Initial accommodation v2.02

45 - Initial accommodation v2.02

PURPOSE
1. This instruction tells caseworkers how to deal with cases that are allocated to the Yorks/Humberside Initial accommodation, starting 30 October 2000.

INITIAL ACCOMMODATION

2. Yorks/Humberside Initial accommodation opened on 9 October 2000. It will act as a buffer between persons who are allocated to the Yorks/Humberside area and move on accommodation which will be arranged by the Regional Consortium.

3. The Initial accommodation is similar to satellite Emergency Accommodation. It is partly full-board and partly self-catering.

TRAVEL (TO INITIAL ACCOMMODATION)

4. Travel may be arranged to the Initial accommodation in the usual way. For Wackenhut it should take place three days after allocation providing this is a working day. Where 3 days after allocation is not a working day travel will take place on the next working day. For self write travel will take place four days after allocation. Travel is then Day 1.
EMERGENCY VOUCHERS (1)

5. Emergency vouchers for 21 days should be despatched when the initial accommodation is allocated. Persons allocated full-board will be given £10 per head per week cash vouchers while those in self catering should be given the full allocation, subject to deductions for assets/income.
Support Letters

6. A support letter should be sent at this point. Regular Vouchers must be set or the letter is unavailable. Caseworkers should set up a regular voucher batch for £0.05 3 months hence, with an end date one week later. The LHA and LEA must also be selected although these cannot be known at this point. The support letters for the applicant and the reception assistant can then be generated in the normal way. Once generated these letters should be reopened and edited. The paragraphs referring to regular vouchers should be deleted. The paragraphs relating to the LHA, and its address, should be deleted. The paragraphs referring to the LEA, and its address, should be deleted. The letter should state that the Initial accommodation address is temporary. The letter should also state the amount of regular vouchers that will be paid but without a start date. The same procedure should be followed for the covering letter to the Reception assistant. The regular voucher batch must then be deleted.

BRINGING FILES FORWARD FOR REVIEW

7. Once the travel to Interim accommodation has been arranged and the package including Emergency Vouchers sent out the file should be placed in a local hold and brought forward on the day the move on address is due to be notified, that is on Day 10.

MOVE ON ADDRESS NOTIFIED

8. The Consortium will notify a Move on address by Day 10. This is not specified in the contract but has been informally agreed. Should the Consortium fail to notify the move on address by Day 10 the caseworker should contact the Consortium and establish when it will be notified. Where the move on address is notified late it may be necessary to issue further emergency vouchers before reallocation can take place.

MOVE ON ADDRESS APPROVED

9. The contract with the Consortium specifies that NASS will commission further services by Day 12, having due regard to the Consortium's recommendation and any other relevant factor. In practice this means the move on address must be approved or another arranged on or before Day 12.

10. The move on address should be reserved as soon as it is approved. In practice it should be approved and reserved immediately that it is notified provided that it is available on ASYS and there is no obvious mistake. There should be no need to check with the Provider that the address is available as the consortium will have checked. The accommodation should therefore be booked immediately.

TRAVEL TO MOVE ON ADDRESS

11. The date for travel to the move on address should be agreed between the caseworker and the Consortium. Travel should take place as soon as possible, normally on Day 15, and not later than 7 days after the move on address is notified. The travel date is not specified in the contract but the Consortium must agree the travel date with NASS so that the supported person can be reallocated and further vouchers issued if necessary.

EMERGENCY VOUCHERS (2)

12. Further emergency vouchers should be despatched after the move on accommodation is notified to fill the gap between when the earlier emergency vouchers end and the Monday when Regular Vouchers start. The move on accommodation is all self-catering. Where both the initial and move on accommodation are self-catering the move on can take place as soon as the allocation is approved and ASYS amended.

13. If the initial accommodation is full board and the move on is to take place before the first Emergency Vouchers finish they must be topped up on or before the day move on takes place, see Example below.

Voucher calculation

14. If a single person aged 18 to 24 moves to full-board Initial accommodation on 5 December 2000 and then to move on accommodation on 21 December they will have 5 days full board Emergency Vouchers left when they move = 5*(£10/7). That is £7.14
15. Regular vouchers will start on 2 January 2001 (1/1/01 being a Bank Holiday). 12 days Emergency Vouchers are required = £49.63
16. £49.63 - £7.14 = £42.49. Therefore £42.50 Emergency Vouchers should be sent out to arrive on or before 21/12/00.

17. The first batch of Regular Vouchers should be adjusted to cover 6 days = (28.95/7)*6 that is £24.81 and reduced by 1pence to recover the overpayment on the Emergency Vouchers.

Travel to initial	Move on notified	Move on agreed	Travel to move on	Emergency Vouchers (1) end	Emergency Vouchers (2) end	Regular Vouchers start
Day 1	Day 10	Day 14	Day 17	Day 21
5/12/00	14/12/00	18/12/00	21/12/00	25/12/00	1/1/01	2/1/01
Tuesday	Thurdsday	Monday	Thursday	Monday	Monday	Tuesday

Support letters

18. Regular Vouchers are ordered at this at this stage so the support letters may be accessed in the normal way.

REGULAR VOUCHERS
19. The move on address will be notified on or before Day 10. The regular vouchers should be ordered as soon as possible after the move on address is approved.
ALLOCATING ACCOMMODATION

20. Accommodation in the Yorks/Humberside area will be recorded on ASYS under three headings. Yorks/Humberside Dispersal, Yorks/Humberside Initial and Yorks/Humberside Move On. Allocation caseworkers may allocate to the Yorks/Humberside Dispersal addresses in the normal way and to the Initial accommodation under these instructions. Allocation caseworkers may only allocate persons who are in Initial accommodation to the Move on accommodation and then only when the consortium has made a recommendation to that effect. The consortium will recommend allocation to a specific address for a particular case and then and only then should the caseworker allocate to that address.

21. As soon as the move on address is notified the case should be reallocated from the initial to the move on accommodation. If the move on address is notified on Day 10 travel should take place by Day 17 at the latest. Reallocation should take place whenever possible within 4 days of the move on address being agreed. Allocation must therefore:

· Approve the placement

· Agree the travel date
· Calculate the amount of emergency vouchers required, taking in to account the travel date, the boarding arrangements, and the start date for Regular Vouchers, and send them out in good time
· Re-allocate on ASYS to the new address making sure to clear the initial accommodation booking as well as booking the Move on accommodation
· Order regular vouchers
It should be noted that where the initial accommodation is full-board date of travel must be agreed and controlled. Caseworkers may need to top up the Emergency Vouchers before travel. Where the initial accommodation is self-catering this is not a problem and the date of travel can be flexible, provided it is agreed in good time for re-allocation to take place.

22. It should also be noted that the re-allocation will not require re-assessment and it is only necessary to approve the consortium's placement. The process is straightforward.