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Terms Used on this Website

on Monday, 03 June 2013. Posted in Introduction

Here are some terms which appear in the directory, or which people may come up against at other times. see also "Abbreviations"

All Wales Strategy	A strategy developed in the 1980s by the Welsh Office to provide integrated services for people with learning disabilities in Wales.
Advocacy	Helping someone to express their own wishes and preferences. An advocate is someone who supports another person by voicing the views of that person.
Assessment	Process of identifying the health and social care needs of an individual and evaluating their impact so that appropriate action can be planned.
Autism	A condition which is associated with a disposition to behave in ways which suggest that the person finds social interaction difficult.
Child Development Centre	A centre housing various health and other professionals. A pre-school child may be referred to such a centre for an assessment of their needs. Some centres will house playgroups, nurseries and/or parent support groups.
Carer	A person providing care who is not employed to do so by an agency or organisation. A carer is usually a relative or friend looking after someone at home who is frail or ill; the carer can be of any age.
Carer’s Assessment	A carer’s assessment formally acknowledges the carer’s contribution as a partner in the caring process. It determines the carer’s own support needs, so that they can continue to care. This assessment is carried out by social services.
Care Co-ordinator	Under the Unified assessment process, the care co-ordinator acts as the communication focus for the different professionals involved with an assessment and, most importantly, for the person assessed themselves and their carer. The care co-ordinator should lead the assessment and care planning.
Care Manager	A Social Services worker who has responsibility for assessing need and planning how needs will be met. See also Care Co-ordinator
Care Package	Services designed to meet a person’s assessed needs as part of the care plan arising from their assessment. Consists of one or more services, which may be residential and/or community-based.
Care Plan	A written statement of the service(s) a person can expect to receive following assessment. Included in the care plan are details about which organisation will provide the service(s), and who to contact if problems arise.
Care Planning	Process based on an assessment of an individual’s needs that determines the level and type of support required to meet those needs and the objectives and potential outcomes to be achieved. Care planning leads to a care plan being written for the individual who should have fully participated in the care planning process.
Case Manager	A professional (e.g. nurse, doctor, social worker) affiliated with a care plan who is responsible for co-ordinating the care of an individual enrolled in a managed care plan. See also Care Co-ordinator.
Commissioning	Commissioning describes the means by which the local authority and health authority plan, organise and purchase services for people.
Community Based Services	Services provided to support a person living in the community.
Community Care	The provision of services and support to people who are affected by problems such as ageing, mental health, learning disabilities, or physical or sensory disability, and who need such services to be able to live independently in their own homes, or in homely surroundings in the community (including residential and nursing homes).
Complex Needs	A term used by professionals to describe someone who requires the support of a number of professionals / individuals to meet the needs identified in the Care Plan.
Cymorth	Cymorth is the Children and Youth Support Fund provided by the Welsh Government. It aims to provide a network of targeted support to improve the lives of children and young people from disadvantaged families.
Day Centre	Facility, run by social services, health or a voluntary organisation, that provides care, stimulation and activities for people who need support during the day and is thus also a valuable source of respite for carers.
Direct Payments	Direct Payments give recipients the means of controlling their own care at home, giving more choice and flexibility. They are regular monthly payments from Social Services enabling people to employ their own personal assistants for care, instead of receiving help arranged by Social services.
Domiciliary Care	Services provided to people at home, to assist them in living independently within the community, eg meals on wheels, community nursing, and home help.
Domiciliary Service	Services provided for people in their own homes. They include home care and the services of health workers (e.g. physiotherapists who treat people in their own home).
Educational assessments for children attending school	Some children will have their special educational needs identified before attending school, but for others this isn't the case. The stages are similar to a child attending an early years setting.
Early Support	Early Support is a mechanism for achieving better co-ordinated, family focused services for young disabled children and their families, to support the Welsh Government's aim to ensure that young children who are disabled or have complex health needs receive: Co-ordinated services, high quality support and information, child and family-centred approaches and support that enable them and their families to live ordinary lives.
Educational Psychologist (EP)	An educational psychologist is a qualified teacher who has additional training as a psychologist. Educational psychologists help children who find it difficult to learn or to understand or communicate with others. They can assess a child’s development and provide support and advice.
Education Social Worker (ESW)	(also known as Education Welfare Officer EWO) A person employed by an LEA to help parents and LEA's meet their responsibilities on school attendance.
ESTYN	A government department responsible for the inspection of all schools in Wales.
Families First	Families First is an innovation programme that promotes the development by local authority areas of effective multi-agency systems and support, with a clear emphasis on prevention and early intervention for families, particularly those living in poverty.
