We believe that supported living is important for our young adults to build on their confidence and self-esteem. We use Positive Behaviour Support to meet the needs of the young adults we support, helping them with their behaviours that challenge and creating a better quality of life for them. Our focused support with young adults helps them to gain the skills and knowledge to transition into adults and move onto lower levels of support.

Supported Living also helps to build meaningful relationships. Our aim is for our service users to be fully supported by their peers that have similar interests, allowing them to bond and form meaningful relationships. When they are in the community, they ‘fit in’ as it looks like a regular group of friends just out and about – this helps to reduce some of the stigmas they face daily in society and helps to reduce some of the anxieties they feel about ‘fitting in’.

Supported living helps in the effort of local authorities to keep services and care local. It is better value for money than specialist out-of-area provision.

Each young adult we support will be allocated a Stepping Stones key worker who will meet with them regularly, to support with any issues in a two-way process. In the support meetings, our key workers will work with their young adult to carry out a support plan whilst also supporting with general welfare. When designing personalised plans for the people we support, we allow them to get involved and have a say in what care they receive.

We adapt our support to each individual, depending on their needs and availabilities. If the young adult we support attend college or are in employment, we will tailor our plans around that. We can offer support in the mornings, evenings or weekends to work around their schedule.

At Stepping Stones, we never use agency staff to ensure we build long-lasting relationships. This means that key workers are trusted by the people we support and are in regular contact with them.

SSCL staff are on hand 24 hours a day at our residential home, Emerald House. They will be delivering activities in the daytime in addition to supporting clients to live an independent life. A staff member will also sleep in Emerald house to provide support in the night as and when needed. The aim of this is to provide clients with support should they experience a crisis at night. For example, if someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, or they might be concerned for the safety of another client. Staff will always be there to provide support.

We can also help to source suitable homes for young people, in order for them to live independently. We have strong relationships with registered providers in order to find the most suitable properties for young adults with learning disabilities.