Our Promoting Independence Project recently reached its 5th year and to mark this special anniversary, customers, employees and partner organisations came together at our Rockingham Street office to celebrate. Attendees enjoyed some delicious food, an opportunity to socialise, view the collaborative art project, play bingo and listen to customer poems and journeys.
The Promoting Independence Project was launched in October 2019, as a seven-year programme to help customers residing in residential care settings to move out and live independently. Over the last five years, the project has supported 73 customers to live independently. The delivery model has been extensively co-designed with those who have direct experience of the residential care and wider mental health system. One to one recovery focused support is provided for up to 9 months prior to the move out of residential care, and for up to 18 months after the move. We focus on recovery using a strengths-based approach, to enable residents to feel ready to leave residential care.
The programme is a social impact bond, commissioned by Sheffield City Council, which is funded by Big Issue Invest and the Life Chances Fund (Department for Culture, Media and Sport). LiveWell: Promoting Independence is a partnership between us (SYHA), Abbeyfield Grange and Together for Mental Wellbeing.
Our team of Health and Wellbeing coaches and keyworkers support customers to improve their daily living skills and become ready to live independently. Our keyworkers support customers to take an active role in developing their own independence, including help with finding the right property, personal finances and buying equipment and furnishings to make the house feel like a home. The team have specialisms in counselling, housing, occupational therapy and social work.
Our Health and Wellbeing Coaches support customers with activities for daily living, including cooking and cleaning, enhancing social skills and community engagement, self-awareness work, acting as mediators and liaising between services.
Promoting Independence Project customer, Yasmin, has recently moved into her own home and has really valued the support. She said:
“My health and wellbeing coach helped me to organise things in my flat and make it look nice. She also helped me to get a voluntary job.”
You can find out more about our Promoting Independence Project here.
