Homeless Families Accommodation Scheme on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight Council (“the Authority”) is inviting organisations to apply to tender for the provision of accommodation for families, supporting households’ transition from homelessness to home. This will provide an opportunity to maximise use of resources with the view to improved outcomes for all Isle of Wight residents.

The Service will consist of:
• Supported Accommodation underpinned by the principles outlined below:

a) People have a right to a home: ‘Accommodation first’ whereby we transition households to accommodation as quickly as possible.

b) Households have choice and control: This needs to be balanced with a realistic view on what is possible. They have the choice, where possible, about where they live. They choose where, when and how support is provided.

c) An active engagement approach is used: Staff are responsible for proactively engaging households; making the service fit them instead of trying to make the households fit the service. 1

d) A family-centered approach is used: A family-centered approach is a way of working in partnership with families to better understand their unique circumstances and to help parents decide what strategies will best suit their families. This approach is increasingly recognized as an effective way to improve outcomes for families. A family-centered approach has some basic principles:
• All families are different, and support works best when you understand each family’s individual goals, expectations, values and everyday life.
• Parents always know their children and their family best.
• All families have strengths, and we learn and grow best when we use our strengths.
• Children’s wellbeing and development depends on the wellbeing of all other family members and of the family as a whole.
• Family wellbeing depends on the quality of informal social supports and the availability of formal support services.2.
e) The service is Psychologically informed: A Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) “... is one that takes into account the psychological makeup – the thinking, emotions, personalities and past experience - of its participants in the way that it operates.”3 It’s an approach to supporting people out of homelessness, in particular those who have experienced complex trauma4 or are diagnosed with a personality disorder. It also considers the psychological needs of staff: developing skills and knowledge, increasing motivation, job satisfaction and resilience.