Support Brokerage began in Canada in the 1970s. It was an approach developed by a group of families of people living with Disability, who wanted to take control of the funding which paid for their support and use it to bring their loved ones back to their home communities, away from the isolated institutions where they had been living with little access to the outside world and relational connections.
At its heart, Support Brokerage is family-centred and community-rooted. It starts with people- not government departments or services.
Since the 1970’s, Support Brokerage has been evolving. Imagineer was set up in 2012 as a test bed for Support Brokerage in the UK, and has been exploring and embedding approaches which include Person Centred Planning; Circles of Support and Asset Based Community Development as a range of Strengths Based Approaches for enabling people to take control of their own care and support arrangements. This supports people to build and live meaningful lives as active citizens within their own communities. There have been a number of important initiatives, events and policy developments which have enabled the progression of self directed support (including Support Brokerage) in the UK.
Support Brokerage should not be described as a job role, but more as a way of working together. It is a set of approaches and a philosophy of how to work alongside people.
First, it starts with a conversation about what the person wants to change and achieve, working out how to get there and then planning out how to make it all happen. The Support Broker works alongside the person and their network of support. What is most important to remember is that the person determines what the Support Broker does and how they help.
Support Brokerage is a way of working alongside a person who wants to take control of their life and take a lead in decisions about their future. It is also a way to bring relational support networks together around a person who needs support with making decisions about their life. In many cases this involves people who are drawing upon the Health and Social Care system; but it is also about having a good life, so Support Brokerage is helpful for people in a wide range of circumstances.
Support Brokers have strong knowledge about the Health and Social Care System, the Welfare System and are well connected in terms of Community opportunities, Housing options and developing relational networks. A Support Broker will listen to the person’s current circumstances and what is important to them. They will help the person to explore their options and understand their rights. They can support the person to make connections with people and opportunities which can help them get to where they want to be; and finally they can help the person to create a plan and put it into action!
The Support Broker works alongside the person and their network of support. What is most important to remember is that the person themself determines what the Support Broker does; and the Support Broker acts as an independent facilitator working alongside the person, supporting them to plan to live the life of their choice.
They work directly for the person; supporting them to stay in control, to be in the driving seat of their own lives, to understand and explore a whole range of opportunities and to confidently take action to achieve their desired outcomes.
There are different types of Support Brokerage:
Imagineer hosts the Support Brokerage Network, which is a community of practice for Support Brokers and those who practice the approaches of Self Directed Support.
To learn more about Support Brokerage, book our ‘Introduction to Support Brokerage’ webinar here:
