Circle Of Support

Support when needed

 

About The Scheme

Circle of Support (COS) supports people who are in immediate hardship and need assistance in addressing the issues causing their crisis. COS assists with crisis arising from debt, fuel or food poverty, other financial issues, homelessness or family breakdown.

Advice and support is provided to people in Portsmouth who have been referred by The Roberts Centre, The Haven Food Bank or through outreach at other Food Banks. 

Having dealt with the immediate crisis, COS will work with a person to identify and develop their circle of support which could consist of family, friends, volunteers or other agencies.  The circle of support will be there in the future to assist a person if they are at risk of hardship again by understanding the triggers that lead to those crises occurring.

Referral

Referrals can be made by the client themselves, support staff at The Haven or other local food banks, or by the Roberts Centre. A referral form will be completed that includes an initial tick box to cover basic data recording and sharing.

Download a referral form here: COS Referral Form

Referral Process

Families and single people can self refer by filling out the referral form or calling the FTS team at the Roberts Centre on 023 9229 6919, where a referral can be completed over the phone. If anyone would like support in completing the referral form, a team member can visit the person at home or invite them to the office to complete the form with support.

Any other agency can refer a family or individual to the service by completing the referral form. Referrals when received will be placed on the waiting list.

Access: Referral to the service will be through: 

  • Self-Referral

  • Professional / inter-agency referral (with the family’s consent)

  • Referral from friends and family (with the family’s consent)

Small Step Approach

Circle of Support is based on bringing together people who care about the person and have different skills to those of the client.   The circle of support will nurture relationships and offer opportunities to develop real friendships. They focus on the person as an individual with gifts and capacities – someone with their own views and beliefs and with self-determination and a lot to offer the community. The approach develops a small steps action plan of how positive change will be achieved. 

Visits

How often we see people will vary.  However, we would aim for at least weekly contact initially. We will meet evenings and weekends as appropriate but we will not be on call. All interventions will be planned or anticipated. 

The Keyworker will conduct visits in the home particularly where the service user lives in a household that includes children under 16 years of age. If agreed they may also accompany them to meetings and appointments where relevant in order to progress with the agreed Action Plan.

Case Closures

An appropriate time for closing a case will be determined via the following means:

  • The client withdraws for their own reasons, either positive or negative

  • The required changes have occurred and a circle of support is effectively in place.