Community care assessment

If you need help with day to day living like looking after yourself, or getting meals, or socialising, you may be entitled to Community Care services or money for those services.
First you need a community care assessment – contact your area Adult Assessment Team to arrange this:
South East Team
(covering Bilston, Blakenhall, East Park)
Telephone:01902 553635
Textphone: 01902 553637
South West Team
(covering Penn, Merry Hill, Graisley, Whitmore Reans, Springfield, Tettenhall, Tettenhall Wood, Wightwick, Aldersley, Claregate, Dovecotes)
Telephone:01902 553700
Textphone: 01902 553931
North East Team
(covering Wednesfield, Heath Town, Ashmore Park, Scotlands, Low Hill, Oxley, Bushbury, Fordhouses, Pendeford Park)
Telephone:01902 553600
Textphone: 01902 553602

The time it takes to get an assessment will depend on which priority level you come under.

The Assessment Team’s priorities are:
(1) Urgent Cases – people in immediate danger of coming to harm or harming others – assessment made within 24 hours.
(2) People needing care and attention very soon because they are in imminent danger of coming to harm or harming others – assessment made within 3 weeks.
(3) People requiring ongoing help – people needing help and support to live independently in the community – assessment within 6 weeks.
(4) People needing basic help – people who may be isolated or lonely, people with a limited ability to look after themselves, people who may need help with shopping, or with aids and adaptations – assessment within 12 weeks.
(5) People who need a specific service – assessment within 12 weeks.

The Assessment will be done by social services staff who will visit you in your home, and ask you questions about your day-to-day life. Make sure you tell them about your needs, and what you can and cannot do, and difficulties you have getting around your home, any social, educational and leisure needs not being met.
They will write down what you say and ask you to sign it.
They may also want to talk to any carers, family members, assistants, doctors or providers of medical or support services you might have, they need your permission to do this.
They will assess you based on your needs and also any money you have.
Some services may be charged for – you do not to have the services they say you need.
After your assessment you will be sent a copy of your care plan.
The Care Plan is detailed information on what services they assessed that you need, who will be providing them how often, and what (if anything) you will have to pay.
If you are not happy with their decision, you can ask for a senior manger to look at your care plan. If you are not happy with that person’s decision, you can ask for the decision to be reconsidered at a review panel.
A review panel includes at least 2 people who are independent from the Council. You can be present at the review panel, and you can also bring someone with you to speak for you.
If you are unhappy with the decision of the review panel because you think it is unfair and not in line with your legal rights, you can refer your case to the Local government Ombudsman:
Telephone 0845 60218983 
www.lgo.org.uk

Direct payments

Disabled and older people who have been assessed as eligible for services under their community care assessment can choose to receive the money to buy and control the service themselves, under the Direct Payments Scheme.
You can use the payment to buy in the service from an agency, or to employ someone to provide the service for you.
The Direct Payments Scheme runs with the help of the Penderels Trust who can help and advise you on recruiting staff, paying their wages, tax and National Insurance etc.

The service provided by Penderels Trust is free to people on the Direct Payments scheme.
Contact Direct Payments Co-ordinator :
Janine Tye:     01902 556772 
Email: Janine.tye@wolverhampton.gov.uk

NHS Continuing Care

When you are assessed, the assessor may decide that you need more care hours than the Council will fund, and that your care needs are directly related to a medical condition, in this case your care package will be funded by NHS continuing care via your Primary Care Trust (PCT) – this is not means tested, so you wont have to contribute any money to NHS continuing care package.
NHS continuing care is a package of care arranged and funded solely by the NHS to meet physical and/or mental health needs that have arisen because of your disability, accident or illness. It can be provided in a care home, a hospice or your own home. If you live in your own home, the NHS will arrange and fund the care package to meet your assessed health and personal care needs. If you live in a care home, the NHS will pay fees covering your accommodation and assessed health and personal care needs.
If it is agreed you should move into a care home, you do not have the right to choose the care home or the town or city it is in, but you can say which one you would prefer.
The PCT package you receive should meet all the needs that have been identified in the assessment. If you had been getting Direct Payments and living at home before you were transferred to Continuing Care, the PCT should arrange to provide a similar care package, to try to keep a similar level of personal tailoring and control to your package.
If you want to challenge a PCT continuing care assessment, you should challenge it through the PCT’s dispute resolution process, starting with the complaint form:
If you are unhappy with the outcome of this process, you or your family can approach the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority for an independent review of the PCT’s decision:
West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, St. Chads Court,213 Hagley Road,
Birmingham, West Midlands, B16 9RG
Telephone: 0845 155 1022
Fax: 0121 695 2233

Independent Living Fund

The Independent Living Fund (ILF) is a government fund to help people live in their homes independently rather than in a residential home.
You can only apply for money from the Independent Living Fund if you are already receiving services (or Direct Payments) from Social Services valued at £320 a week or £16,640 a year or more, and you are between 16 and 65 when you apply.
You must also be receiving or entitled to Disability Living Allowance high rate care component, and have less than £23,000 in savings and other capital – including any money your partner has.
The ILF gives first priority to disabled people meeting these conditions who are in work 16 hours plus a week.
The amount you get is decided on assessment, up to a maximum of £455 a week
You can only use the money from the fund to employ personal assistants/carers or a care agency to help you with personal care like:
bathing, toileting, washing, dressing, domestic, laundry, shopping, cooking, cleaning.
You can also use the fund for the administrative costs of employing carers/personal assistants – things like payroll, sickpay, employers national Insurance etc.
You cannot get the fund to pay someone who is a relative living with you, even if they are your carer.
You can get an application from Social Services, or online>>

Social Workers

Adults who require a social worker should ring their area number:
South East Team
(covering Bilston, Blakenhall, East Park)
Telephone:01902 553635
Textphone: 01902 553637
South West Team
(covering Penn, Merry Hill, Graisley, Whitmore Reans, Springfield, Tettenhall, Tettenhall Wood, Wightwick, Aldersley, Claregate, Dovecotes)
Telephone:01902 553700
Textphone: 01902 553931
North East Team
(covering Wednesfield, Heath Town, Ashmore Park, Scotlands, Low Hill, Oxley, Bushbury, Fordhouses, Pendeford Park)
Telephone:01902 553600
Textphone: 01902 553602
Emergency out of hours social worker
If you have an emergency outside office hours, such as a mental health crisis that cannot wait until the next morning, you can contact the emergency social worker.
The Social Work department describes crisis situations as:
allegations of child abuse, urgent assessment of people with mental health problems or a breakdown of care arrangements for a vulnerable adult or dependant child.
The service runs from 4.30pm-8.30am on weekdays and all day on weekends and bank holidays
Telephone: 01902 552999
Textphone: 01902 553929

Seeing your Social Services Files

If you have had help from social services as an adult or a child, there will be a file about you. You have a right to see these files if they are about you.
Wolverhampton City Council’s Social Services Department does not charge you to look at your file.
All requests to see your records must be in writing.
When you write a letter requesting your records, you should include in your letter any information which will help them find the file, such as the relevant dates, your name and address at the time, the social worker’s name if you can remember it.
People under 18 can see their records as long as they understand why they are asking to see them. People under 18 can also refuse permission for their parents to see their records.
For records relating to children or for adults who were in care when they were children write to:
Principal Administration Officer, Children’s Services, Beldray Building, 66 Mount Pleasant, Bilston, WV14 7PR
For records relating to adults contact:
The Principal Admin Officer, Adult Care Services, Social Services, Civic Centre, St. Peter’s Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RT