OT5806 Business Plan: Improving Lives with Self-Care-A-Van Project

This business plan outlines the Self-Care-A-Van project, an 8-week program designed to improve the living standards of homeless individuals in Kensington and Chelsea. The plan addresses the significant issue of homelessness in the area, offering solutions through occupational therapy interventions focused on self-care, hygiene education, vocational training, and social reintegration. The project aims to provide cost-effective services, addressing occupational imbalances and preventing engagement in harmful activities. The plan includes detailed intervention timelines, assessment tools like COPM, OCAIRS, and MOHO, and a risk assessment. The Self-Care-A-Van will be staffed by an occupational therapist, assistants, and volunteers, providing services such as shower facilities, hairstyling, kitchen skills training, and behavior management. The plan highlights the need for occupational therapy in supporting homeless individuals to develop routines, gain knowledge, and bridge the gap between needs and services. The plan also considers alternative solutions and emphasizes the benefits of the Self-Care-A-Van project in terms of cost-effectiveness and positive outcomes.

Running head: BUSINESS PLAN
BUSINESS PLAN
Name of the University
Name of the student
Author notes

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BUSINESS PLAN
Executive summary
It is proposed in the business plan to provide a 8-week programme which will be used
to improve the standard of living in the homeless people of Kensington and Chelsea by
engaging them with different occupations and making them aware about living a safe and
healthy life.
The major issues that are addressed and proposed to be solved by this self care a van
are summaries below:
 In the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea homelessness has become a major
problem
 There are several assistance programmes available but these are not focused on self
care
 In order to provide the basic ADL skills, the interventions are prepared
 The government and the taxpayers do not address the requirement of the homeless
people as addressing their problem will require high cost.
 To reduce the problem of homelessness and to develop social reintegration it is
essential to provide the homeless people the basic needs, ADL skills, and providing
basic educational training.
 The self - care - a - van project is going to be the first innovative programme in
central London which will address the basic needs of the homeless people of this area.
 This project will provide a cost-efficient method of solving the problem of
occupational crisis and the process of bringing the homeless people in normal life
course.
 The project will assist the individuals who are engaged in dark occupation by
motivating them to participate in meaningful and legal professions.

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 The report contains a risk assessment and forward management plan to manage the
process by which this project will help the homeless people and to assess the risk that
is associated with the execution of this programme.
 This programme will provide job opportunity to the homeless people.
Current situation
As per the part VII of the housing act 1996, an individual will be treated as homeless
if he or she does not have a permanent accommodation for their professional requirements.
Kensington and Chelsea which is recognised as the richest borough in London also
faces the problem of homelessness and almost 1441 people of this borough is homeless which
indicates that among 7 peoples in this area 1 people is homeless. This reflects that how the
problem of homelessness is spreading from the centre of London to the remote areas of south
east and midlands, and the adverse effect of high rent and the reduction in the cost of the
welfare services by the government rise up at a significant rate (Fitzpatrick et al 2016).
It is become difficult for a homeless people to get a meaningful work, in order to stay
physically fit and to develop social relationship, homelessness also create a negative impact
over the local communities (White et al 2018).
The risk factors that are associated with the homelessness are poor family functioning,
poor socioeconomic condition and children have to stay without their parents.
Demographics
The main problem that the homeless people used to face is that they get sick due to
unhygienic lifestyle, they don’t know how to cook healthy food and they even don’t have any

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idea about the manner in which they should behave with the other people of the society.
(Mackie Johnsen and Wood 2019).
The factors that influence homelessness are classified in to two categories external
and internal, all these factors are summarised in the following table
Internal External
Lack of support on providing education. Obstacles from society
Homeless people often get abusive
behaviour from the society
Most of the homeless people re immigrant
of other countries
Socio economic status is poor Lack of information regarding homeless
services provided.
Substance misuse Social, cultural factors which are out of
control of an individual.
Major occupational requirement of homeless people
 Needs with related to hygienic life style
 Lack of availability of clean clothes
 Unavailability of legal occupations
Occupational science
 The basic points that is included in the occupational science are narrated below
 Equal opportunity to homeless people to get a meaningful job.
 Reducing discrimination and creating respect for the homeless people
Analysis of market

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Services available
 Shelter in double decker bus
 Shower van
Areas where improvement required
 No emphasis given on creating job opportunity
 Government does not take active role in improving the standard of living of homeless
people.
Costs and risks of not addressing the problem
It is predicted that the government of United Kingdom has to incur an annual cost of
€1.10 billion for improving the standard of living of the homeless people. The average cost
per homeless people is considered to be €4298. With the increase of the rate of misuse of
drugs and alcohol the number of homeless people also increases for which people have to go
for mental treatment more frequently. The self care van will provide services regarding the
improvement of the standard of living which can save almost €796000 (Sharman et al 2016).
Proposed solution: Self-Care-A -Van
An 8-week programme is designed by the self car a van to increase the standard of
living of the homeless people in the Kensington and Chelsea borough of London. This can be
achieved by rendering the training classes on shower and hygiene education, hairstyling and
hair dressing kitchen skills and conversation about housing reintegration, behaviour
management, vocational education coaching and forward signposting (Fransham and Dorling
2018).

