Sleep Well Kent

Project aim: The aim of the Bed Poverty Project is to provide beds as well as bedding accessories to children whose families are unable to provide beds for them due to financial constraint.

Children between the ages of 4 years old and 16 years old that meet the eligibility criteria will be the focus of this project as they need a comfortable sleep/rest to aid them in their education.

For those households with more than one child sharing a bed, the project will ensure that all of the children in the household are considered through the scheme at the same time.

The project will be delivered using a professional referral system to ensure due diligence is done by the professionals who are aware of the circumstances of the family and that we are reaching those who would benefit from scheme. An online referral form will be in place for the professionals to complete with the relevant information supporting their request to receive the items on offer from this scheme. Once this information is received by KCC, it will be processed by the project team. If the eligibility criteria are met, an order will be placed on their behalf for their chosen items (as set out on the online referral form). The beneficiary, as well as the referrer, will be notified if the application has been successful or unsuccessful. If the beneficiary's application has been successful, the beneficiary and referrer will be notified of the delivery date according to the service level agreement (SLA). The Furnishing Service will be notified of all relevant information they need to make the delivery as set out in the DPIA. After the delivery has taken place, a follow up with the referrer and/or the beneficiary will be arranged to evaluate the impact of the items received.

There may be some households that are not able to safely remove any existing items that are not usable/no longer required and to prevent fly tipping, the project will have an option to have these items removed and disposed of in a secure and ethical way.

The project is being piloted in the first phase and, following a successful pilot, a second phase could be initiated implementing relevant lessons learnt, subject to funding availability.