How Andrew’s ISF changed his life

Introducing Andrew

We met Andrew – not his real name – aged 17, moving into his first adult home in Dorset.

Andrew came from a very restrictive environment; the change led to behaviours of distress and daily 2:1 support. Initially this was effective, but as Andrew matured it didn’t always work well; mostly he neither needed nor wanted that level of support, but it remained very important when he was distressed.

Previously, an assessment panel would have to approve changes to his support hours. This was nowhere near timely enough to meet Andrew’s variable needs effectively.

We were all asking the wrong question. Instead of “How much support does Andrew need every day?” we began to ask, “What sort of life would make Andrew feel fulfilled and happy – and how can we enable that?”

Structuring Andrew’s funding as an Individual Support Fund or ISF (he calls it ‘My Support Money,”) has put Andrew in control. In fact, it has changed his life

Andrew’s locality manager.

Daily living

Like many of us, Andrew needs to use energy to help him stay in control of his emotions.  But he can get bored of the gym, so he uses his ISF flexibly to find new ways of exercising. Recently, that’s meant golf lessons and lots of walking!

Andrew also uses his ISF to pay for different sorts of day services. For him, that often means avoiding traditional formats.  He does boxercise, goes swimming and takes opportunities to help others – by litter picking or helping with gardening, which also makes him feel good. He’s got a real life now, far removed from 10-3 at a day centre!

Support arrangements

Now Andrew is happier, he needs less support. Most weeks, he only has 2:1 support for 3 days and he wants to reduce this.

His ISF gives flexibility. We agree rotas 6 weeks ahead and Andrew can flex them up or down with 48 hours’ notice (sometimes less.)  If he suddenly needs extra support we can provide that too, reducing it again when he’s ready. We haven’t used agencies for over 3 years; Andrew is closely involved in recruiting his team which has built trust and commitment all round.

Holidays

Funding flexibility means Andrew has been able to go on holiday and pay for his team members to go with him. He’s offset the cost by visiting his parents at weekends and saving money in other ways, just like anyone else would.

At home

Amazingly, the ISF has paid for a deposit on a new home and a range of safety adaptations, helping him get away from bullying by neighbours

Out and about

The ISF has also paid for training to help Andrew stay safe on public transport, something previously deemed too risky. Andrew is enjoying the independence, and also the ability to recruit non-drivers in his support team.

Handing money back

Andrew uses his budget well, but there will come a time when he needs less and we’ll be delighted to hand some back to the local authority. But first, we can’t wait to discover how Andrew uses his ISF next!

 Thanks for letting us tell you about Andrew. What might you do differently now?