From 1 October 2020 there will be new Young People’s Supported Accommodation Services. Some of the key service changes are that no more than four young people will live together in the shared provision and there will be separate provision for the under and over 18-year olds so that young people live with other young people of a similar age. The new service will also offer more intensive support to young people to equip them to live independently and provide outreach support for up to a year once they have left their supported accommodation.
Oxfordshire County Council and the City and District Councils reviewed current service provision, with extensive input from young people and professionals during 2018/19- thank you to those of you who supported the councils with this. This helped them develop the necessary changes to enhance services designed to prepare young people for living independently.
Oxfordshire County Council has brought services for 16 and 17-year olds in-house to be delivered by a new team within the Residential and Edge of Care Service (REoC), and re-commissioned the other services required for 18-24 year olds with the City and District Councils to meet existing and future needs. There will be more beds and more support for young people than there are currently, while the referral process and eligibility to access the service will remain the same.
This will mean there will be lots of change over the coming months ahead as the County begin to phase in the in-house service for 16 and 17-year olds from August 2020 and prepare for contracts to start with the new providers who have been commissioned to deliver services from 1 October 2020. Referrals will continue to be made via the Brokerage team and service eligibility will remain the same.
The table below outlines the providers who will be delivering new commissioned services:
New Young People’s Supported Accommodation Providers
Response has been commissioned to provide the accommodation the County Council need for the in-house service for 16 and 17-year olds. The changes may be challenging for young people and staff impacted over the months ahead and the County Council will be working with individuals and organisations to identify what the changes may mean for them and their future options.
Please also see below, specific information for young people on how the changes may affect them:
Young People’s Supported Accommodation changes- information for young people