Living independently with SEND

Independent living and housing

Young people should have a voice in where and how they live when moving into adulthood. They should have guidance to develop everyday skills and receive the right support to live their best life. 

Planning for independent living begins early, and should be discussed in Annual Reviews from Year 9 onwards. This should consider daily-life skills like travel, budgeting, self-care, and time management. Housing options such as the family home, supported living, Shared Lives, or residential settings should be explored. Technology or aids that help with independence should also be discussed. 

If eligible, social care assessment under the Care Act 2014 should look at what support is appropriate, while housing partnerships should help to connect young people with future accommodation options. 

Annual reviews are a great chance for education settings to build these skills year by year and to connect education plans with future plans for independence. At Derby City Council we are ambitious for the Children and Young People that we support, and we believe that preparing a young person for adulthood should start as early as is possible. For this reason, we have incorporated the independence section of the EHC plan so that we can work together to support the development for young people in this area across all Key Stages.

Housing advice

Derby City Council’s Housing Options Centre provides housing advice, helps people access accommodation and offers support around homelessness prevention and housing rights.

Derby Homes manages much of Derby’s council housing and offers tenancy sustainment and housing support to help people keep tenancies and live as independently as possible. This includes help with tenancy responsibilities, rent and bills.

Shared Ownership

Shared Ownership is where a person buys a share of a property and rents the rest of the property from a Housing Association. Shared Ownership does not mean you have to share your home with other people, unless you want to. We recommend that you contact estate agents or the local authority social care team who can provide more information.

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG)

If you or a person living with you is disabled, you may qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The grant will enable you to adapt your property for the disabled person to live as independently as possible. Owner-occupiers, landlords and a wide range of tenants can also apply for a DFG.

Care packages at home

If accommodation is not required, additional support can be put in the home. This could include support from specialist care agencies to assist the individual manage everyday domestic tasks, attend to personal care or support to attend leisure activities, dependent on assessed need. A personal assistant provides the exact care and support you need to help you stay independent in your own home. 

You can search for personal assistants in Derby using the My Care Directory.

Shared Lives

The Shared Lives service provides support to vulnerable adults over the age of 18 in a home environment. This involves sharing family and community life and is provided by Shared Lives carers who can be single people, couples or extended families. This help can be for a few hours during the day, a weekend break or someone living in the home for a short or long period.

Shared Lives is an invaluable service made up of experienced, trained compassionate and caring people who want to offer support in a home environment and enable vulnerable adults to remain as independent as they can.

Supported Living

In supported housing, accommodation is provided either by a private landlord, registered charity or local authority alongside support, supervision or care to help people live as independently as possible in the community. These can be single tenancies for people living alone, or a shared property for people living together with similar needs, but with their own tenancy agreement and bedroom. Care and support can be offered throughout the day and night, dependent on assessed needs.

Residential or nursing care home

Sometimes, if a person’s needs are complex requiring specialist care, including nursing care, 24 hour support in a registered care home may be an appropriate option. This includes specialist care homes for younger people, dependent on assessed need. 

At risk of becoming homeless

If you are struggling to maintain your home and are at risk of homelessness, visit our homeless pages for ways we can help.