NAAPS

Small Community Services

Small Community Services

Welcome to the NAAPS newest membership page.  We hope you will find something of interest!

History
 
NAAPS was established in 1992 to represent the interests of all those involved in Shared Lives (Adult Placement). As Shared Lives became increasingly tightly defined, services that did not quite fit the definition moved across to become associate members of NAAPS. These very small services face many legislative and regulatory barriers but had no national representative body other than NAAPS and so in 2007 members agreed to extend full membership rights to the whole range of very small community based services (micro social care enterprises) that shared NAAPS values and ethos.
 
The new membership structure for NAAPS came into effect on 1 April 2008.
 
Breaking News
Article in Community Care Magazine Jan 09
 
"  Oldham chief urges more help for smaller providers
 
Posted: 08 January 2009 | Subscribe Online
writes Mithran Samuel
 
The Department of Health should promote a national roll-out of schemes to support smaller adult care providers in order to deliver the personalisation agenda.
 
That was the message from Oldham Council director of adult and community services Paul Davies, whose authority is one of two piloting a support service in a Department of Health-funded trial managed by Naaps (formerly the National Association of Adult Placement Services), which represents small community providers.
 
The small community services project, which is also running in Kent, was set up after a decline in the number of "micro-providers", despite evidence that smaller bodies were often best-placed to tailor services to users under personalisation.
Both pilots have a full-time co-ordinator offering advice, networking and marketing support to providers with five or fewer staff that are not part of a larger parent organisation. The schemes are also designed to identify and minimise local and national barriers to entering the care market.
 
In Oldham, the support service is in contact with 29 organisations, most of which were not providing a service before the pilot and the majority of which are not traditional social care services, such as a dance and fitness club for people with learning disabilities.
 
A lot of people who previously would have not seen themselves as providing services for people with support needs are beginning to understand that they can, with the right support, provide a good service," said Davies.  He said services offered by larger providers were often insufficiently personalised, however "big, complex" local authority tendering processes have squeezed out smaller bodies.
 
The pilots are due to end this summer. Davies said the council would continue the service but urged the Department of Health to promote a national roll-out to "ensure a proper range of providers under personalisation".
 
Naaps ' head of projects, Angela Catley, said the group was producing a practical guide for councils on supporting smaller providers, including information on the skills required by co-ordinators.    "
 
 
Eligibility
 
Organisations that share NAAPS commitment to services that:
 
  • Are small, flexible and person-centred
  • Are provided by families and individuals in local communities
  • Allow someone to live the life that they choose at the heart of their community
  • Value the person and their gifts
  • Promote independence and choice.
  • Promote diversity and equality of opportunity
 
And:
 
  • Are independent of any larger organization
  • Deliver their service with 5 or fewer full time equivalent support workers (paid or unpaid)
 
are eligible to join NAAPS as a Small Community Service member
 
Examples of Small Community Services
 
There are many people in the UK offering support and services to small numbers of people in their local community. They may do this on a voluntary or on a paid basis. For some people this is their only source of income while for others payment does little more than cover the cost of providing the service. 
 
These individuals (also known as micro social enterprises) provide a very wide range of much valued services including:
 
  • Supported tenancies
  • Small residential care homes
  • Day services
  • Meals
  • Support to people living in their own homes
  • Short breaks
  • Befriending
  • Luncheon clubs
  • Drop in centres
 
The list is endless………………
 

Contacting SCS:

SCS, NAAPS UK Ltd
Community House
46-50 East Parade
Harrogate            HG15RR
Tel: 01423   858650
Email:  Dianne@naaps.org.uk
 
 
 
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