Our Accommodation

The environment created within our properties is established to promote the well-being and safety of ‘looked after’ young people who have been placed in our provision. Our properties are designed to be attractive, stimulating and comfortable with high quality furnishings. All young people have the privacy of their own rooms and a budget to personalise their space.
Starting in high quality accommodation like this can inspire young people to take responsibility to maintain it. It can also support positive mental health and raise confidence.

Gary Barker

Director

All placements are completed to a high specification, beautifully decorated and furnished in a modern way. The bedrooms are of a good size, with curtains or blinds, decorated smartly, but as a blank canvas so that they can be personalised to each of the young person’s taste. The bedrooms are lockable, contain a lockable cabinet, a bed, wardrobe or chest of drawers, tv, a desk and chair to support learning.

Our purpose at Youth Hubz is to provide supported accommodation settings where our young people feel safe from harm and where their individual needs are met with a bespoke package of support. We offer stability and consistency, enable continuous access to local services including education and healthcare, and foster the development of strong relationships within the local community. We promote positive self-esteem, protect against stigma and support young people to achieve their aspirations.

Our service includes:

Accommodation which is maintained, decorated and furnished to a high standard overseen by our maintenance team
A tailored independent living programme
Accommodation available 365 days a year with 24-hour support.
Bespoke support packages and hours dependent on individual needs

Supported 24/7 Accommodation

We have a variety of placement types which include; houses, flats and apartments. All placements are completed to a high specification, beautifully decorated and furnished in a modern way, meeting the required standards.

Accommodation which is maintained, decorated and furnished to a high standard overseen by our maintenance team
A tailored independent living programme
Accommodation available 365 days a year with 24-hour support.
Bespoke support packages and hours dependent on individual needs
Support to register with local health providers
Support in accessing education, employment and training
Support with future housing
Access to counselling and support with areas such as drug and alcohol, sexuality, sexual health, anger management, self-harm, safeguarding etc. (this is not an exhaustive list)
Financial advice and assistance
Access to advocacy services
Support in joining the Care Leavers Association and a national voice for peer support and guidance

Appropriate staffing levels will always be in place. Additional hours will be priced in accordance with the agreed hourly rate set out in the contract. Key Worker sessions as outlined in the Pathway plans (or equivalent) are delivered directly in independence sessions. Support hours will be organised around a young person’s needs. This is reviewed every 4 weeks and reduced as life skills develop.

Youth Hubz work to make sure the voice of the young people that we support is the driving force of their independence pathway. We believe that their wishes and feelings should be placed at the very centre of their planning and we work to empower them to express their views.

We pride ourselves that our homes offer a nurturing environment and provide a safe space for our young people to successfully transition into independent living.

Unique Reference Number: 2755756

Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester M1 2WD

Transitioning from 24/7 Support

Transition takes place following discussion with the young person, other professionals, including the accommodating authority, to ensure a clear pathway is in place which supports the young person to leave the care system.

Joint planning takes place with the wishes of the young person driving the process and is managed according to the young person’s development needs. This includes supporting the young person to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the service’s support and continuing to develop practical skills for living independently, such as budgeting, applying for a job, financial support, accommodation, integrating into the community, maintaining home and personal self-care.

Key Workers, who have built a relationship with their young people, plan and work alongside Floating Support staff to enable the transition to run smoothly. The pace at which this proceeds is driven by the views ansd progress of the young person.

We embrace the Key Principles from the Guide to Supported Accommodation and we aim for all of our young people to believe these statements to be true for them:

I feel safe and secure where I live and in my wider environment.
My voice is respected, heard and advocated for, so I can influence the support I receive.
I have confidence that the adults who support me understand me, are skilled and work effectively together to best meet my needs.
I have my own space that I feel proud of and live in a comfortable, well maintained, stable accommodation.
I receive high-quality, tailored support that sustains my health and wellbeing.
I have strong, trusting, and meaningful relationships within my support system and can rely on the adults around me
I feel supported to learn and apply skills for independent adult living.
I feel positive about my future and opportunities as a result of the support I receive.

USAC Accommodation

At Youth Hubz we provide accommodation for UASC (unaccompanied asylum-seeking children), that are safe, warm, homely and welcoming.

We provide a supportive multi-lingual environment in which UASC can learn to develop and grow. We nurture a sense of belonging, strengthening the UASC confidence and trust in adults, whilst providing the UASC with the emotional stability needed to develop positive friendships, and to engage with the wider community. All staff support the UASC to settle into the property, develop independent skills and intergrate into the community.

Youth Hubz staff approach is person centred and aims to support young people who seek greater independence and autonomy. We appreciate the additional support that may be required for UASC young people to integrate within the local community, this is why we will also be working in partnership with other agencies to build links with community groups so that they feel connected to others and develop a sense of belonging.

UASC Supported accomodation aims:

To provide safe and top-quality accommodation for UASC aged 16-18 years of age.
To champion and advocate for UASC voice, using the feedback to ensure positive service outcomes, and a high-quality provision.
To support UASC with family contact and communication (either in the UK or country of origin).
To promote equal opportunities for UASC to engage with the local community to promote inclusion, participation and emotional resilience.
To work in partnership with professionals involved in UASC support to optimise the potential for positive outcomes.
To enable the positive transition of UASC to independent living with a robust independent skills program.
To support with UASC mental health, trauma, registering for all medical services, education, housing and leisure activities.
To meet the cultural and religious needs of each UASC, to link with local religious and community groups.
To support UASC with the asylum process and finding legal representation.
To safeguard and manage specific risk/s of all UASC, including modern slavery, trafficking, radicalisation, CCE and CSE.

Floating Support and 18+ Accommodation

Floating support is requested in referrals stating specifically how many hours, timings and whether weekends are included. In our response to these requests, we explain how we propose to match the young person’s needs. This may be because a young person who has been in the care system feels ready to move towards independent living but feels a safety net of support would help their confidence. If we or the staff of their previous placement feel that they already have many independent skills eg. Use of public transport, a work or education placement that is going well, an interest in cooking or hobbies that take them out into the community like football, attending a gym – then they would become fully independent. If they are lacking in confidence or still struggle with some aspects of independent life, the hours requested would be tailored to their specific needs.

What is Floating Support?

Floating Support, or a bespoke individual package of support can be offered, that may involve staff being initially based at a property on a semi-permanent basis - to be reduced over a period of time, once the young person is settled and living more independently.

This support package will enable the young person to safely transition into their own property once they are fully independent.

Hours of support will be agreed between Youth Hubz and the Local Authority Placement Coordinator and increased or reduced as deemed necessary. Young people are encouraged to take an active role in deciding on the reduction of hours during this period, depending on their confidence levels and independence skills.

Floating support can also remain in place, once the young person has turned 18, subject to LA agreement.

The aim would be for the young person to independently live in their community with some staff to support their confidence and focus on the skills they might find more challenging eg budgeting or accessing appropriate health care.