Jargon Descriptions
This is a comprehensive list of terms you may come across and not understand.
AA
Administering Authority. This is a local authority that receives Supporting People grant from central government.
Accreditation
A check to see whether a service provider meets certain standards and can be accepted as a provider of Supporting People services.
AP2
An application form to apply for help to pay a Provider for the provision of “housing related support”. This is only required where there is a charge for the support to the service user.
Benchmarking
A comparison of similar services by quality, performance and cost. This is one of the ways of ensuring the quality of services in Swindon continually improves.
Best Value
A duty on local authorities to assess and review the services they provide for local people and improve them by the best means available. This must be done in consultation with the people who use the services and the wider local community.
Block Contract
The means by which the Supporting People team purchase support services for more than one person, usually in advance of the service being delivered.
Block Gross contract
A contract under which the payment for all the places in a service is made in one fixed amount, irrespective of how many people are using the service.
Block Subsidy contract
A contract under which the provider tells the SP team who is using the service, and payments are made accordingly
BME groups
Black or minority ethnic groups
CAG
Cross Authority Group
Care – personal and social
Supporting People does not pay for care. It only pays for housing related support. It may fund some services that also provide care, but Supporting People only pays for the housing related support in those services.
Client group
A classification applied to a person according to their support needs. A person may fall into one or more of these classifications which are
Client Record Form
Providers complete these each time they take on a new client. Details such as previous type of accommodation, client group and ethnicity are recorded so Supporting People teams can monitor who is using the services. No personal details are recorded.
Commissioning Body
The group of members and senior officers from health, probation and social services who have ultimate responsibility for the Supporting People programme in Swindon – known as the Supporting People Partnership Board.
Contract Schedules
These are part of the Supporting People contract and contain details of the services to be provided in that contract and the cost of each service.
Cross authority
Refers to activity that involves input from several authorities in Swindon Wiltshire and Gloucestershire or the whole of the South West.
CSDG
Core Strategy Development Group – Swindon Supporting People Officer Group.
DAAT
Drug and Alcohol Action Team – A section within Swindon Borough Council, which works to provide services to assist those people who are vulnerable due to substance misuse. Supporting People has links and works closely with this Team to establish strategic direction and provide housing related support.
DCLG
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was created on 5 May 2006 with a powerful remit to promote community cohesion and equality, as well as responsibility for housing, urban regeneration, planning and local government. This is the government department, which has responsibility for the overseeing and the implementation of Supporting People and monitors the performance of each administering authority.
Direct Access
Supporting People Services, usually supported housing, where the Provider will accept people from the streets without prior referral by a recognised agency.
DV
Domestic Violence.
FAB
Financial Assessment and Benefits – the name of the Team that administers Fairer Charging in Swindon
Fairer Charging
A means test used to decide whether an individual is able to pay for part or all of his or her service. Fairer Charging is a national government requirement, but individual councils decide the terms of their local means test.
Floating support
Support that is not tied to a particular address, such as an emergency alarm or support provided by a visiting worker. This kind of support can ‘float off’ to a different location when a client no longer needs it.
HIA
Home Improvement Agency. These organisations offer support to owner-occupiers to ensure their homes are of a decent standard.
Housing Benefit
A means tested state benefit paid to council or private tenants who need help paying their rent.
Housing Corporation
The government agency that funds new affordable homes and regulates housing associations in England. Their website is www.housingcorp.gov.uk/
Housing Related Support
Support specifically aimed at helping people to establish themselves, or stay in, their own homes. Examples of housing related support include helping people learn to: manage their money; apply for benefits; keep their home secure; and access other services.
Hub Services
A national supporting people website. It offers features such as a national directory of support services.
Joint Commissioning Body (JCB)
See Commissioning Body – above
KWeb
The Supporting People Knowledge website – this is accessible to all by logging on to www.spkweb.org.uk The Kweb contains all the guidance, discussion and related documents on the Supporting People programme
Legacy Funding
Legacy funding is the total amount of money paid to a service before the Supporting People programme came into effect. There were seven types of legacy funding; including transitional housing benefit, supported housing management grant and PAGs. The total legacy funding forms the existing SP contract price
LSVT
Large Scale Voluntary Transfer of council housing. This could be to a private company or a registered social landlord. Swindon still manage council housing following a decision not to transfer in 2002
Managing Agent
A managing agent is an organisation providing housing management services (such as collecting rent) on behalf of another body, often a Registered Social Landlord. The managing agent may also provide the support services.
MAPPA
Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements – a Police and Probation steered framework. Set up to deliver, through work and cooperation with Criminal Justice, Prison, the Local Authority and Health Services, the principle duty to establish arrangements for assessing and managing the risks posed by sexual and violent offenders. Monitored by Strategic Management Boards within Responsible Authority areas.
