DISABILITY INFORMATION HANDBOOK
Disability Information Handbook Contents
Introduction 3
Chapter 1 - About Richmond AID 4
Chapter 2 – Social Services 7
Chapter 3 – Health Services and Support 11
Chapter 4 – Voluntary Care Groups, Social Groups and Day Centres 20
Chapter 5 – Advice, Advocacy and Counselling 25
Chapter 6 – Children, Families and Carers 30
Chapter 7 – Self Directed Support 36
Chapter 8 – Transport 38
Chapter 9 – Aids and Equipment 47
Chapter 10 – Leisure & Entertainment 52
Chapter 11 – Education, Employment and Volunteering 65
Chapter 12 – Benefits, Grants & Concessions 70
Chapter 13 – Homes, Housing & Homelessness 87
Chapter 14 – Computers and I.T. 96
Chapter 15 – Local Groups & Organisations 97
Chapter 16 – National Organisations 101
Index 107
Introduction
This Handbook gives lots of information about services available for disabled people, people with long-term and temporary health conditions and for carers and professionals. As well as lots of guidance and contact information there are links – marked in blue and underlined – throughout this document. If you click on the links you will be taken to a web address, email or other parts of this Handbook.
This edition includes up-to-date information about social and health care services, benefits, aids and equipment, transport, advocacy, leisure and more. We list national and local disability groups and voluntary organisations for you to contact directly. If you can’t find what you are looking for from the contents page you can look in the index at the back for a full list of services.
Some of the services and benefits we tell you about may depend on you meeting certain conditions or criteria. We can’t always give every detail about these, so contact our advisors for more information: call our Advice Service on 020 8831 6070 or email us at .
Information and contact details do change over time and if you find information here that is out of date, please contact us for current information and for us to correct this.
We would like to thank all our volunteers and staff who helped make this Handbook.
Chapter 1 - About Richmond AID
Richmond Advice and Information on Disability is an organisation of and for disabled people. Our vision is of a world without barriers, where disabled people have the same independence and choices as non-disabled people.
The Social Model of Disability is important to us. This model shows that disability is created by barriers in society, including the physical environment, people’s attitudes and in how services are provided and accessed.
Richmond AID’s Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers contain a high proportion of disabled people and people with a personal experience of disability and mental health issues.
For over 20 years Richmond AID has provided specialist advice and information to support disabled people to achieve independence and equality.
Our services are for all disabled people including learning disabilities, physical and sensory disability and mental health issues. Here’s a list of the services and support we offer:
Advice Service: A telephone, web, email and drop-in service staffed by trained Advisors. It provides up-to-date information on your rights, benefits, employment, housing, education, access, transport, equipment, leisure and more. Our clients are disabled people, their friends, relatives, carers, students, and professionals. Our Advisors will give you the time you need to explore and resolve your issues or concerns.
Tel: 020 8831 6070 (Monday to Friday, 11am – 4pm)
Address: Disability Action and Advice Centre, 4 Waldegrave Road, Teddington TW11 8HT. Parking is available.
Email:
Web: www.richmondaid.org.uk
Publications / Online Information: We publish a newsletter every 3 months, and many useful factsheets. We produce policy consultation responses, reports and this Handbook. Our website features all these and regularly updated news, events and a forum. You can find us on Twitter and Facebook where we publish up-to-the-minute news.
Benefits Service: Gives free help face-to-face with our expert advisors or on the phone with form-filling and advice on all aspects of benefit claims. Call 020 8831 6080 or email with any questions on benefits or to request an appointment.
Children and Families Project: We work with the Family Information Service, the Carers Centre and Me, Too and Co on the ‘access project’ to support families with disabled children to claim all the benefits they are entitled to and have information about services and activities available. Call Yvonne Baxtrem on 020 8831 6080 (Mon and Fri) or email .
