Looking after someone you care about? How can Adults and Communities, and Children and Young People s Services help?

Transcription

1 Looking after someone you care about? How can Adults and Communities, and Children and Young People s Services help? Promoting independence Changing lives Working with communities

2 2 Looking after someone you care about CONTENTS PAGE 1. Looking after someone you care about - Who is a Carer? 3 2. How can you get support in your caring role? 4 Your GP and Primary Care Team 4 Local Voluntary Organisations 5 Other Local Councils 5 3. Contacting Social Care 6 4. What will happen when you contact the Customer Service Centre 8 Community Care Assessment for the adult you are looking after 8 Carer s Assessment 10 Parent Carers of Disabled Children 11 Children and Young People who are carers 12 Specialist Assessments What will be discussed at your Carer s assessment? What will happen after your Carer s assessment? Support Plan and Reviews If you do not qualify for a Carer s assessment Comments, complaints, compliments Are there any charges for services? Benefits Carers may claim Contacting the Customer Service Centre 22 GLOSSARY 28

3 Promoting independence Changing lives 3 1. Looking after someone you care about - Who is a Carer? Are you a..? son daughter wife husband partner brother sister parent friend neighbour And Without payment, you are looking after and caring for someone else who, because of long term illness, disability, mental health conditions or old age, is not able to care for themselves. This means you are a Carer. Caring might involve providing emotional support and/ or helping someone to: prepare meals bath/shower going to the toilet get dressed giving emotional support take their medication do their shopping do their laundry dealing with their finances You do not have to live with the person you are caring for to be considered a Carer. This booklet gives information to carers on how to seek and access support and advice on looking after someone and on what to expect when you contact relevant agencies.

4 4 Looking after someone you care about 2. How can you get support in your caring role? There is a range of organisations that may be able to support you. These include: Your GP and Primary Care Team Your local Social Care Department Local and National Voluntary Organisations Other local Council Departments Your GP and Primary Care Team: Your GP and primary care team can provide help and support both for you and for the person you are looking after, e.g. regular health checks for yourself, information on how to manage the condition of the person you are looking after, how to access respite care and help and advice on using specialist equipment. Encourage the person you are looking after to go to their GP to discuss their circumstances. If they are not able to get to their GP they can request a home visit. The GP and primary care team can also give you information about local and/or national support services for carers that may be of help. In some instances, they may be able to make a referral for you to access other support services. The contact details for local GP surgeries and hospitals can be found in the telephone directory.

5 Promoting independence Changing lives 5 Social Care Department Your Social Care Department can offer advice, information, deal with support emergencies, offer short term support to maintain or improve a person s independence (re-ablement) and where needed, provide ongoing support. Social Care is separated into two sections; Adults and Communities and Children and Young People s Services. Social Care will always try and build on the strengths of people who need support and try and work with them to maximise their independence to prevent them needing more support in the future. We call this prevention and reablement. Local Voluntary Organisations There are local voluntary organisations that can offer services to support carers. There are Carer Officers based in a range of the countywide local voluntary organisations. Carers may contact these organisations directly to discuss possible support and information. The contact details of the key local organisations and a brief description of the kind of support they offer are on page 23 of this booklet. Other Local Councils In Leicestershire, the Borough and District Councils Departments are able to give information, for example, on a range of housing options, leisure services etc. The contact details for the local councils are on page 26 of this booklet.

