Supported and specialist housing market position statement

The Council wants to ensure that all supported housing services are of good quality. This means both the accommodation and the care and support services (as applicable) being of good quality. 

This will include supported housing providers, including care providers meeting legislative, regulatory requirements as appropriate (Charity Commission, Regulator of Social Housing, the Care Quality Commission and Community Interest Companies regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority). 

The Council will draw on the Government’s current guidance National Statement of Expectations for Supported Housing as a basis for expectations of supported housing providers in terms of good practice in the delivery and management of accommodation with support services.

 However, the Council’s approach to ensuring that supported housing is of a good quality anticipates the intention of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act.

The Council anticipates that its approach to ensuring the quality of accommodation with support services will likely include

• A licensing scheme for all supported housing providers. All providers of supported housing in North Tyneside will be required to be licensed by the councils in order to provide supported housing.
• Only providers of supported housing that are licensed by the Council will be able to access specified and exempt accommodation housing benefit status.
• The Council will also review the quality of the provision of support in supported housing services to ensure customers are getting the support they need and require, for example, as part of the Council’s approach to safeguarding vulnerable adults
• Assessment of the value for money provided by supported housing services, ensuring they are affordable for the councils and for the people who live in them

The Council will also draw on the evidence and learning from the Government’s Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) to working with providers of supported housing services to ensure that both the quality of accommodation used for supported housing and the support services provided are of a good quality.