Supported Living

Supported living services are commissioned to provide regulated care and support to adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs, or complex needs, enabling them to live independently in their own homes.

In supported living models, individuals/ service users hold their own tenancies, while care and support are delivered separately by a CQC-registered care provider. Housing and care are not the same service, even where they operate alongside one another.

Local authorities commission supported living care services through Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPSs), Frameworks, and Call-off contracts.

Supported living contracts are commonly delivered by:

• Supported living providers (CQC-registered)
• Providers supporting adults with learning disabilities
• Autism-specific supported living services
• Mental health supported living providers
• Providers delivering outreach-based supported living models
• Organisations transitioning from floating support into supported living
• Providers working alongside housing associations or landlords
• Providers delivering 24-hour or visiting support models

Supported living relates to the delivery of regulated care, not the provision of accommodation.

In most supported living arrangements:

• The individual holds the tenancy
• Housing is provided by a housing association, local authority, or private landlord
• The supported living provider delivers care and support only
  

Some commissioning arrangements require evidence of partnership working with housing providers, but the care provider is not typically the landlord or property owner.

BidElevate reviews each opportunity to confirm whether the requirement relates solely to care delivery, or whether partnership arrangements are expected alongside it.

Local authorities typically commission supported living care by:

• Establishing a DPS or framework for regulated care services
• Approving eligible providers to join
• Issuing call-off opportunities for specific individuals or service models
  

Call-off opportunities may cover:

• Individual support packages
• Shared living arrangements
  

Flexible or 24-hour care models

CQC registration and inspection ratings play an important role in supported living commissioning, but requirements vary by opportunity.

Some DPSs and frameworks:

• Require a minimum inspection rating
• Accept providers with limited inspection history
• Allow domiciliary care providers to expand into supported living with appropriate evidence
  

Eligibility is assessed on an opportunity-by-opportunity basis, not assumed.

BidElevate reviews each opportunity against your:

• CQC registration and inspection status
• Supported living service model
• Local authority eligibility criteria
  

Only opportunities you are eligible for and appropriately positioned to pursue are taken forward.

Supported living providers are expected to demonstrate that they have the operational capacity to deliver safe and consistent care.

This typically includes evidence of:

• Appropriate CQC registration
• Staffing levels aligned to support hours and complexity
• Recruitment, training, and supervision arrangements
• On-call and management structures
• Ability to coordinate with housing providers where required
  

BidElevate assesses capacity and readiness alongside eligibility, and does not progress opportunities where delivery expectations cannot be reasonably met.