Social Care Awards 2021

6 GHP / Social Care Awards 2021 , Jan21385 Providing semi-independent housing and an established support network in the UK, Transitional Plus Care is a company forever bettering the ways inwhich it gives back to its service users. Stepping Up to Support Young People Transitional Plus Care is a community- interest company that provides supported accommodation to young people across the UK. Closely keeping to its core ethos and goal of ‘supporting young lives’, it is a certified Disability Confident company, has been awarded the accolade of ‘Living Wage Employer’, and is committed to aiding in the protection, welfare, growth and development of each young person that walks through its doors. It runs a 16+ service that offers young people a place in a positive and supportive living environment, therapeutic interventions, health and fitness personal training, education support and provision, in-house educational courses, and refugee and asylum seeker support. The through-line in all these offerings is its core service; semi- independent accommodation and support for young people between 16-18 years of age who are in or leaving care. It operates nationally and works in collaboration with 70 active local authorities. Alongside a safe place for the individual to be, Transitional Plus seeks to offer practical advice and assistance to help empower them. Its help prepares them for independent life, giving them the tools that they need to succeed and thrive when they move on from supported housing. This transition period is what this company seeks to make as streamlined as possible for its service users. It has been over 10 years since its founding in 2010 by social workers and criminal justice specialists with over 30 years of experience, and still that message rings true in every element of its operation. It has a staunch commitment to providing bespoke living and assistance services to young people leaving care who may struggle to settle in more traditional settings due to unmanaged trauma. To provide the best quality solutions that it can to its end users, it frequently undergoes reviews of its effectiveness and active services. This usually takes the form of monthly senior management meetings and frequent unit/house audits that ensure all aspects of its operation are up to scratch. In tandem with this, it is dedicated to maintaining a person-centric outlook towards its clients. In this way, it provides an outcome-focused service first and foremost that is highly flexible, working with each individual user to achieve their goals without judgement. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK government made the decision to suspend the care act; this movement and the resulting impact on the industry has caused a forecast of a lot of increased pressure to come. Once the key agencies and organisations that handle child protection, health, education, and social care return to normal, it is expected that there will be a backlog of cases for them to attend to. In addition, this will be enhanced by increased domestic violence and mental health issues that have come about because of lockdown and isolation. Naturally, these factors present a challenging crucible for Transitional Plus and companies like it to support as many users as it can through these universally difficult times. In response, it has been continuing to assess areas of its services that require improvement and expansion, wishing to develop itself to suit the ever-evolving needs of its clients. In this way, the strategic and operational skills of both the Managing Director and Head of Services both come into their own, cementing Transitional Plus as a leading provider of semi- independent accommodation for care leavers. As well as its attitude of fostering development for its service users, it also encourages this internally, supporting and uplifting its staff in professional furtherment opportunities. When looking for new hires, it seeks people who will contribute to the atmosphere of empathy, hard work and drive it has cultivated. Currently, it is seeking to bolster this workforce by finding more such individuals. As one of the only 12 providers across Merseyside that has been awarded with the status of preferred supplier, it wishes to make up any deficit with its own expansion. In the future, it will be looking into opening 4-6 new properties across greater Manchester, recruiting both qualified staff and staff who it can train to NVQ level. Company: Transitional Plus Care Community Interest Company Contact: Mark Brown Website: www.transpluscare.co.uk