6 6 Looking after someone you care about 3. Contacting Social Care By telephone You can contact the Customer Service Centre (for adults 18 years and over) and the Central Duty Point (for Children and Young People under 18 years) by telephoning (Adults) and (Children and Young People). When you first get in touch with the Customer Service Centre/ Central Duty Point you will be asked for the following information which will be recorded. (a) About the person you are looking after: Name, date of birth, ethnic origin and preferred language Address, telephone number, type of accommodation and method of entry Others living in the household, next of kin and other family/ carers GP s name, address and telephone number Whether the GP is aware that a referral is being made Type and nature of the presenting problems (b) About you (when you need support to take on caring or to continue caring): Name, date of birth, ethnic origin and preferred language Address, telephone number(s) GP s name, address and telephone number If you are not the carer and are phoning on the carers behalf, you will need to give your name, what your relationship with the carer is and whether the carer is aware that the referral is bring made What problems you have in relation to your caring role

7 Promoting independence Changing lives 7 Other ways to contact Social Care: Carers may also complete an Impact of Caring Form on-line via the Carers page on the Leicestershire County Council s website:

8 8 Looking after someone you care about 4. What will happen when you contact the Customer Service Centre You will have an initial discussion with a member of the Customer Service Centre to determine your need for support or you may be contacted to discuss your completed Impact of Caring Form. You may be offered advice and information if that is all that is required. They may also consult with other professionals. This is called an assessment and will help to determine whether the person you are caring for is eligible for support from Social Care and how your needs for support in your caring role may be met. You and/or the person you are looking after may be offered a more detailed assessment and/or be directed to other more appropriate support. The time the assessment takes to complete will vary depending on your situation. You can ask the Customer Service Centre worker for an indication of how long you will have to wait before you receive an assessment. If you are a carer for a disabled child/young person, you may be eligible for support following a Child in Need Assessment. a) Community Care Assessment for the adult you are looking after You or the adult you are looking after can request support from Social Care. They will consider whether the person you are caring for needs a short period of support to prevent, maintain or improve their independence, or whether longer term support is required.

9 Promoting independence Changing lives 9 The majority of people will initially have a reablement assessment from the Homecare Assessment and Reablement Team (HART) worker who can support the person for up to six weeks. The worker from HART will identify what the cared for person can do for themselves and assist them to regain skills. If you need ongoing support and the person you are caring for has substantial or critical needs, a Community Care Assessment will be carried out by a worker from Social Care. This could be a Social worker, Occupational Therapist or Community Support worker who will visit the person you are caring for to discuss their needs. As a carer you should also be asked what help you think may be needed and throughout this process your needs for support in your caring role will be taken into account. When cared for people require longer term support we look at what their needs are and tell them how much money they are entitled to which they will use to pay for support. This is called a Personal Budget. We will help them to plan how they want to spend this money and try to give them as much choice and control as possible. We will help people who cannot do this for themselves. Carers can play an important role in helping the cared for person plan their support. Carers themselves may also be entitled to a grant from the Carers Support Fund to meet their own needs and to support them to continue caring (see Carers Assessment section below). You may also ask for and receive a separate Carer s assessment.

10 10 Looking after someone you care about b) Carer s Assessment A Carer s assessment can be done as part of a Community Care Assessment or as a separate Carer s assessment. The purpose of this is to determine the impact that caring has on you. You can ask the Social Care worker to assess what help you need so that you can continue to care and not become unwell or stressed. If you feel unable to take on or to continue the caring role, you should discuss this with the Social Care worker. You are entitled to a Carer s Assessment if you provide or intend to provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis and, the impact this is having on your health and wellbeing is significant. In considering the impact of caring on your wellbeing, Social Care staff will discuss how your caring role is affecting you as well as the amount of time you spend caring. A worker from Social Care usually carries out this assessment. They will meet with you at a place convenient to you, to discuss the care you are providing, the effect of caring on you including the impact on your employment, the support you are receiving and the support that may help you. If you are caring for an adult, you can receive a Carer s Assessment even if the person you are looking after does not want a Community Care Assessment.

11 Promoting independence Changing lives 11 You may wish to ask for someone e.g. a friend to be present with you at your carer s assessment or you can invite an advocate. If the person you are looking after is in hospital and requires Social Care involvement we will seek your views as part of the assessment of that person s needs. If you are providing a substantial amount of care you will also be offered a separate carer s assessment which will usually take place before the person you are looking after leaves hospital. In some instances, the assessment may take place after he/she has returned home. If we carry out a Carer s Assessment, you will receive a written copy of this. c) Parent Carers of Disabled Children If you have parental responsibility for a disabled child your needs will be discussed and taken into account as part of that overall assessment of your family s needs by the Social Care worker from our Disabled Children s Service. The worker will complete an initial or core, more detailed assessment of your child s need.

