Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Support Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2003.

(2) In these Regulations –

“the Order” means the Housing Support Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2002;

“service user” means a person using housing support services.

Housing support services

2.  The following services are housing support services for the purposes of Article 4 of the Order –

(a)provision of general counselling and support including befriending, encouraging social intercourse, advising on food preparation, reminding and non-specialist counselling where this does not conflict with similar services provided as personal care;

(b)assistance with the security of the dwelling required because of the needs of the service user;

(c)assistance with the maintenance of the safety of the dwelling;

(d)assistance and supervision on the use of domestic equipment and appliances;

(e)assistance with arranging minor repairs to and servicing of domestic equipment and appliances;

(f)provision of life skills training in maintaining the dwelling and curtilage in appropriate condition;

(g)assistance in how to engage with individuals, professionals and other bodies with an interest in the welfare of the service user;

(h)assistance on access to the provision of equipment and adaptations to cope with disability;

(i)advice or assistance in personal budgeting and debt counselling;

(j)advice or assistance in dealing with relationships or disputes with neighbours;

(k)advice or assistance in dealing with claims to social security benefits and other official correspondence relevant to sustaining occupancy of the dwelling;

(l)advice or assistance with resettlement of the service user;

(m)advice or assistance to enable a service user to move on to accomodation where less or more intense support is required;

(n)advice or assistance with shopping and errands where this does not conflict with similar services provided as personal care;

(o)maintenance of emergency alarm or call systems;

(p)responding to emergency alarm calls, where such calls relate to any housing support service, in accommodation designed or adapted for and occupied by elderly, sick or disabled people;

(q)controlling access to individual resident’s rooms;

(r)cleaning of resident’s own rooms and windows;

(s)providing for the costs of resettlement services;

(t)encouraging social intercourse and welfare checks for residents of accommodation supported by either a resident warden or a non-resident warden with a system for calling that warden where this does not overlap with similar services provided as personal care or personal support;

(u)arranging social events for residents of accommodation supported by either a resident warden or a non-resident warden with a system for calling that warden.

Excepted accommodation

3.  Accommodation which is registered under The Registered Homes (Northern Ireland) Order 1992(2) where no funding (under Special Needs Management Allowance) was paid by the Department in relation to that accommodation during the financial year ending on 31st March 2003 is excepted accommodation for the purposes of Article 3 of the Order.

Persons eligible for payment of a grant

4.  An eligible person is a person who enters into a contract with the Executive to provide or contribute to the provision of the Housing Support Services prescribed in Regulation 2.

Terms and conditions relating to payment of grants

5.  A grant shall be used solely for the purpose of delivering Housing Support Services.

6.  Where the recipient of a grant ceases to provide the service for which the payment has been made or provides a service which is unsatisfactory or the number of service users receiving the service reduces, he shall repay the whole or such part of the grant as the Executive demands within one month of the date of receipt of the demand.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations prescribe the types of housing support services that may be provided by eligible persons using grant administered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the terms and conditions relating to any such payment.

The Housing Support Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 is brought into operation on 1st April 2003 by the Housing Support Services (2002 Order) (Commencement) Order (Northern Ireland) 2003 (S.R. 2003 No. 171 c. 12)).