NHF – National Housing Federation
Also known as the NatFed, the NHF provides advice and support for not-for-profit housing providers. Their website is www.housing.org.uk. They have regional Supporting People advisors to help their members understand and prepare for the implementation of and the continuing management of Supporting People
ODPM
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Name given to the DCLG prior to 05 May 2006.
PAGs
Probation Accommodation Grant; paid by the Home Office to probation services to fund accommodation and support to ex-offenders. The PAG was transferred to the Supporting People Grant in April 2003 as legacy funding.
Partnership Board
The Joint Commissioning Body for Supporting People in Swindon (see also Commissioning Body) made up of representatives from the three Partner Organisations of Health, Local Authority and Probation Services
PCT
Primary Care Trust (formed from Health Authority).
Performance Indicators (PIs)
Performance statistics submitted to the Supporting People teams by support providers. They are used as part of contract and quality monitoring.
Pipeline services
Services that are in development, but not yet open.
Provider Schedule Returns
These are sent, on a monthly basis, to the Supporting People teams by providers of block subsidy services. They detail clients who have moved in or out of the service and payment is adjusted accordingly.
Provider Schedules
Notification from the SP team to providers about their SP payment.
QAF
Quality Assessment Framework. Providers self assess their service against national objectives (such as consulting service users on how they want the service to be run). The Supporting People team use the results as part of the benchmarking process, with the aim of continually improving the quality of services in Swindon.
RSL
Registered Social Landlord. A housing association registered with and approved by the Housing Corporation.
Service Outcomes
Specific outcomes that Providers of Services must assist their clients to achieve – proposals are to incorporate a national set of these from April 2007 for SP Teams to monitor and add locally developed outcomes
Service Review
A service review examines the support provided to see if there is a need for it, if it is good quality support, if it gives value for money and if there needs to be any changes.
Sheltered Housing
Housing specifically for older and/or disabled people. Includes a block or group of houses with resident or visiting warden, and individual houses, bungalows and flats that receive support from a mobile warden or alarm service.
SHG
Supported Housing Group – a forum for representatives from the Provider Organisations and other agencies
SITRA
SITRA is a large organisation, a provider of training, policy and information and consultancy work for the supported housing and care sector running a wide range of services to meet the needs of professionals. There website is www.sitra.org.uk
SME
Small, medium enterprise – usually a local provider of services rather than a large national company.
SP3
A form used by the Supporting People teams to collect information form providers about their services. This information was stored on an ODPM database called SPIntLS but all data was moved to different local systems (SPLS) in 2004
SPLS
Supporting People Local System – a local authority computer system used to hold service, provider, payment and client details for Supporting People
SPIntLS
Supporting People Interim Local System – a database provided to Supporting People teams by the ODPM to collect provider and service information in order to accurately price services and contract with providers.
Spot contract
The purchase of support services for individuals, usually on an emergency basis or on demand. Such purchases can also be paid for after the service has been delivered.
Steady State
This refers to the period after 1 April 2003, when services are paid for by Supporting People.
SPOG
Supporting People Officers Group – the core strategy development group see CSDG
SUF
Service User Forum is a bi-monthly meeting of representatives of the different clients groups. It has been set up to allow the vulnerable people who use the services to have their say about how the Supporting People Services are to be provided and managed in future.
Supporting People Grant
Money from the government to pay for housing related support services under the Supporting People programme with conditions.
Supporting People programme
The programme came into effect on 1 April 2003, and pays for all services providing housing related support. Services are monitored on their quality, performance, outcomes and cost.
Supporting People strategy
The Strategy is a five-year plan for managing the Supported Housing sector in Swindon.
Support Provider
The organisation providing housing-related support services paid for by Supporting People. Organisation types include Registered Social Landlords, voluntary sector organisations, local authorities, charities and the private sector.
Support Service
A service eligible for funding through Supporting People. This could include advice on maintaining a tenancy, help with filling in forms, help with keeping accommodation safe and secure, etc.
Thematic Review
A thematic review examines the support provided within a client group or sector to see if there are any gaps in services, if there is a need for it, if it is good quality support, if it gives value for money and whether there needs to be any changes.
Transitional Housing Benefit (THB)
Up to 31 March 2003, THB paid for housing related support in instances where the service user needed help to pay for their service.
Validation Visit
A ‘reality check’ by a SP Officer to a support service to establish whether the provider is achieving the standards they have been contracted to deliver. It can be arranged or without notice. The Officer also consults services users and staff, to find out their views of the service. The aim of these visits is to work with providers to improve the quality of services in Swindon, and the findings feed into the service review.
YP
Young People – Supporting People recognises the vulnerability of many young people aged 16- 25 years who need housing related support services.
