The example below is illustrative. It is drawn from the kind of packages we run, with details combined and altered so that no individual can be identified. A man in his thirties moved into his own flat in Norris Green after twenty years in the family home. He wanted to live on his own. His mum wanted that for him too, but was terrified. The support package that made it work is smaller than most people would guess.
The call we got
He has a moderate learning disability. He can read, uses his phone confidently, knows his area well, and has held a part-time job for 4 years. What he needed support with was different from what people assumed. Cooking anything beyond a few set meals, managing bills and post, which had always been done for him, appointments, and the letters that come with them, and the bit nobody puts on a form, which is having someone to talk something through with before deciding it.
His mum’s fear was specific and reasonable. She was worried he would say yes to the wrong person at the door, run out of food halfway through a week, or stop going out at all. His social worker had arranged a Direct Payment. The family were choosing the provider themselves, which is the whole point of a Direct Payment, and they interviewed three of us.
What we put in place
Two calls a day at the start, plus a longer weekly session, all of it visiting home care in his own tenancy.
Morning, 8am, 30 minutes. Not personal care. He does not need it. This call is a check that he is up and ready for work, that he has eaten, and a quick look at the day ahead.
Evening, 6pm, one hour. Cooking together rather than cooking for him. He now makes six meals without support. That number was three when we started.
Thursday afternoon, two hours. Shopping, post, bills, appointments and anything that has built up in the week. This is the session that does the heavy lifting.
Two support workers cover it between them. For this kind of package, consistency is not a preference. A person who takes time to trust someone cannot be asked to rebuild that every fortnight, and it is worth pressing hard on when you are choosing a provider in Liverpool.
We wrote the plan in language he could read, and he signed it. He was in the meeting where it was written, which is where he should have been.
What changed over the first year
The evening call came down from an hour to 45 minutes a month, because he was doing more of the cooking.
He renewed his phone contract while someone sat next to him. He started a Saturday five-a-side game. He had a difficult month during the winter when he stopped going out as much, so we increased his evening call to an hour. Once he was doing better, we reduced it again.
He is still in the flat. He is still in the job. His mum rings him now instead of checking on him. She would tell you that is the difference.
Why this works
Support with, not instead of. The aim is for the level of support to reduce over time. Everything we do alongside him is a thing he might do on his own later. Everything we do for him becomes an ongoing task that needs to be done in the future.
The plan is his. Written with him, in words he uses, and reviewed with him in the room. Not written about him.
Two named workers. Trust takes months to build and a fortnight of strangers to lose.
We flexed when the winter got hard. Packages that move in one direction are not responsive to anything. The same principle applies to a temporary increase after a hospital stay, which we step back down as soon as it is right to.
If you are arranging support for a family member
How it is paid for. This package runs on a Direct Payment, which is money from the local authority paid to the person or their representative so they can arrange their own support and choose their own provider. Some people similarly use a Personal Health Budget. Others self-fund through private home care. We work with all three. There is more detail in our guide to Direct Payments for families, carers and professionals, and our guide to private home care funding covers the self-funded route.
What it costs. £28 an hour, weekends included at the same rate. The minimum visit is 30 minutes, which costs £14. See how much home care costs per hour and what sits behind that.
How fast can we start? Within 72 hours for private clients. Where a Direct Payment or a social work assessment is involved, the timeline usually depends on that process rather than on us, so talk to us early, and we can run our own assessment alongside it.
What support looks like. Personal care where it is needed, help with cooking and shopping, medication prompting, support with appointments, correspondence and money, and support to get out and stay connected. There is a fuller list in what private home care includes. It is shaped around the person, not picked off a menu.
Quarry Homecare is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care, and has over 16 years in the domiciliary care sector across Liverpool and Merseyside. We also train our own staff.
Common questions
Is this the same as supported living?
Not quite. Supported living usually means the housing and the support are arranged together, often in a shared or specialist setting. What we provide is home care in a person’s own home or flat, with the tenancy or ownership entirely separate from us. Plenty of people in their own tenancy use a package like the one above.
Can a Direct Payment be used to pay us?
Yes. Direct Payments exist so that people can choose their own provider rather than accept whoever the local authority commissions.
How do you match support workers?
We look at interests, communication style and personality, not just availability, and the person meets the worker before anything starts. If it does not work, we change it.
Do you support people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments too?
Yes, across Liverpool and Merseyside.
Do you offer live-in care?
No. We provide visiting support, from 30-minute calls upwards.
If you are thinking about what support would let someone in your family live more independently, call us on [phone number] or use our contact page. We will come and meet them first, which is usually where these conversations should start. We cover Norris Green, Croxteth, Walton and the surrounding areas. See all of our Liverpool locations.
