Westminster · Central London
Supported Living for Westminster Residents
We have no supported living home inside the City of Westminster. Our three homes are in Whitton, Kingston upon Thames and Uxbridge, and a Westminster resident can move into one permanently or for a respite stay once their Westminster social worker has agreed the placement. From Pimlico and Victoria, Whitton is usually the easiest to reach. From Marylebone, Paddington and St John's Wood, Uxbridge is just as practical.
How do I get supported living through Westminster City Council?
Westminster runs adult social care jointly with Kensington and Chelsea, but each council keeps its own front door. For Westminster, the first step is a Care Act needs assessment. You can ask for one on the council's adult social care referral form or by phoning Adult Social Care on 020 7641 2500. If the person already has a social worker or care coordinator, go to them first. Which team takes it on after that depends on the person's main need.
Learning disability: the team on Lisson Grove
Adults with a learning disability are supported by the Westminster Learning Disability Partnership at 215 Lisson Grove, NW8 (020 7641 7411, wldpduty@westminster.gov.uk). It works with people aged 18 and over and their family carers, and it is the team that would discuss supported living and agree any placement.
Turning 18: Westminster's transition team covers learning disabilities only
This is where Westminster differs from Kensington and Chelsea. People First's transition page says a council transition team can start working with a disabled young person from 16, but Westminster's team is for young people with a learning disability. A Westminster teenager with a physical disability and no learning disability goes through Adult Social Care's general route, so ask for that referral well before 18.
Mental health and older adults
Referrals come through the person's care coordinator at the CNWL North Westminster hub (Woodfield Road, W9) or South hub (Vauxhall Bridge Road, SW1V), or the Older People Community Mental Health Team for over-65s.
What the council says it wants from housing. Westminster's Changing Lives learning disability plan for 2023 to 2026 commits to more moves into independent accommodation, more use of nomination rights to general needs housing, clearer tenancy agreements including easy-read tenancies, and a reshaped Housing Care and Support Framework of commissioned providers. Ask the social worker whether a placement with us would be arranged through that framework or individually for this person.
Journey times from Westminster to our homes
Rough public transport times for family visits:
- Pimlico, Victoria, Belgravia and Westminster (SW1): Whitton, in about 40 to 55 minutes. Take the Victoria line to Vauxhall, or walk over to Waterloo, then a South Western Railway train to Whitton. By car it is roughly 35 to 50 minutes along the A4 and M4 or the A316.
- Marylebone, Paddington, Maida Vale and St John's Wood (W1, W2, W9, NW8): Uxbridge, in about 45 to 55 minutes on the Metropolitan line from Baker Street, which runs through to Uxbridge. The Elizabeth line from Paddington to West Drayton, then a bus, is the other option.
- Anywhere in the borough to Kingston: about 50 to 60 minutes, usually via Waterloo on South Western Railway.
Before anyone gives up a Westminster tenancy
If a disabled adult lives with family in a council or housing association flat, for example on Churchill Gardens and Lillington Gardens in Pimlico, Lisson Green and the Church Street estates off Lisson Grove, or the Mozart Estate in Queen's Park. A social tenancy in central London is very hard to get back once given up, so talk to the landlord and social worker before anyone signs a notice to quit. A respite stay lets the person try one of our homes first.
Supported living separates the home from the care: a tenancy or licence for the room, and care under a separate support plan from a provider registered with the Care Quality Commission. JNP Sidona is registered with the CQC for personal care. We have not been inspected yet, so we have no rating.
Who pays for supported living for a Westminster resident?
Rent and care are paid for separately. Rent is often covered by Housing Benefit. Westminster pays for care when the needs assessment finds eligible needs, then does a financial assessment to work out what the person contributes, if anything. The personal budget can be taken as a direct payment under the bi-borough scheme, explained on People First's personal budgets and direct payments page. Someone whose needs are mainly health needs may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare.
If Westminster arranges a placement in Whitton, Kingston or Uxbridge, the ordinary residence rules in chapter 19 of the Care and Support Statutory Guidance normally keep Westminster responsible for the person's care and reviews. We price care only after we have assessed the person, and our guide to paying for care covers the means test.
What to ask any provider, including us
- Who is the landlord, and is the agreement a tenancy or a licence? Is there an easy-read version?
- How will the person keep the parts of Westminster life they value, such as a college course, a church or a weekly visit home, once they live further out?
- Has the Westminster social worker agreed the placement, and who will carry out reviews?
- What happens to their GP, dentist and any hospital clinic at St Mary's or St Thomas'?
- Can they come for a short stay before deciding?
Each home is described on our supported living page.
What we can help with in Westminster
- Homes in Whitton, Kingston and Uxbridge
- Permanent or respite stays
- Support with daily living skills
- Help to build independence
- Tenancy and care explained clearly
- Community, day centres and outings
- Visit before you decide
- Referrals from social workers welcome
Areas of Westminster we cover
Care across the borough, including these neighbourhoods. Each has its own page with local detail.
Our services
How we can help in Westminster
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Westminster FAQs
Westminster families ask
Questions families ask us about Westminster. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionMy son is 17, uses a wheelchair and has no learning disability. Will Westminster's transition team see him?
Probably not, because Westminster's transition team works with young people who have a learning disability. He can still have a Care Act assessment through Adult Social Care on 020 7641 2500. Ask his school or children's social worker to refer him before his 18th birthday so there is no gap in support.
My daughter is known to the team at 215 Lisson Grove. Can we contact you ourselves?
Yes. Call us with questions or to arrange a visit to a home. If Westminster is paying for her support, her worker at the Learning Disability Partnership will need to agree the placement and set it up with us.
We live in a council flat in Pimlico. Would she lose her place on the housing register if she moved to Whitton?
Ask Westminster's housing team before she moves, because the answer depends on her circumstances and on the council's allocation rules. We can't advise on housing applications, but we can offer a respite stay so she can try the home while nothing changes at home.
Would she have to leave her mental health team in north Westminster?
After a permanent move, her mental health care would usually pass in time to the team covering her new address, and she would register with a local GP. Her care coordinator at the North Westminster hub should plan that handover with you first.
Nearby
Other areas near Westminster
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