» News » Blogs

Rebecca Mollart makes the point about considering “quality as part of floating support debate”. I work with a number of local councils, and one of them is “time and motion” bound. The floating wardens are given 8 minutes per week per older tenant – that is how their work load is allocated. Having managed a hostel for single homeless people, I know how much time is needed by to support some people. It is fair to say that needs of these two groups are diverse, but the fundamentals are the same: pastoral care coupled with practical advice and help. It is wonderful that CSHS is reviewing their code of practice to give housing providers a framework to help them demonstrate consistent, high quality service. I think another clue in this field is the term “service user”. We are talking about the vulnerable in our society using these services. Helping the vulnerable to function within society can help take the strain off other services, such as the NHS and care homes, while benefiting society by keeping the dignity of all. Making sure we in housing do our best to help everyone. This means accepting it does cost money; realising the quality is the key here and good quality costs, but it is cheaper than failure.