Here at Liaise, some of the people we support eventually reach a stage in their journeys where they are ready and willing to transition into supported living from a residential care home. We are there to provide support and guidance every step of the way.
Through our experience in helping these individuals and their families, we know that there is a lot of planning and preparation required to ensure a happy and successful transition.
If you or a loved one are transitioning into supported living for the first time, here are a few tips to help ensure the individual feels safe and reassured throughout their entire journey.
To learn more about our supported living services, contact our friendly advisors or visit our Supported Living page.
Consider their Reasons for the Move
When transitioning into supported living for the first time, it is important to choose a supported living service that can match both the individual’s support needs and goals for transitioning.
By carefully considering the reasons a person wishes to transition into supported living, you can help them find the most suitable home to meet their goals, needs and wants. Throughout the process, refer back to the individual’s motivations to ensure they are always being met.
For instance, a person may feel they are ready to move into supported living because they would like to increase their learning opportunities or have more opportunities for socialisation. In this case, it might not make sense for them to move into a new home alone or out into the countryside where there are few places to socialise.
Carefully Plan Every Step
When choosing a new supported living service, it’s important to consider all the independent living skills the individual will need to ensure a successful and positive transition.
There are many daily living skills required to live happily and independently in supported living. By identifying these needs early on, you can work with the individual to gradually build these skills.
For example, holding a tenancy and being responsible for bills and costs of living can be initially overwhelming. By anticipating these potential barriers, you can proactively create a plan of action to overcome them. In this situation, it might be beneficial to place the tenancy in someone else’s name until the individual becomes comfortable with this new responsibility.
However, it is important to note it is not a requirement to be able to have independent living skills or be able to manage a tenancy or bills, in order to live in supported living. Support can be provided for individuals who don’t have the capacity to manage these things themselves. A supported living home is available to all.
Provide Support Before, During and After the Transition
A move at any stage of life can be challenging. It is important to provide support to the individual transitioning so they feel safe and reassured throughout the entire process.
One of the most beneficial ways to support the individual is by involving them in every step of the process. Whenever possible, begin the planning process early by implementing a transition plan at least 6 months ahead of time. This will give the individual enough time to get used to the idea and begin learning the necessary independent living skills to ensure a smooth transition.
Remember that each individual is unique just like their transition process. Some individuals may require support at the beginning of their transition which is similar to the support they received in residential care. Others may adapt to their new environment quickly and require minimal practical or emotional support as they become more settled in their new homes.
What is important is to ask the individual what support they would like to receive so that you can work together to meet their goals and achieve positive outcomes.
Make the Journey With Liaise
Here at Liaise, we provide life-changing specialist support to people with autism, learning disabilities, physical support needs or other complex care needs. This includes unique supported living services designed to enable people with support needs to live happy and fulfilling lives.
Each of our supported living homes provides a welcoming and enriching environment where people can learn new skills, make lasting friendships and live with greater choice and independence.
After successfully supporting people for many years as they transition from residential care to our supported living services, you can be sure that your loved ones are in capable hands.
We know the prospect of changing homes can be daunting and overwhelming. We can help you navigate this uncertainty as you plan this exciting chapter in your lives.
We will conduct a comprehensive assessment to ensure we understand every aspect of the individual’s needs and what they want to achieve. We will then create a highly-personalised, person-centred plan of support that outlines everything required for a successful transition.
Once our support plan is in place, we regularly review them in partnership with the individual to ensure we are always meeting our shared goals for the transition period and beyond.
How We Can Support Your Transition to Supported Living
Here are just some of the ways we can support you and your family as you transition from residential care to supported living:
- Providing information on the different services available to help your family choose what’s right for them
- Explaining and guiding you through the adult and social care funding process
- Creating a person-centred plan of support to get your family through the transition and beyond
- Arranging for familiarisation visits to help the individual get to know our services and our staff teams to ensure they feel safe and supported the entire way
Learn More About Our Supported Living Services
If you’re ready to make the life-changing step from residential care to supported living, we are here to guide and support your family through the entire process.
To find out more about our supported living services, please visit our Supported Living page or contact our dedicated advisors. We look forward to hearing from you.
