Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to review the quality and effectiveness of supported living services to ensure providers deliver the level of care for which they are commissioned.
The Government requires that the care and support provided within all supported living settings meets the highest standards. The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 was enacted to ensure that all providers deliver safe, good quality support in good quality accommodation. The 2023 act will introduce a licensing regime for all supported housing in England. Providers will need to apply for a licence for their supported living schemes in each local authority, pass a fit and proper person test, and meet several other conditions, including complying with the National Supported Housing Standards and standards on staff and safeguarding. The Government will consult on draft regulations later this year.
More broadly, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This includes assessment on safeguarding under theme 3 of the local authority assessment framework, as well as market capacity and timeliness of service provision, including supported living services, under the Care provision, integration and continuity Quality Statement. Further information on theme 3 of the local authority assessment framework and the Care provision, integration and continuity Quality Statement is available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/local-authorities/assessment-framework/theme3