people who can help you Ask you what you want and listen to what you say When people work together you will find: - It is easier for you to find out about services that can give you support They will be better at telling you what you need to know to choose support You don’t have to keep telling different people about yourself The help and support you get will be better

What we know about help and support in Bolton How changes will be made The third part of the Strategy tells you what the council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services found out about Bolton. This helped them decide what to do. They found out: - About people in Bolton About the help and support that is already available to you About people who cannot get help and support at the moment What changes need to be made so everyone can get help and support Who will be involved in making the changes The fourth part of the Strategy is about the things that the council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services need to think about when they are making changes. The Government gives Bolton a pot of money every year to pay for support. The council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services have to decide how to spend the money to help you and to make Bolton a better place to live. There is not enough money to make all the changes at once.

How changes will be made How changes will be made The council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services has made plans for if something unexpected happens to a service that may affect you. The type of help and support you and other people need might change over time. The council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services plan to keep taking to people and learning about what support is needed by talking to you about what you want. They will change services so you can always get support. This could be something like a flood or because the people giving you support could run out of money. These are called risks. The council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services may want to change a service to help other people or to improve support. You will be asked to be involved in any changes that are made to the support that you receive

What will happen in 2005? You will be able to get access to support and somewhere to live more easily If you use drugs or alcohol If you are an offender If you need support for a number of reasons You will be able to live where you choose and get access to support there If you are an older person If you have a disability You will be able to get support that suits your needs If you are a single person who is homeless, or may be in the future Whoever you are, you will be invited to say what you think about the support you get now, or the support that you need now, or in the future The final part of the Strategy explains what the council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services will do in 2005. Their work will include developing new support services improving access to support and housing finding out more about your support needs The main changes that will happen in 2005 will mean: -

What you say can make a difference Who can I contact? The council, Primary Care Trust and Probation Services want to find out what support you need and what you think about the support you already get They will use this information to improve support for you. There are lots of ways for you to speak to them. You can speak to the people who give you support now and they will pass the information on You can come to a meeting with other people Or you can contact the Supporting People Team… Write to Supporting People Team 2nd Floor Arndale Chambers Civic Centre Bolton BL1 1SA Email sphelpline@bolton.gov.uk Phone 01204 335313