12 12 Looking after someone you care about d) Children and Young People who are Carers In some circumstances, children and young people providing care may benefit from a child care assessment to look at whether they need additional support. To make a referral you should contact the Customer Service Centre Central Duty Team on , who will refer you to the appropriate Family and Assessment Team, within your locality. You will then be contacted by a Social Care worker from one of our Family and Assessment Teams. A young carer over the age of 16 may ask for and receive a separate carer s assessment. It may also be helpful for the person that the child is caring for to have their support needs considered. If this is the case then the Social Care worker from the Family and Assessment Team, with the person s permission, may arrange for this. e) Specialist Assessments In some circumstances (e.g. where there is a mental health condition) it may be desirable for a carer to receive an assessment from a worker with specialist knowledge. The Customer Service Centre, with your consent, will ask the relevant team to contact you to arrange for the assessment.

13 Promoting independence Changing lives What will be discussed at your carer s assessment? The Social Care worker will discuss with you the care you are giving to the person you are looking after, the effect this is having on you, if your wish is to continue caring, and what support you may need to help you to continue caring. Some things that may be discussed are: How your caring role affects your health, job, social life, finance, education and family life. Whether the person you are looking after gets enough support and the right type of support. What support you are getting. The situations you find difficult. What sort of support might help you. If you have plans for an emergency or crisis where you are temporarily unable to look after the person you care for.

14 14 Looking after someone you care about 6. What will happen after your Carer s assessment? The Social Care worker will agree with you what support Social Care can offer you. This may involve looking at what support the person you are caring for is getting and applying for a grant for you from the Carers Support Fund. The person you care for may be eligible for a Personal Budget. If so, his/her support plan may include support for you in your caring role. For example, this could include opportunity for you to have a break from caring. In some circumstances where the most appropriate support for a Carer may be from a voluntary organisation, the Social Care worker will signpost you to the relevant organisation.

15 Promoting independence Changing lives Support Plan and Reviews The Social Care worker will work with the cared for person to determine his/her eligibility to receive a Personal Budget from Social Care by doing an assessment of need. The Social Care worker will develop alongside the person a plan of how these needs will be met using the Personal Budget. To make sure that the support you and the person you care for receive via the Personal Budget is effective and achieves the outcomes that you have identified, we will review it. This will be within the initial 12 weeks of support starting and then annually. If you or the person you care for need a review sooner please let us know. Specialist teams may have different review arrangements.

16 16 Looking after someone you care about 8. If you do not qualify for a Carer s assessment If you do not qualify for a separate Carer s Assessment, the Social Care worker will take your views into account when they assess the person you care for and when they are deciding what services should be provided to him or her. The Social Care worker will try to give you information and contact details of other local support services that you may find helpful. If your circumstances change, you can contact the Customer Service Centre and ask for another carer s assessment.

17 Promoting independence Changing lives Comments, complaints, compliments If you feel you have been refused a service which you should receive, or if you are unhappy with any of the services that we provide, you are entitled to make a complaint. In this event you should contact the Customer Service Centre and our staff will be able to offer advice (contact details are on page 6 of this booklet). If you are still unhappy then you should contact the Complaints Manager (contact details are on page 27 of this booklet). We also welcome any compliments and any comments to help us to improve services for the future.

