Frequently Asked Questions
01
What if I don’t like my Mentor?
We take into consideration a lot of things before assigning you a mentor, and we always do our best to make sure that the person we choose is a good match, but all relationship take work. Try speaking to your mentor about the areas you feel the relationship could improve or about what is making you unhappy and try to work it out with them. However, if you have tried to talk to them or do not feel like you can do so, speak to the Infinity Alliance team and your social worker so we can try to fix any issues you are having, and offer some changes.
03
Where do I get my money from?
Normally you will be paid either directly by Social Services or sometimes your Social Worker will ask your Mentor or Infinity Alliance management to give you your money on their behalf. Your Social Worker and / or Infinity Alliance staff will give you the information on how exactly this will work at the beginning of your placement and will update you if at any time this changes.
02
What do I do in an emergency?
If you are in an emergency situation outside of the home you can always call your Mentor.
If you can’t reach them leave a voice mail on their phone or send a text if possible. After doing this, you call the Infinity Alliance Office and ask for a manager OR Phone your Social Worker.
If you have an emergency at the weekend or after 5.30PM then you can call the out of hours emergency phone number. DO NOT TEXT. This phone is operated 24/7 365 days of the year. You can also call social services and ask for the Emergency Duty Team.
If you are at the house and there is an emergency, always speak to a member of staff who is on duty.
Remember if you need the police, fire brigade or ambulance you should dial 999 before you call anybody else.
04
How many hours support do I get?
Based on what we and your social worker think you need, we can work out how many hours of support would work best. This could increase or decrease during your placement, based on how we think you are doing
What bills do I pay for?
Your rent and accommodation will be paid by social services but any personal bills like phone bills or insurances would be paid by you. If you need help with these payments or believe you will be unable to make them. You should speak to your mentor or Infinity Alliance staff.
Who do I speak to if something is broken in the house?
Most issues should be reported to your Mentor or the member of staff on duty at the house, but if it’s urgent or the staff at the house are unable to deal with the matter (e.g. burst pipe or broken boilers) always feel free to call the Infinity Alliance head office or get a member of staff on duty to do so.
If it’s something that has broken out of hours then you can get a member of staff to call the head office for you first thing in the morning, Monday – Friday.
If you have an urgent repair such as a burst pipe you can always call the Infinity Alliance emergency number.
Can I have overnight visitors?
No one is allowed to stay with you overnight at placement. Parents, partners, siblings, friends or others can visit you, but they can visit. This is due to various reasons like safeguarding yourself and other young people in the home who have different risks.
Can I make changes to my room to make it my own?
Yes, we do encourage you to make the room your own so that you feel more comfortable in the home. Soft changes (pictures, posters, decorations, room rearrangements) are permitted without approval. We do ask that you let staff know of the changes you wish to make, and for bigger changes like moving the room around, please do get support from staff to do this to avoid injury. You will need approval if your changes require you to put holes in the walls, (such as shelves, brackets, fixed furnishings) or if the changes you want to make are more permanent, such as painting the walls or changing the furniture. Only a manager can approve these types of changes, so please give them time to come back to you on a decision and be respectful of the decision made. Please note, the cost of all changes you want to make will be your responsibility or something you may be able to agree with your social worker.