Richmond SPADE: A gardening service which Richmond AID runs with a team of volunteers. This project provides basic gardening services for disabled people. Call 020 8831 6415 or email: for more information. Please leave a voicemail if you do not get through to our part-time SPADE Coordinator straight away.
Volunteering: We have lots of volunteering opportunities from advice to gardening to newsletters writers. We have an excellent training programme for volunteers including NVQ’s, mentoring and one to one support. Contact Alex Brining on 020 8831 6071 or email for volunteer vacancies.
Community Involvement Project: Supports disabled people to get their voice heard. We have a range of opportunities for disabled people and carers to feed into shaping local services as well as the services of Richmond AID. Call Jamie Cutler on 020 8831 6072 or email .
Employment Project: We provide toolkits and training for employers and support disabled jobseekers back to work, training or education. Call Jamie Cutler on 020 8831 6072 or email .
Business Services: We have a range of Disability Awareness Training which we provide to businesses, as well as our Access Audits that enables employers, shops or businesses to become more accessible. We have worked with large local businesses including Kew Garden and Richmond Housing Partnership to supply training and access audits. Call Jamie Cutler on 020 8831 6072 or email .
Strategic Lead for Physical & Sensory Disability:
We are funded by the Borough to provide support and information to voluntary agencies also working with people who have a physical and sensory impairment. We arrange meetings of the Physical and Sensory Disability Network (PSD Network) and advocate for this sector via a range of forums. Call Lucy Byrne on 020 8831 6077 or email .
Richmond AID is a Registered Charity, No. 1074788, and a Company Limited by Guarantee no. 3612476". We are affiliated to the National Association of Disability Information and Advice Lines (DIAL UK).
Richmond AID has obtained DIAL UK’s Quality Standard, the Investors in People Quality Mark, and the Two Tick ‘Positive About Disability’ standard.
Our Patrons are Sir Trevor McDonald, Dr Vince Cable MP, Zac Goldsmith MP, Mat Fraser, Sir Donald Gosling.
Our main funders are Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, the Trust for London, Aiming High the City Bridge Trust, the Big Lottery, Richmond Parish Lands Charity, Barnes Workhouse Trust and Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust.
Chapter 2 – Social Services
This chapter has information on Richmond Council’s Adult Community Services. They provide social care and help at home; occupational therapy, respite care, residential care, home adaptations and other services. For information about day centres and social groups, see Chapter 4 – Voluntary Care Groups, Social Groups and Day Centres.
Social Care and Support Services
Care Assessment for Users and Carers:
If you think you may need any of these services, contact Adult Community Services to assess your needs. Health and Social Care Teams (groups of social workers and support workers and other professionals) will assess your needs and will work closely with you, your family and with health service workers, to agree a package of care. They will inform you about your options for Self Directed Support, Personal Budgets, and other options (see Chapter 7 – Self Directed Support).
The assessment should be centred on your needs and support requirements: you have a right to receive the support that is correct for you. A Care Manager will then co-ordinate the supply of services from social services, housing, the health service and from voluntary or private sources. Seek independent advice if you are ever unsure of your options.
Who can ask for help?
Anyone can ask for help and advice and a care assessment – a relative, friend, neighbour, doctor, district nurse, hospital or carer can ask for you.
How much will I have to pay?
There may be a charge (your ‘contribution’) for social care services and you will need to have a financial assessment to see if, or how much, you will have to pay towards your social care. You can follow the link above for more information and Richmond AID can help you complete your financial assessment. There is also an online calculator on the council website that gives you an estimate of what your contribution may be: follow this link.
Where do I start?
Contact the Adult Community Services Access Team (see next page for contact information or follow the link above), who will ask for some basic information from you. They will then be able to arrange a more detailed assessment of your needs. This should give you the opportunity for you to discuss your needs, your history and any difficulties you may have been having, or ideas for the future. The care or support you require will then be recorded in a ‘Support Plan’: this plan will contain essential information about you and your care and support needs, and can be shared with the health and social care professionals who support you.