18 ADULT SOCIAL CARE - SUPPORTING CARERS Accessing support for your caring role GP Discuss the impact of caring on your health and well-being Adult Social Care Customer Service Centre A local support organisation for support/advice (see list of organisations at the end of this booklet) Local support organisation Referral to specialist team (eg Community Mental Health, Children s Assessment Team, Promoting Independence or Personal Care and Support) Cared for person and carer s assessment for simple or shorter term support e.g. meals, equipment to help in the home, things to do in your community Cared for person assessment for longer term support which will identify how much money will need to be spent on his/her support and on support for you People eligible for support are encouraged and/or supported to plan how their support need will be met Cared for people and their carers who are eligible for support to meet their needs will be financially assessed to see if they have to pay towards the cost of their support Personal budget received and person/carer buys service(s) to meet their needs, as written in their support plan Support provided will be reviewed. First review within initial 12 weeks, then every 12 months. Key points: If you already receive support from Social Care you can contact the Customer Service Centre if your circumstances have changed If the person is not eligible for services funded by Social Care you/they will be given advice about what support you can get. Carers needs will be taken into account throughout the process

19 Support from Children and Young People s Service (CYPS) Signposting to Voluntary Sector Customer Service Centre/ Family Information Service Referral to other agency Common Assessment Framework Central Duty Point No further action Voluntary Sector Disabled Children s Service Family Assessment and Safeguarding Service Initial Assessment Core Assessment Review Carer s Assessment No further action Voluntary sector support Support Services Carer s Assessment Voluntary sector support Review

20 20 Looking after someone you care about 10. Are there any charges for services? In Leicestershire people are required to make a contribution towards the cost of services, if they can afford to pay. This is determined by a financial assessment. More information is available on Caring can sometimes be costly to carers and their families. In these circumstances it may be possible for carers to access specific benefits. Please see next section for further details.

21 Promoting independence Changing lives Benefits for Carers Carers Allowance for carers aged 16 or over who look after a disabled adult or child. You may be entitled to Carers Allowance if you spend at least 35 hours a week looking after a person who is getting either Attendance Allowance or the middle/higher rate of Disability Living Allowance care component. If you work, your Net earnings must be less than 100 per week to be eligible. Payment of Carers Allowance can sometimes reduce the amount of means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit received by the person that you look after. You should get advice if you are unsure about this. Carers Premium an extra amount of money paid as part of your Income Support, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. This is also known as the Carer addition in Pension Credit. If you are entitled to Carers Allowance, even if this can t be paid to you because you receive another benefit, you may still be able to get the Carers Premium. Carers may also be able to claim other benefits, tax credits, help with housing costs or reductions in Council Tax in certain circumstances. If you have a complex benefit problem and have an allocated worker from either Adults and Communities or Children and Young People s Services, ask about your entitlement to benefits. For more information, including the Carers Allowance claim form, go to the Alternatively, advice may be obtained from the Department of Work and Pensions, Citizens Advice Bureau, Carers Centre, Age UK office or disability organisation. There is also information available on

22 22 Looking after someone you care about 12. Contacting the Customer Service Centre CONTACT DETAILS FOR THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE Leicestershire Customer Service Centre (Adults) Leicestershire Customer Service Centre (Children and Young People) leics.gov.uk The Customer Service Centres are open from 8.30am to 5pm on Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Friday. For emergencies only outside office hours you can contact the Emergency Duty Team who can respond to crises or emergencies which cannot wait until the next working day. Emergency Duty Team:

23 Promoting independence Changing lives 23 Other contact route: Via our Website Gives information on the help and support we can offer carers e.g. how to get help; what is a Carer s Assessment; what services are available. The website also gives information and web links to some of the local voluntary organisations that support carers and a link to our Leicestershire Care Online site. Leicestershire s Family Information Service (FIS) provides information, advice and guidance for families who have children or young people aged 0-20 years. The Family Information Service holds extensive information on many useful local organisations. They can be contacted on