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The proposed project will provide highly mobile services to fulfil the demand of the
homeless people so that they can live a healthy and meaningful life. The project will also
evaluate the progress of the services provided and will ensure the effectiveness of such
services in improving the life of the homeless people.
The Self-Care-A-Van services will be run by one OT and three assistants every
session can give training to 25 participants at a time.
Intervention timeline.
Description Objective Timeline
Advertisement The advertisement will be
made by stakeholders’
recent posters of homeless
services
Week 4
Assessment Gathering information 1 week
Intervention Provide shower and hygiene
education, behaviour
management, kitchen skills
and conversation about
housing reintegration.
Week 1 to 8
Evaluation Valuation of the services
rendered
Week 8

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The COPM, OCAIRS and the MOHO models are used for assessment and evaluation
of the project. The concept of these models is described below
COPM
The COPM is a tool that is specially structured for the occupational therapists. It is a
client centric tool that can be utilised to detect and prioritize the problems that are faced by
the homeless people for example ADL’s IADL’s, social communication and so on, which
prevents their performance in everyday life (Donnelly et al 2017).
OSCAIR
OSCAIR is an assessment tool that is structured in the form of a semi structured
interview from which it can be possible to gather qualitative and quantitative information
about the standard of living of the individual and the rate of participation in any occupation
(Harrison et al 2018). The basic structure of the interview form is stated below:
 Roles
 Personal causation
 Standards
 Behaviours
 Skills
 Short term goal
 Long term goal
 Clarification of experiences from past events
 Physical environment
 Social environment
 Readiness for change

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Assessment tool on the basis of model of human occupation (MOHO).
MOHO is a model used in occupational therapy practice that gives an explanation for
the effects of joining healthy occupation and what problems will rise up due to sickness and
disability. The model addresses the following:
 Motivational factors that influence the participation in occupation
 Regular patterns of behaviour and occupational pattern
 Types of skills and performances
 How surrounding environment effects, the occupation
MOHO model is used for the validity and reliability and does not depend on any
standard process so these assessment tools have greater clinical utility and are focused on
occupational matters, evidence based and supported by theories (Schauer 2018).
Intervention objectives in fulfilling the needs of the homeless people
The services provided by the self car a van will, help to improve the standard of
living of the homeless people by providing training of hygiene, how to behave with other
people of the society, and by providing basic education which will help the homeless people
to become self sufficient and can get some job opportunity (Bramley and Fitzpatrick 2018).
Session plan
Services
delivered
Outcome measures Justification of
interventions
Team
Education
relating to
shower and
COPM This service will help the
homeless in getting a
hygienic and shower
One band 6
occupational
therapist

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hygiene facility which will assists
in building a relation with
the staff of the self car a
van and make it easier for
the staffs to communicate
and interact with the
homeless people.
Hairstyling
and
hairdressing
COPM The hairstylist will be
given instruction from the
OT to give additional
instructions regarding
hygiene education and to
help to give a proper
makeover to the homeless
people so that they cam
make them self fit as per
the requirement of the
society (Mackie Johnsen
and Wood 2019).
One volunteer
hairdresser
Kitchen skills
and
conversation
about housing
reintegration
OPHI-II The homeless people will
be allowed to participate
to work on selected
handicrafts and
preparation of food so that
2 drivers

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they can get a job
opportunity by applying
their skills of cooking.
(Mann 2019).
Behaviour
management
and vocation
education
training
MOHO Along with the session of
maintaining hygiene and
to make themselves
acquainted with job
related skills, two
additional workshops
which will be led by the
OT (Salisbury and
Thornicroft 2016).
One professional
trainer on behaviour
management
Forward
signposting
MOHO The main objective of this
service is to partner with
the local service provider
to meet the other needs of
the individuals. A general
physician will be there to
check the physical and
mental condition of the
homeless people, and a
social worker will be
appointed to assist the
One general
physician and one
social worker

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homeless individual to
find a better housing
option along with work
and schooling (Riordan
2019).
The occupational therapists and schedule of intervention
Interventions delivered Starting point Duration
Education relating to
shower and hygiene
first session through out the program.
Hairstyling and hairdressing second session one session
Kitchen skills and
conversation about housing
reintegration
Third session. three sessions
Behaviour management and
vocation education training
Forth session two sessions
Forward signposting Fifth session One session
Need of occupational therapy in solving the problem
The occupational therapy is useful for the following reasons
It helps to support homeless people in developing routines, habits and to design the new
structure of life.

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From various models and theories like MOHO, OPHI and COPM it will be possible for the
homeless people to gain more knowledge.
It can provide an innovative mixture of physical, mental and social health perspective.
It can act as a mediator to fil the gap between the needs and the services.
Utilise the life course approach to detect the particular needs and developments.
Evidence base for intervention
 The professional engagement solved the requirements that are concerned with
maintaining a quality of living
 Behavioural pattern and motivation to bring changes
 In homelessness engagement in PADLS is effective for lifelong outcome
 It is possible to get better results from signposting and social prescribing (Riordan
2019).
Alternative solution
Dark professions (abusive substances, begging, rummaging and so on)
This type of occupation forces the homeless people to engage in illegal activities,
create obstacle on their growth and reintegration (Ravenhill 2016).
Stationery services
Benefits: these are linked to registered services and can be easily located
Disadvantages
It creates obstacle to reach more individuals, for which dependence on assistances and
volunteers increases (Fransham and Dorling 2018).