Mind Monmouthshire Floating Support Service
Supporting Independence Gaining New Skills

What is the Service?
SIGNS works with individuals who have experience of mental ill health and who are facing difficulties managing their home.  We work with adults who are tenants or homeowners in the Monmouthshire area.  Our support work is person centered and time limited, this means that we will agree to assist you in the areas of your housing and mental health that are important to you in a timescale that works for you.

What Does the Service Provide?
Floating Support can provide help and advice in area’s related to your housing and mental health support needs. Examples include:

• Support with maintaining tenancies. Help with housing and dealing with housing officers and landlords.
• Developing social skills and confidence.
• Managing finances, budgeting, benefit claims, paying bills and dealing with debts.
• Accessing education, training voluntary work or employment opportunities.
• Accessing and liaising with health and social care services.
• Advice on personal safety and security in your home and within the community.
• Accessing social community and leisure resources.
• Practical tasks encouraging independence in maintaining your home and tenancy.

Who is Floating Support for?
SIGNS is specifically for people with mental health problems experiencing difficulties managing and maintaining their tenancies. The service will work with you to enable you to remain independent in the community. People using the service may be living independently for the first time, be returning home after a hospital stay, or going through a difficult period with their mental health.

Our service users will meet their support worker regularly, usually at their home or in the community, working towards goals they have agreed with their support worker as part of their individual support plans

Applications and Referrals for Floating Support
If you feel you could benefit from receiving support you should contact Supporting People at Monmouthshire Council.

Alternatively you can be referred for support by a range of agencies including:-

• Community Mental Health Teams
• GP’s & Health Visitors
• Housing Officers
• Social Services
• Outreach Teams
• Voluntary Organisations

Referrals can also be made direct to Mind Monmouthshire. You can do this by telephoning 01873 858275 for a referral form to be sent out for you to complete.

When we receive a referral…
You or the person referring you will be sent an application form for further information. After these have been received we will contact you and, if appropriate we will arrange for two of our Tenancy Support officers to visit you for an informal initial assessment. This helps us to identify your support needs and assess if we are the appropriate service to work with you.