Adult Social Services news
Social Care Direct launched
Launched on 16 February 2010, Social Care Direct is a more personalised approach to adult social care services. It has been introduced to give better access to social care support. It offers:
- advice
- information
- emergency support requests
- making a referral to Adult Social Services
Visitors to the website can also rate services, leave comments and discuss their experience of a service or activity with others.
Freedom Pass renewal
If you have a Freedom Pass to allow you free travel around Greater London, your pass will soon expire and you will need to renew it. The renewal process will begin in January 2010. See Freedom Pass Renewal 2010 for full details of when you should apply.
Equipment and minor adaptations questionnaire
In February 2010, the statutory Equipment and Minor Adaptations Quality and Outcomes Questionnaire will be sent out in order to explore the views of adults aged 18 and over receiving community equipment and minor adaptations funded by Adult Social Services. The Occupational Therapy page has more details about when people can expect to receive it, and what they will be asked.
Inspection results: Care Quality Commission - independence, choice and wellbeing
Our services supporting older adults and safeguarding vulnerable adults in Barnet are good with promising signs of improvement according to national experts.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the national body that monitors councils’ performance in this area, visited Barnet Council in May this year to assess standards of adult social care in the borough. As well as speaking to the council, the commission spoke to users of services including older people and carers.
Overall the commission found, “The council had an ambitious and purposeful vision. The strategic direction and priorities were clear and the prevention agenda had been given increasingly high priority. The council and its partners had given high priority to adult safeguarding and the message was that adult safeguarding was everyone’s business. Both political and managerial leadership was strong."
The commission recognised the our policy of ‘Promoting Independence’ praising the “clear focus on promoting the independence of older people and a strong emphasis on enablement and rehabilitation.”
Our model of supporting independence involves users selecting their own care was recognised with praise for “a clear strategy and implementation programme to support the delivery of the personalisation agenda.”
The group also found that “technology such as Telecare services was increasingly used to promote the safety and wellbeing of people in their homes. “
The commission felt the we “should improve its contact arrangements so that older people have timely and consistent access to information, advice and assessment of their needs.”
- Full inspection report - August 2009
(PDF: 230KB) - Easy-read inspection report - August 2009 (PDF:
1MB)
Introduction to the Delivering Choice and Independence Programme
In January 2007, Barnet Council’s cabinet approved a new vision for
adult social care (PDF: 96KB). At the centre of this is a change in the way
we work that provides people who use social care services and their carers with
more control over the services they choose.
We are making this change to help people live independent lives by increasing choice and control over the service they receive. We are calling this self-directed support.
We will encourage people to assess their own needs and to arrange their own care. We will support them to make safe and affordable choices. We are also working with partner organisations to ensure that they are offering a choice of new services which our customers want.
The Delivering Choice and Independence programme is a tool for making this vision reality. The programme breaks down the task of changing the way we work into a series of manageable projects. The programme also structures this work so that changes are always made in a way which is safe for people who use the services.
As part of the development for these changes, we had a discussion with the public to provide them with an understanding of the proposed changes and an opportunity to comment on them. The discussion period ran from 11 September - 14 November 2008.
The responses we have received from this discussion will be fed into the further development of our proposals. A report of what you have told us will be available in January 2009.
Brokers for change project
Early in 2008, the council and Barnet Mencap worked with ten young people with learning
disabilities so that they now have self-directed support. You can find out
more about the project by reading the December 2008 Barnet First article
(PDF: 290KB).
Community focus - art for all!
Community Focus is an inclusive multi-arts centre based in Barnet that works to encourage members of the community of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to access and participate in the arts, to gain creative confidence and to challenge barriers through integration and innovation.
It is a place where people of all ages, abilities, faiths, ethnicities and circumstances cross paths with a common enthusiasm for the arts and a desire to learn new skills in a friendly and welcoming environment.
The staff at Community Focus believe that Everyone is an artist and we will actively encourage your creativity to flourish.
For more information or to get involved, contact Community Focus at:
Level 2 artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, London N12 0GA
- Tel: 020 8369 5484
- Email: admin@communityfocus.co.uk
The Commission for Social Care Inspection changes to the Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the new health and social care regulator for England. The Healthcare Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and the Mental Health Act Commission ceased to exist on 31 March 2009.
The new regulator will take over the responsability of inspecting and reporting on adult social care services to help improve quality for people who use services.
If you or someone you know is looking for care, visit the Care Quality Commission website where you can:
- search the comprehensive directory of care homes and other services, like home care, to find your local services
- download free, independent reports on the quality of every registered care service to help you make an informed choice
- get straightforward advice and useful checklists on how to choose a good care home or care service.
Information is available in many accessible formats:
- easy to read pages for people with a learning disability
- nine languages including Polish and Chinese
- accessible web pages approved by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB).
You can contact the Care Quality Commission using the details below:
The Care Quality Commission, St Nicholas Building, St Nicholas Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1NB
- Tel: 03000 616161
- Email: enquiries.london@cqc.org.uk
Better care, higher standards charter
Adult Social Services has developed the 'Better care, higher standards charter' to help people who are over 18 and have difficulties associated with long term illness, disability or age, or for carers who support these people.
The charter explains what standards you can expect from us.
Adult Social Services publications
An up to date list of all our newsletters and information booklets is available on the Adult Social Services publications page. You can download any of these, or request a printed copy in your preferred format.
Adult Social Services events
See our events page for details on all upcoming events, as well as reports from past events organised or supported by Adult Social Services.
Adult Social Services Homepage
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Email this pageLast modified by: Dawn Rowe on 08/03/2010