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Stepping Out offers specialist, professional outreach support services throughout Hertfordshire & surrounding areas.
Our Outreach Support packages are personalised in order to provide support to clients whom have varying needs yet whom usually display challenging behaviours.
Stepping Out works on a regional scale with Local Authorities, other stakeholders and partners to deliver innovative outreach and support services to mainstream clients and those with varying complex issues to include those whom display severe challenging behaviours. We are vastly experienced, through years upon years of offering high quality, bespoke support packages throughout Hertfordshire.
We are able to offer various types of support depending on the client(s) needs and wants. We take the time to assess each person in order to find out exactly where the problems lie which is essential in planning a pathway plan in order to produce positive measurable outcomes.
Outreach Support
We offer our Outreach Support services in the following ways:
Our packages are purchased by local authorities in order to provide support and sometimes care to vulnerable people in many differing situations such as young people 14+ living in foster care or at home with parents where relationships can at times become strained.
Some of our outreach services provide specific support to those 18+ sometimes living within their own accommodation, in these circumstances our outreach support usually focuses on improving tenancy sustainability, budgeting and employability skills and reduction in offending. We also provide services designed to aid clients with learning difficulties and autism.
To learn more about our Outreach support packages in Hertfordshire, visit our Outreach Support page, or contact us today.
Over the years, Stepping Out have successfully managed various MAPPA cases across North London & Hertfordshire.
Not only have we been successful with minimising criminal and challenging behaviour, but a number of our clients have also been moved on to full independence.
What is MAPPA?
MAPPA stands for Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements. The arrangements refer to the “responsible authorities” tasked with the management of registered sex offenders, violent and other types of sexual offenders, and offenders who pose a serious risk of harm to the public.
Category 1: Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs),
Category 2: All offenders who have received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more in prison for a sexual or violent offence and whilst they remain under Probation supervision.
Category 3: Anyone else who poses a “risk of serious harm to the public” who has received a conviction and whose risk would be better managed in a multi-agency setting.
Level One: represents the normal inter-agency management of the offender in the community by one agency, with some liaison.
Level Two: means that Multi Agency Public Protection meetings will be held where the offender’s management will be discussed between various parties involved in their case.
Level Three: is essentially the same as Level Two, except that senior management representatives will be in attendance and greater resources are expected to be used in the management of the offender.
Clients under MAPPA, particularly Level Three, are considered to be highly challenging and usually dangerous.
Why Stepping Out?
Year after year, Stepping Out have been entrusted with the management of all types of MAPPA cases, by various local authorities. We have vast experience in managing high level MAPPA cases (Level 3) and those displaying high levels of sexually harmful or sexualised behaviour.
We are able to provide specialised support and accommodation for people with MAPPA involvement. Our 24-hour staffed semi independent living projects are safe and secure, and are an ideal environment for providing supervision & support based around the persons assessed needs.
We have delivered a number of positive outcomes via dedicated, bespoke support whilst ensuring our risk assessments are professional, thorough & regularly updated.
We ensure that our care & support plans are personalised to meet the requirements of each particular person. Our staff have been trained to manage all types of complex & challenging behaviours. Regular updates to their training are also incorporated.
Stepping Out offer professional counselling, community support, goal setting meetings and activities to help produce the best possible outcomes for the client.
To make a referral, to or to find out more about Stepping Out & MAPPA cases, contact us, or call us directly on 0208 342 7217.
Stepping Out have been providing quality semi independent living services for many years throughout London & Hertfordshire, partnering countless local authorities.
Our semi independent living projects, situated throughout Hertfordshire, are set within real houses, maintaining a homely feel. This is in stark contrast to larger, less welcoming facilities found throughout the social care system.
All of our projects are staffed up to 24 hours a day offering a high level, structured and supervised group living arrangement. The service users benefit from local enmities and close transport links. We ensure that all of our semi independent living projects are well maintained. Maintenance reports are relayed to our team of maintenance workers on a daily basis.
The provisions are ideal for those whom display challenging behaviour, Sexually Harmful Behaviour, Drug & alcohol abuse, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, learning disabilities, Autism and other high support need conditions.
Stepping Out also have vast experience in managing sexually harmful service users, those placed upon the MAPPA list, as well as Autistic clients. Stepping Out are one of the most experienced and respected service providers for challenging service users.
We provide support with:
Our projects are usually gender & age specific. This is to ensure the complete safety of our service users and staff and to encourage positive outcomes.
We understand that for most young people leaving care, the transition from care to full independence can be strenuous. Stepping Out can help bridge that gap by working with the young person to build on their strengths and abilities. Where necessary we provide specific move on placements.
Stepping Out work tirelessly to ensure our staff are trained and experienced before employment. We also put our staff through extra training and offer specialist support when a particularly challenging service user is placed. Our management team is on call 24-hours a day, and visit each semi independent living project on a daily basis.
Are you a local authority looking for a placement within Hertfordshire? Contact Stepping Out via info@stepping-out.org or call our referral line – 0208 342 7212
Here at Stepping Out, we know a thing or two about managing challenging behaviour. Our Semi Independent living projects are hotbeds of challenging youths, each with their own, unique behaviours.
Challenging Behaviour is, “Culturally abnormal behaviour(s) of such intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety to the person or others is placed in serious jeopardy, or behaviour which is likely to seriously limit or deny access to the use of ordinary community facilities”. This definition was put forward by Eric Emerson, in his renowned book, Challenging Behaviour: Analysis and Intervention in People with Severe Learning Disabilities.
Challenging behaviour will always be ripe in social care, and thus we must be prepared for the difficulties they are accompanied by.
We have consolidated a three step approach to managing a typical case of challenging behaviour, incorporating proven techniques and vast experience.
1. Listen
Before you act, or react, it is imperative that you listen and understand the issue at hand. Ask the service user to express their problem to you clearly. Not only will this help you understand the problem, and thus be in a better position to tackle it, but it will also help to calm the service user down.
As the Service user explains their issue, you can begin to implement the next step.
2. Solve or Defer
Once you have understood the service user’s concerns, you can then decide to either provide them with a solution, or to defer the issue, giving reassurance that it will soon be resolved.
For example, if the issue is a matter of visiting the local store, you may offer to take the service user to the store, or perhaps set a time or day to do so. Simple communication such as this can usually prevent large scale incidents occurring.
Alternatively, if the issue being raise is too large to be solved at that point in time, you may offer them a safer route to vent, by giving them a complaints form, or by assuring them that the manager will be informed. You can then defer the situation by asking other questions, or suggesting other activities.
3. Prepare for Escalation
Not all challenging incidents can be calmed immediately. You must always be prepared for escalation by doing the following:
– Ensure you are out of arms reach of the service user
– Ensure that the service user is not standing between you and the nearest exit
– Never raise your voice or reflect the service users agitation or aggressive behaviour
Following company policy & procedure, as well as the service user’s support plan & risk assessment will also be a great help in defusing such situations.
The three step plan is a handy guide to help settle incident where communication is the key to the solution. The essential step is always to listen and understand the problem, and tackle it accordingly.
Do you have an alternative technique? Let us know in the comments section below.