24 24 Looking after someone you care about CONTACT DETAILS FOR LOCAL CARERS ORGANISATIONS The Carers Centre Provides carers with information, advice, advocacy and support. Home visits offered org.uk Rethink (formerly National Schizophrenia Fellowship) Provides information, support and training for carers of people affected by a mental illness. Age UK Leics Shire and Rutland Provides advice and information for carers of older people and, respite break for carers of people suffering from dementia Alzheimer s Society Provides information on dementia, advice, support groups and advocacy for carers of people suffering from dementia /2 Carefree Provides a wide range of support, activities and advice for carers under 18 years old Leicester Action for Mental Health (LAMP) Provides advice, information and support for carers of people affected by mental health problems Parent and Carers Council Provides information and support groups for parents and carers of children with a wide range of disabilities / Mencap Provides information, support and advice to carers of adults and children with a learning disability and support to carers of children with a learning disability

25 Promoting independence Changing lives 25 Support for Carers Leicestershire Provides advice and information about being a carer and what practical support is available Menphys SOS 27 Upper Bond Street Hinckley Leicestershire LE10 1RH Fax: Service Manager: Lyn.Edwards@menphys.org.uk CONTACT DETAILS FOR NATIONAL CARERS ORGANISATIONS Carers UK. Carers Trust Contact a Family Stroke Association (FREEPHONE) (FREEPHONE)

26 26 Looking after someone you care about CONTACT DETAILS FOR DISTRICT AND BOROUGH COUNCILS Blaby District Council Charnwood Borough Council Harborough District Council Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Melton Borough Council North West Leicestershire District Council Oadby and Wigston Borough Council

27 Promoting independence Changing lives 27 CONTACT DETAILS FOR THE COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT Complaints Manager Adult and Children Social Care Service FREEPOST LE 1779 County Hall Glenfield Leicester LE3 8XR

28 28 Looking after someone you care about GLOSSARY Advocate Assessment Carers Support Fund Central Duty Point Parent Carers Personal budget/ Direct Payments Prevention and early intervention Primary Care Team Reablement A member of staff from a voluntary organisation who will support you in seeking and obtaining a service and/or act on your behalf. Discussion between the carer and/or service user and a Social Care worker in order to identify what help and support is needed. The Carers Support Fund supports carers to have real time off from their caring role. A grant of 100 to 250 per financial year may be awarded to a carer. The first point of contact for Children s Social Care Adults with parental responsibility for a disabled child. This is an assessed amount of money provided by Social Care paid directly to the service user or carer to allow him/her to arrange and pay for his/ her own services. Lessening the need for intensive Social Care services by developing services that enable people to stay independent for longer The team of staff working at your local health centre/gp surgery, e.g. your GP or district nurse. Enabling service users to realise every opportunity to reach full potential to be as independent and self caring as possible

29 Promoting independence Changing lives 29 Referral Service User Social Care Worker Specialist Team / Service Specific Support Plan The first time that you (or someone on your behalf) contact social services and give details about yourself or the person you are looking after and any difficulties being experienced. The person being looked after who receives services from the Social Care Department. The Social Care worker completes the community care assessment or carers assessment and who can set up services such as home care or sitting services if applicable. The worker is employed by the Council and may have a different job title such as Social worker, childcare support worker or community support worker. A team of Social Care workers who specialise in the particular area of need for the person you care for, e.g. a specialist team who only work with mentally ill service users. A written plan showing the outcome of assessment and which gives particular details of the services agreed, how these may be delivered etc.

30 30 Looking after someone you care about Fill in the details below so they will be ready when you need them. Name Telephone Number Carers Centre Carer Support Worker Chemist Chiropodist/ Podiatrist Community Psychiatric Nurse/ Community Mental Health Nurse Day Care Centre Dentist District Nurse

31 Promoting independence Changing lives 31 Name Telephone Number Doctor Hospital Home Care Service Respite Care Social Worker Specialist Health Visitor Early Support Keyworker Parent Partnership Service

32 If you require this information in an alternative version such as large print, Braille, tape or help in understanding it in your language, please contact Designed and printed by Leicestershire County Council. Tel: Updated January 2013