Reaching for Independence (RFI) is Devon County Council’s service that helps support people to develop life skills and promote their independence.
This service can be offered in your community or at one of our venues around Devon.
The service offers intensive short-term intervention support focussed on helping people to:
- develop or increase their skills (or both) in things such as money management, cooking and household management
- take up new opportunities such as starting paid employment
- gain the skills and confidence to move to other options, such as community facilities and services, independent or supported living
The service supports people to achieve the goals that are most important to them, helping them to become more independent and lead a fulfilling life. Where appropriate, technology or equipment (or both) will be used to help encourage this independence.
Although support provided by the service is short-term, it is not time limited. The time spent by the service supporting a person is decided by the needs of the individual, the specific goals being worked on, and the progress being made by the person towards achieving those goals.
Who this service is for
The service is available to people:
- aged 17 years and over, where it has been identified that they would have eligible or likely eligible social care needs
- known to adult social care who have eligible social care needs and are currently receiving care and support services to meet those needs
- new to adult social care who have had eligible social care needs identified by an assessment, or following initial contact it is thought
they would have eligible social care needs at that time - with a range of needs, including those with the most complex needs
- who, as a result of a formal carer’s assessment, have been identified as having an eligible carer need, and may benefit from the enabling support offered by the service
The service is also available to anyone else who has been assessed as eligible for enabling support.
What to do next
If you would like to talk to us about using this service, please call Adult Social Care on 0345 155 1007. If you already have an allocated worker, you can also talk to them about being referred into the service.
Success stories
Over the past year, RFI has helped support over 100 people into either paid employment or a work experience opportunity.
Among them is James, who is now starting his second season at Haven’s Devon Cliffs holiday park in Exmouth, working as a food and drink delivery driver.
You can read more about James and Paul in our news story Reaching For Independence helps over 100 people with learning disabilities into employment or work experience.