Rutland County Council currently commission a number of externally provided residential placements for adults service users with complex needs, and would like to explore the potential to work with specialist providers to offer an alternative.

Currently the Council commission c130 placements per year across c55 different residential settings, of these twenty are for adults with complex care needs including learning disabilities, long-term mental health concerns, and physical disabilities.

Often due to the specialist nature of these placements, service users are placed in residential homes a significant distance from Rutland and their families, and will expect to be in the placements long-term, many for the whole of their lives.

As a consequence Rutland is keen to explore if and how these placements may be provided differently.

Key aims include: - Creating a living environment centred around the individual rather than fitting an individual to an existing residential home and provision; - Bringing individuals closer to home to support access by their friends and families and to maintain links with those significant others in their lives; - Supporting the development of independence skills and enabling individuals to do as much for themselves as possible, even where this requires significant levels of support; - Empowering individuals to access and engage with their local communities.