What is the SLK Skills 4 Life Programme
Who will Benefit from the SLK Skills 4 Life Programme
Benefits
SLK Skills 4 Life Programme Modules
How it works
Features of the Skills 4 Life Programme
Achieving Goals
Steps for Use
Skills 4 Life Resource Pack Contents
SLK Skills 4 Life Programme Training
Fees

This is an innovative approach we have developed to assist Support Service Providers to achieve their ultimate goal of helping customers to acquire the skills, knowledge & confidence they need to learn to manage their lives and meet their own needs positively & successfully.

The programme provides a goals led range of activity, which the customer can drive, that supports them in moving from their present level of skill & confidence to the place they wish to be in order to ‘feel’ and ‘be’ able to live independently successfully

All Customers who are eligible to receive support via the Supporting People Programme.

• Customers acquiring skills for the first time
• Customers re-acquiring skills
• Customers sustaining their acquired skills

For Customers

• They receive a programme of support which helps them achieve their goal of being independent and the skills to help them maintain this, as well as successfully address other issues in their lives as they arise
• Having completed the Skills 4 Life Programme customers will be more attractive to potential landlords & employers, as they can show they have applied themselves successfully to a programme of ‘training’ and have a range of transferable skills
• Customers lead the way in their programme of support which encourages participation, achievement, progression and successful outcomes

For Providers

• Service delivery becomes more targeted and productive for both parties – measurable outcomes can be achieved in a much shorter timeframe, so more customers can be helped within contract parameters. Enabling providers to move away from 2 year programmes of support for short term services to 6 or 9 month for Sup Housing & 3 to 6 months for Floating support
• Provider staff & Managers are much clearer on their roles, objectives & performance targets and can be supported to achieve them
• Managers are clearer about service achievements & performance and can play a more insightful role in steering the service to attain yet further improved connections & outcomes for customers
• Provider organisations can prove more precisely, to service commissioners the outcomes, effectiveness & benefits of their service and any ‘gaps’ in provision
• Providers are in a much improved position to consider extending their portfolio of services – particularly important during this period of Tendering & Procurement for existing Supporting People services

For Service Commissioners

• Commissioners receive proof of improved service outcomes & can feed this on to Government
• Can more fully achieve their aims by helping many more people to receive support & live independently
• Its easier to review & monitor service performance against clear targets
• Achieve improved linkage across all service providers as each takes more responsibility to ensure customer well being once they have left
• Able to achieve ‘knock on’ benefits in other areas of related service, as crisis based services are not stretched  as before due to the increased success of these preventative services

We have designed the modules to enable you to use and report on the DCLG Outcomes Monitoring Framework with ease.

Within each Module, there are a number of skills.  For each skill, there are a minimum number of skill measures that need to be achieved to demonstrate overall ability in that particular skill area.

SUPPORT Module 1 - Achieve Economic Wellbeing

Manage Money, budget & Reduce Debt
Access an Income via Paid Employment
Show an Awareness of Welfare Benefits, Access & Claim them
Show an Awareness of other Grant Funding
Dress and Present Self well
Arrange Contact with Professionals
Show reliable and honest with money
Prepare items for your own home

SUPPORT Module 2 - Enjoy & Achieve

Access & Maintain Training or Educational Opportunities
Positive Manner, Punctual & Reliable
Build Social Networks
Access New Home

SUPPORT Module 3 - Be Healthy

Able to Feed Self and Stay Healthy
Maintain good Health & Wellbeing
Manage own Medication & Medical Need
Maintain Home to a Good Standard

SUPPORT Module 4 - Stay Safe

Show a Sense of Health & Safety
Understanding of safe use of Equipment
Understand Housing & Support Agreement
Manage way out of Difficult Situations

SUPPORT Module 5 - Make a Positive Contribution

Skills 4 Sustainable Living
Awareness of Climate Change
Awareness of Social Responsibility
Manage own "energy selection"
Manage energy use efficiently
Re-cycle
Awareness of Garden Tools
Use and Produce Compost
Awareness of nature and growing food
Prolong life of items around the home
Meet own water needs

Progress any issues relating to any other area of need

As the customer’s Support Plan is being created helping customers to address their needs.  As part of this process, the customer’s life skills & knowledge are assessed,  present ability is recognised and gaps are identified and an Action Plan & Timetable is created to address these gaps which both the support worker & the customer will use to guide and structure their programme of activity.

• The Process is evidence based - in order to progress customers are required to prove at each stage that they can perform the tasks which show they have acquired the element of skill of knowledge identified
• Support Sessions have a clearly identified purpose & meaning –  all parties are clear of their aims at each support session and ‘homework’ for each will often result
• The Programme is Flexible & Customers can lead the process
• It incorporates an on-going Needs Assessment & Review tool
• The Process rewards achievement – certificates are awarded as customers attain the required levels against each skill indicator, and ultimately upon completion of the whole programme
• Designed ‘fit in’ with the time frame for the service delivery envisaged by Service Commissioners. The programme contains identifies stages and target timescales to complete each stage, although dependant upon the customers ability, needs and pace, can be adjusted to fit with service turnaround goals
• Outcomes & Results are clear to see & prove  
• Maintaining Skills & Knowledge following Move On or Move off – once a customer leaves the service, contact is maintained for up to 2 years. During that time the Provider will have visited the customer on a six monthly basis and re-assessed their skills & knowledge on each occasion.  Thus enabling the Provider to prove service efficacy long after the customer has left their domain
• Sits along side other Outcomes monitoring tools – such as the St Mungo’s Outcomes Star approach & feeds information into the DCLG’s new Outcome Monitoring Framework, complementing & enhancing their benefit.

• Familiarise yourself with The SLK Skills 4 life Programme
• Order the components of The Approach & Programme and if necessary customise them for your service(s) yourself (Integrity of the Programme must be maintained, terms and conditions are in place to ensure this)
• Arrange training for key staff within your organisation on the whole approach – and rollout the rest of the training for your full staff team yourselves (This is quoted for within the package cost)
• Draw upon our consultancy support as & when required, either in a targeted fashion or we can help to develop a full implementation & training programme with you.

Skills 4 Life Resource Pack Contents

Comprehensive policy and procedures
Support planning tools
Skills for life programme

SLK Skills 4 Life Programme Training

The fee you will pay is dependent on the size of the service you have. 
Our aim is to make the SLK Skills 4 Life Programme affordable to all providers, large or small.

Contact us for further details.