The Floating Support Service provides a service for adult ex-offenders, most of whom present with medium to high risks and have a multiplicity of problems and complex needs. The Floating Support model provides a flexible peripatetic service for clients wherever they are living. The services provided are linked to individuals and their ongoing social circumstances and not to the property or residential location where they happen to be living at the point of referral and engagement. The model facilitates reconnections, that is, after the client moves on and the case is closed, if the need arises again the person can reconnect with the service.

Project Objectives

• Help clients reintegrate and/or sustain themselves within community settings
• Through participation in risk management arrangements contribute to relapse prevention
• Help clients develop and sustain positive offence free lifestyles

Referrals

Referrals are taken from a range of sources; these include PBNI, NIHE, PSNI, PPANI, other Extern projects such as Innis, Dismas House, the Ormeau Centre, Multi - disciplinary homeless support team (MDHST) and Axis, and from other voluntary organisations. The project’s holistic approach to the service ensures engagment in a wide range of work addressing risk factors and the practical, social, personal and emotional needs and problems of clients.

The Floating Support Service

The service draws on a range of assessment tools in terms of ongoing risk assessments including a checklist reflecting Acute Dynamic Risk Assessment indicators.

A range of needs assessment tools are drawn on in relation to housing, budgeting, and interpersonal skills including self-evaluation schedules.

Interventions can call upon a range of theories, models, techniques and methods such as social casework, problem-solving, task-centered planning, systemic and holistic approaches, cognitive techniques, crisis intervention, person-centered planning, counselling, empowerment, resilience and good lives models etc.

Awareness of models relating to cycles of abuse and offending have a pivotal role in underpinning practice.

The staff team operate within a lone worker risk assessment and on-call system in line with agency policy.