Referral and Assessment
Our assessment process consists of four stages:
- Initial enquiry and referral
- Assessment of needs and risks
- Negotiation of support package
- Admission to service
Because most of the people we support have highly complex needs, we think it is essential
to assess their needs thoroughly before we begin to provide them with support. This is to
ensure that we do not place people inappropriately or offer them an inappropriate, inadequate
or excessive support package.
Each person referred is allocated to the caseload of a member of our Placement Team who will
be responsible for working with them through the entire assessment period and for the first
three months of support provision.
Stage 1: Initial enquiry and referral
Most enquiries and referrals we receive are from social workers or other care professionals
but, where appropriate, we will also respond to enquiries from family members or other
parties with care responsibilities for a prospective service user.
If you are considering making a referral to ILA or if you wish to discuss the services
available please contact our Placement Manager on 0151 708 2940 or by e-mail at
enquiries@ila.uk.com or complete the on-line enquiry form on this
website.
A member of the Placement Team (which consists of two full-time members of staff who are highly
skilled and experienced at assessing complex support needs and drawing-up support plans and
risk management plans) will contact you to:
- Discuss the prospective service user's needs
- Provide you with relevant information abut our services
- Make an appointment for an initial assessment visit to ascertain if ILA can
meet the individual's needs.
Stage 2: Assessment
Because individual needs vary so much there is no set agenda for assessment meetings
and no fixed timetable for the assessment process as a whole. Assessments may be
completed in one to two weeks or may involve a series of meetings over a period of
months depending on a number of factors, including:
- The complexity of a person's needs
- How well they are at the time of referral
- The nature of the service for which they are being assessed
Broadly speaking the assessment stage is split into two parts:
- Information gathering
- Support planning and risk assessment
Information gathering
The placement officer will gather information about a prospective service user to build
up as wide and as accurate a picture as possible of how best he or she can be supported.
Information from the person referred will be sought during the assessment meeting or meetings.
The initial assessment meeting will normally be held where the prospective service user is
based. The meeting may be held either on a one-to-one basis or with an appropriate third party,
such as a social worker or a family member.
In addition to information obtained directly from the prospective service user, the
placement officer will also get information, as appropriate, from:
- Health services
- Social Services
- Members of the person's existing care team
- Family members
Support Planning and Risk Assessment
Having established his or her support needs and identified a potential service,
the referral will be invited to visit the service (in the case of a supported housing project)
to confirm their interest in and suitability for the placement.
During this stage the placement officer will work closely with the referral to draw up a
support plan outlining how he or she will be supported to:
- Share facilities on equal terms with other members of the community
- Make and be responsible for their own decisions
- Respect others and be respected by them
- Give support to and receive support from others
- Develop social skills and positive relationships*
*(Adapted from John O'Brien's Framework for Accomplishments)
Support plans focus on the practicalities of how each person will be supported to
accomplish their aims.
Risk assessment is an essential part of the overall assessment process. Again,
the placement officer will work with the service user to identify risk factors and
to draw up a detailed risk management plan to cover a range of situations and circumstances.
Stage 3: Negotiation of support package
Having identified an appropriate service and completed the support plan and risk management
plan, the placement officer will submit a costed support package to the appropriate funding
authority. Costings will be based directly on the proposed level of support to be provided
to the service user.
Stage 4: Admission to service
Once the support package has been agreed, arrangements will be made for the start of the
service. For people entering shared supported housing, this may involve further visits to
the project, including overnight stays, to allow them to become familiar with the other
service users, the staff and the lifestyle of the project. Some individuals will be able
to move in quickly, whereas others will require a lengthy period and a series of visits
and overnight stays before they are fully ready to take up the service.
After the service has started, the placement officer will keep in contact for three months and
will liaise with project staff to assist with a smooth transition into the service. After
three months the service user will be fully involved in preparing a review report to identify
their progress and any proposed changes to their support package.
