Support customer information
If you are getting support from Advance and are visited by Support Workers or live in one of our Supported Housing schemes, the links below this menu can give you more information about Advance. If you would like more information about anything you have read on the website, contact your Support Worker, Service Manager or call our Customer Services Team on 0333 012 4307. They will be happy to help.
If you are getting a support service from Advance and you would like to move into one of our properties, please email our Customer Services Team or call 0333 012 4307. They will be happy to help with any questions.
Our customer pack and the information below have been produced to give useful advice to everyone who gets a support service from us.
Who do we support?
At Advance we always work together with our customers to make sure the support we provide meets their needs. This means that the people we support are in control of their own lives and can make choices about what they do and how they live.
At Advance we recognise that all customers are unique individuals. We provide support to:
- People with learning disabilities
- People with mental health conditions
- Older People
- People with complex health and support needs
This list is not exclusive. If you have a support need that is not in this list and would like to talk to us about whether we can support you, please get in touch. We'll be happy to help.
If we already support you and you'd like to talk about different ways we can support you, please let us know.
Our support services
We provide a wide range of support services. The type of support we provide will be personal to you. Some of our customers have support all of the time, some people have a few hours of support every week. We can support you in your own home, in a residential care setting or in the community. Here is a list of some of the support services we provide:
- Supported Living
- Independent Living Support
- Domiciliary Care
- Support in Customers' own homes
- Floating Support/Outreach
- Registered Care Homes
- Community Based Services and Activities
- Carer's/Respite
Ways we can support you
All of our customers have different support needs. Together we will identify your support needs and look at ways we can help you achieve your aspirations and goals. Below is a list of some of the things we do to support our customers
- Develop a Support plan which works for you
- Positive risk assessments
- Care Assessment and Review
- Support Agreements
- Working in Partnership with other providers and professionals
- Support with Personal care
- Managing finances and budgeting
- Developing Independent life skills
- Partaking in meaningful activities
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
- Improving and maintaining physical and mental health
- Behaviour assessment and planning
- Safety in the home & community
- Access to the local community activities
- Volunteering/education and employment opportunities
- Housing and benefit applications and appeals
- Understanding and maintaining your tenancy
- Maintaining and developing relationships
- Enjoying a more fulfilling and rewarding life
- Safeguarding
Who pays for your support service?
There are lots of ways you can pay for the service we provide to you.
Direct Payments and Personal budgets - are the same thing – They are words used to describe a different way of you managing the support you need and choosing the people you want to support you. Social Services pay the money you are entitled to directly into your bank account (or a family member’s bank account if you need help with this) for you to pay to the people you have chosen to provide your support.
Some of the things you might want to spend your money on could be for
- Support from a place or team of people like a day centre, community team or staff where you live
- Support with personal things like having a bath, washing or getting dressed
- Support to live in your own house like help with money, cooking or cleaning the house
- Support to get out and about like driving you to see friends, help to join in things with other people, or someone to go on holiday with you
Health Budget - A personal health budget is the money the health service give to you pay for your healthcare. The same way Social services pay for a personal budget. You decide with your local NHS team - this could be your doctor or care manager - your health goals. This way you know how much money you have to spend and you have more say about your healthcare.
You can use the budget for things like
- Support with your personal care
- Training to help you look after yourself
- Other equipment to help you meet your needs
Individual Service Funds – if you are unable to manage your personal budget or do not have anyone who can manage this for you, you can use another provider (not the council) to manage your personal budget. Advance can help you with this.
Self funding – this is your personal money you use to pay for your support. You may want to self fund if there is additional support you need which the council do not pay for, or is outside of your agreed allowance.
NHS/Local Authority – Your social services and/ or health services pay the provider directly for your support.
Comments, compliments and complaints
We'd love to hear what you think. Your ideas will help us to make services better for you and other customers. Please watch our short video, 'Giving us your views'.
You can also tell us what you think in our annual Support Satisfaction Survey.
To read our full Comments, Compliments and Complaints policy click here
Follow this link and use the form to send us comments, compliments or complaints, call us on 0333 012 4307 or email: customer.services@advanceuk.org