Preparing for adulthood

Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) may start thinking about living independently as they get older.

If a young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), their housing needs should be discussed as part of the annual review process. As part of the annual review of the young person’s EHC plan, a discussion about housing will need to consider:

• How independently the young person might be able to live
• What help they will need with finding accommodation
• What help they will need with life skills , for example, travelling alone, managing money, preparing meals

The Young Adults Team will attend the annual review and begin a strengths-based adult social care assessment around six months before the young person turns 18. This assessment will help identify what support and care needs they might have, including an assessment of their housing needs. Depending on whether the young person is eligible for social care support with housing, there will be different options available.

Housing for young people with SEND who are eligible for social care support

When young people are eligible for social care support, they will have an allocated worker who will work alongside them to create a support plan that will be designed to help them meet their assessed needs. This will include their housing needs and what support they would need if they would like to live independently.

Options for independent living may include:

• Shared Lives Scheme
  Shared Lives is a service where carefully chosen single people, couples or families open their homes to people with SEND. It allows you to live in an ordinary house, where the people around you are trained to give you help if you need it.
   
• Residential Homes
  Residential care is usually only for people with SEND who have high needs and require lots of support. People in residential care normally have their own bedroom, but parts of the building may be shared with the other people who live there.
   
• Supported living
  Supported living is for people who are not ready to, or cannot, live independently. You will need to be eligible for Social Care, this means to have someone like a social worker or AEO to assess your support needs.
  Some Supported Living places have individual flats that are in a building together. Support can be there for an agreed time, usually during weekdays.
  There are some Supported Living Schemes that are made up of a group of houses together. Each house may have up to four or six people living there. The support is onsite and there when you need it.
  Other Supported Living places may vary and can be sharing a house with one or two others in a small home with support providers coming in to meet individual support needs when they need it. This is called ‘floating support’.   

Housing for young people with SEND who are NOT eligible for social care support

When young people with SEND are not eligible for adult social care support, they can still decide to live independently. There are different options available including renting privately or buying their own house or flat. There are also shared houses where young people can live with one or two other people.

Young people over 18 can also apply to join the council’s housing register through Home Point if they meet the eligibility criteria. They will need to register online and provide details of their housing situation including proof of identity (ID), National Insurance number, details of their local connection and proof of income and whether they are receiving certain benefits. This proof needs to be uploaded during the registration process. After registering, Home Point will assess their application and may contact them for further proof. It can sometimes take a long time to get accommodation through Home Point as there are lots of other people registered who need housing. It depends on eligibility and how high up the priority list the young person is.

If a young person needs support with applying to join the housing register, they can call the Housing Team on 01432 261600 between 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday and they will do their best to help over the telephone. There is also help available in-person at Blueschool House, Hereford, HR1 2LX from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Mencap have lots of helpful information about housing on their website, most of which is in an Easyread format. You can read about tenancy agreements, rent, housing benefits and more. Visit the Housing page on the Mencap website.

To find out about financial support for housing costs, visit the government’s Universal Credit website where you can check eligibility and see what help is available.