Independence

Advice about housing options should be discussed with you as you grow up and could include information on:

• support at home
• Wiltshire's Shared Lives Scheme
• private rent
• social housing
• residential or nursing care services
• supported living

For support with independent living you can talk to our social care teams to request an assessment:

Social care 16+

We started with contacting Social Care to request a social worker, they got in touch with us as a family to go through the paperwork...

For more information visit: Somewhere to live

You may also find having a Personal Assistant useful in aiding you in a range of daily activities. For more information on visit: Using a personal assistant

Wiltshire has a wide range of place you can visit to access community support across the county. These include places to stay warm and safe and to get access to food support.

The ethos behind the community spaces providing this support is to be:

• welcoming and inclusive
• safe with appropriate safeguarding, insurance and all appropriate policies in place
• non-judgemental, where everyone in treated equally with dignity and respect
• no cost or low cost to attendees

Visit the hub page to find your nearest support:

Interactive Community Directory

There are lots of financial support options which you may qualify for. The following page will assist in highlighting who to talk to about money, how best to use it to support you, and what you are entitled to.

For more information visit: 

Money advice and support pages

If you need support with some of the following activities there are services that can help.

• volunteering
• socialising
• joining a club
• developing life skills and further training
• using their community facilities for leisure
• learning to travel independently
• finding new activities (opens new window)

If your young person is not ready to access the community due to heightened anxiety, the early intervention service may be able to help them onto the pathway to employment and can only be referred by your send lead worker on agreement with the early intervention manager. Visit: ECS Early Intervention

For more information about support with accessing the community independently visit:

Employment and Community Skills

If you want to train, learn or work but have not found the right support yet here are some services that can support young people over 16 years old

• Spurgeons Wiltshire Council Family Hubs (opens new window)
• ECS NEET Offer
• Training 16+
• Social care 16+

Wiltshire Centre For Independent Living (opens new window) works with young people and adults to support their independent voice in improving their access to services, engage with the community and enable people to live 'their good life'.

You can find examples of their Young Pioneers work by visiting:  SEND your voice

They can also help with: 

• connecting you with the community (opens new window)
• Using a personal assistant
• Using direct payment 

To find out more visit:

Wiltshire Centre For Independent Living (opens new window)

If you have a particular service you think could be more inclusive approach them directly. Every service should have a way to contact them to give feedback, some may even have groups that regularly meet to discuss improvements.

You local area boards are a direct way to influence the services and support on offer in your local area: Introduction

If you are not able to find the contact for a service let us know at localoffer@wiltshire.gov.uk

Reporting inaccessibility

If you come across a problem in your local spaces that is impacting accessibility you should contact the service directly or (for example if there is an obstruction on pavements blocking wheelchair access) you can use the My Wilts reporting app: Wiltshire Council Booking and Reporting).

If it is a Council space or service you can also visit: Contact - Wiltshire Council or Contact Complaints Team - Wiltshire Council