I Am A Person With Care And Support Needs

Adults who need Care and support often need a mixture of practical, financial and emotional support to help them to manage their lives and be independent.  These adults can include older people, people with a disability or long-term illness, people with mental health problems, and carers. When people need care and support their needs are assessed to see what services they may require, and where eligible, to assess the allocation of funds required to enable them to obtain care and support.  people’s needs.  This could include care home, home care, personal assistants, day services, or the provision of aids and adaptations.

Jargon Buster

A national organisation, Think Local Act Personal launched a Jargon Buster in 2013 to help people understand the words and phrases used in health and social care.  it can be found by following this Link to Jargon Buster

Concerns for someone’s ability to cope at home

If you are struggling at home with day to day matters and live in Worcestershire more information and advice can be found by following this link concerns for someone’s ability to cope at home

Looking for residential care

Worcestershire County Council provide the following page which gives advice and guidance on looking at supported care options in Worcestershire

Link to WCC Care Home and supported living page

Support for Armed Services Veterans

If you have been in the armed services there are organisations, at a local and national level,  that can provide additional support.  Further information can be found by following the links below:

Royal British Legion | Armed Forces Charity

Homepage – Worcestershire – (britishlegion.org.uk)

Op-COURAGE The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

Transition from Childrens Services to Adult Services

The following page provide advice for young people between 16 and 25,  and those who care for them.  Alongside links to a toolkit and information page, it identifies learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews on the application of the Mental Capacity Act legal framework, which should be applied when a person becomes 18 and has a link to some local podcast which have been developed to provide further information on this.

Link to WSAB webpage on Transition

Do I need safeguarding?

The Care Act (2014) introduced national eligibility criteria to safeguard adults with care and support needs. Adult Safeguarding duties apply to adults who are 18 years old and above and has  three areas of criteria:

The adult

  • has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs) and;
  • is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
  • as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect

For more information on the types of abuse and neglect follow this link Do I need safeguarding?

Do you need someone to support you with your referral?

If family or friends are not willing and able or are not appropriate to act on your behalf and in your best interests. You can refer yourself or a professional can refer you to Onside Advocacy (the Worcestershire County Councils contracted provider).

Raising a Concern

If you have  concerns about abuse and neglect for yourself or someone you know, please consider doing one of the following things:

  • if it is an emergency dial 999
  • to report a crime or potential crime to the Police you can phone the non-emergency number 101
  • to report an adult safeguarding concern please call 01905 768053
  • if you would like safeguarding advice please phone the Adult Safeguarding Team on 01905 843189 (note this number does not accept referrals)

Further information can be found by following this link:  I Have A Concern….

Support if you are having a mental health Crisis

If you are experiencing something that makes you feel unsafe, distressed, or worried about your mental health, you can now contact the Herefordshire and Worcestershire 24 hour urgent mental health helpline by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.  Further  details on what will happen when you make such a call  can be found on Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trusts Website by following the link below

Link to local information on mental health support

Fire Safety

We also work closely with Herefordshire and Worcestershire Fire Service.  Below are links to their guidance on fire safety in the home:

Fire Safety In the Home

They also provide fire safety visits to you home.  Details of this can be found by following the link below::

Home Fire Safety Visit | Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (hwfire.org.uk)

Getting Involved

People with Lived Experience Reference Group

The Worcestershire Safeguarding Adults Board has a number of reference groups where residents, particularly people with care and support needs, can get involved.   One of these groups is our People with Lived Experience reference group.

We are looking for more people with care and support needs, regardless of whether they are receiving support from health and care services, to get involved to share their experience and knowledge.

The WSAB want  to hear about their experiences particularly around safeguarding, both good and bad.   We also would like their help in ensuring that services improve and people have a good understanding of what safeguarding is.

If you would like more information or would like to get involved follow this link  Getting Involved

 Useful Information

Details of what the Worcestershire Safeguarding Adults Board (WSAB) does can be found by following this link Role of the WSAB

The WSAB policies and procedures can be found by following this link : WSAB Policies and Procedures