Carer's Assessment
If you care for an adult, a Carer's Assessment can be done either at the same time that the person you care for receives an assessment from Social Services, or separately. During a Carer's Assessment, a social worker or care manager will ask you questions about your situation – what kind of support the person you care for needs, whether you are able to give the support they need and what help might improve your situation. You can talk to them about financial worries, your own health, you need practical help in the home and any concern you have about your future needs.
As a carer you may be able to get help with:
· Advice and information
· Emergency planning
· Financial support and advice
· Help around the home
· Introduction to support groups
· Respite Care
· Signposting to voluntary and health services
Adult Social Services Access Team
Tel: 020 8891 7971
Text: 07507 512 733
Textphone:18001 020 8891 7971
Out of hours: 020 8744 2442
Out of hours Minicom: 0845 600 7752
Out of hours Typetalk: 18001 020 8744 9414
Email:
British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters
If you would like to access any services and your first or preferred language is British Sign Language, a BSL interpreter can be arranged, but advance notice is required.
Let your appropriate health and social care team know.
Richmond Carers Centre
For information and support on caring and support services:
Address: 5 Briar Road, Twickenham, TW2 6RB
Tel: 020 8867 2380
Email:
Health and Social Care Teams:
· Twickenham and Whitton:
Suite 2, 4th Floor, Regal House, London Road,
Twickenham TW1 3QB
Tel: 020 8891 7916
· Teddington and Hampton:
Teddington Centre, 18 Queen’s Road
Teddington TW11 0OR
Tel: 020 8614 5366
· East Sheen & Barnes; Richmond, Ham & Kew
1st Floor Centre House, Sheen Lane SW14 8LP
Tel: 020 8487 1691/1692
Specialist Teams
Children’s Services: Single Point of Access: ‘The first point of contact for all safeguarding issues into Children Services’
Tel: 020 8891 7969
Emergency Duty Team 020 8744 2442
Email:
Disabled Children’s Service
Strathmore Centre, Strathmore Road, Teddington, TW11 8HU
Tel: 020 8831 6470
Email:
Community Drug and Alcohol Team (CDAT)
Tel: 020 8772 5679
National Drugs Helpline (24hour) : 0800 77 66 00
Addiction Support & Care Agency (ASCA)
Tel: 020 8940 1160
Email:
Drug & Alcohol Information Service (DAIS)
Tel: 020 8891 0161
Learning Disabilities Team
Transition Social Worker, Specialist Health Team
Tel: 020 8487 5315
Email:
Transition Coordinator: Tel: 020 8891 7285
Mental Health
Richmond Royal Hospital Mental Health Centre
Tel: 020 8940 3331
(For more information on mental health support, see Chapter 3 ‘Health Services and Support’)
Reablement and Hospital Discharge Team
‘If your needs change and you’re unable to cope, the Reablement service provides planned, short term, intensive support to help you to regain your independence and function safely at home. Reablement could be in your own home, or in another residential setting, and provides mainly occupational therapy and social care.’
Tel: 020 8831 6041/6006
Complaints
If you want to make a comment or have a complaint, contact: Corporate Complaints Manager
Adult and Community Services, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 3rd Floor, Civic Centre,
44 York Street, Twickenham, TW1 3BZ
Phone: 020 8891 7937
Email
Better Care, Higher Standards Charter 2004
This tells you what services and standards you can expect from your local Health, Housing and Social Services. Copies are available from the Civic Centre, GPs’ surgeries, libraries etc.
Chapter 3 – Health Services and Support
This chapter gives information about GPs, dentists and hospitals, and other health services and support. It also shows you how to complain about health services you have received.
Primary Care
General Practitioners (GPs)
For a list of doctors’ surgeries contact:
The Primary Care Support Service,
187 Ewell Road, Surbiton, KT6 6AU
Tel: 020 8335 1400
or search the directory at The NHS Choices: www.nhs.uk