Everyone’s a winner as Nova receives the key to her own front door
Nova is a 44-year-old woman who’s fun and friendly and has a wicked sense of humour.
She also has a moderate learning disability, autism, Tourette syndrome and epilepsy, all of which impact on Nova’s ability to live her life independently.
As a child, Nova lived in a residential care setting and, in adulthood, has moved around different models of support in various locations.
Most recently, Nova lived for several years in England, where she had her own flat but was supported by care staff 24-hours a day.
Following a return to the family home in Scotland due to Covid-19, Nova made the decision to move north of the border permanently in October 2020 to be closer to her family.
It was agreed that Nova would live with her sister on a temporary basis until accommodation and support could be arranged.
While social work agreed immediately to a full support package and budget, it was harder to find a place for Nova to live. Options around shared living were offered, as was a care home.
Throughout her life, Nova has had many people make decisions for her which were not always the right ones.
Fundamentally, Nova wants to live on her own. She has tried living with other people, and she did not like it.
Nova was adamant that this is not what she wanted and her family supported her to speak up for herself. They did not know how to navigate the system and found their way to ENABLE Scotland’s Family Connect service.
Thanks to a significant amount of advocacy and partnership working across the family, housing and social work, the panel authorised a budget for Nova, based on 24-hour support, and a new-build flat close to her family was identified.
After 12 months of wanting to be in her own flat, and the impact on her own family of delivering round-the-clock support, Nova now has the keys to her own front door, and has started 2022 in her own home.