Generic	The grouping of types of people under one heading e.g. disability, age etc.
Health Visitor	Someone who specialises in the care of babies and young children at home. They are based at your GPs surgery and can offer advice, training and a sympathetic ear. They can also help you arrange to get a whole range of other services that might be needed.
Home Care	Care that is provided to someone in their own home. Also known as domiciliary care.
Independent Living Fund	A government agency set up in 1988 to administer funds to support people with severe disabilities living in the community.
Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA)	Someone who provides support and representation for a person who lacks capacity to make specific decisions, where the person has no-one else to support them. The IMCA service was established by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and is not the same as an ordinary advocacy service.
Individual Education Plan	A document for teachers to record short-term targets and strategies for an individual pupil that are different from or additional to other pupils in his/her class.
Independent School	A school which is not maintained by an LEA and charges fees but may be approved by the Secretary of State as being suitable for children with special educational needs.
Keyworker	Person responsible for co-ordinating the care plan of an individual receiving social care, for monitoring their progress, and for staying in regular contact with the agencies and individuals involved. See Care Co-ordinator.
Lasting Power of Attorney	A Power of Attorney created under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 appointing an attorney (donee), or attorneys, to make decisions about the donor's welfare, including healthcare, and/ or deal with the donor's property and affairs.
Learning Disability	A term describing people who have considerable barriers to learning and who therefore may find activities that involve thinking and understanding difficult. They may need help and support with their everyday lives and education. Some people with a learning disability may also have an additional impairment such as sensory impairment or a physical disability.
Learning Support Assistant (LSA)	(also known as Teaching Assistant) A person providing support for an individual pupil or group of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
Local Education Authority (LEA)	Local government body with a wide range of responsibilities for children's education. For children with special educational needs this includes carrying out statutory assessments and maintaining statements of special educational need
Maintained School	A school maintained by an LEA, including community voluntary aided and foundation schools.
Mental Capacity Act 2005	Legislation that governs decision-making for people who lack capacity to make decisions for themselves or who have capacity and want to make preparations for a time when they may lack capacity in the future. It sets out who can take decisions, in which situations, and how they should go about this.
Multi-disciplinary	Referring to a team made up of professionals from different specialisms, typically including Doctors, Nurses, Psychologists, Social Workers and Occupational Therapists.
Ombudsman	A representative of a public agency or a private non-profit organization who investigates and resolves complaints made by or on behalf of individuals.
Occupational Therapist (OT)	They visit the person you care for and can advise on and provide special equipment to help with daily life, for example help with the bath, toilet or the stairs. They can teach you the best and easiest way to do things and how to use the equipment they provide.
Person Centred Planning (PCP)	Person Centred planning is a way of enabling people to think about what they want now and in the future. It is about supporting people to plan their lives, work towards their goals and get the right support.
Physiotherapist (Physio)	They visit at home and help disabled or ill people with special exercises either to improve things or at least stop something getting worse. Sometimes they assist with special breathing techniques and can advise on special care that is sometimes needed.
Portage	Home based educational support for pre-school children with special education needs.
Primary Care	Health Care provided to people in the community to maintain their well-being and/or to deal with problems which might otherwise require more intensive intervention eg GP’s.
Providers	Any person, group of people or organisation supplying a community care service. Providers may be in either statutory or non-statutory sector services.
Purchaser	See Commissioning.
Referral	A request for help from someone in need of an assessment, which has usually been written down in brief notes. A referral can also be made by a third party on someone else’s behalf, eg a GP for a patient, or a relative on behalf of a family member.
Respite Care	A range of services that provide a break for an individual and/or their carer. This may take place in the person’s own home, in a day centre or in a setting away from the home. It may be for very short periods of a few hours, or for longer periods.
School Action	This is when a teacher or SENCO identifies that your child has special educational needs and needs additional or different support to what's offered in the general curriculum.
School Action Plus	When a request for help from external services or a specialist such as an educational psychologist is made.
School Nurse	A school nurse is a medical nurse, based in a school, who provides support for children’s medical needs.
Self Advocacy	Advocating on behalf of oneself, possibly with support.
Service Providers	Organisations of all shapes and sizes which run activities or facilities designed to help people in some way.
Service Users	People who receive health and social care services. They may be individuals who live in their own homes, are staying in care or are being cared for in hospital.
Social Services	Council department which organises social care for vulnerable children and adults.
Social Worker	(also known as a Care Manager/Care Co-ordinator) Social workers can help people to get the support and services that they need. This can be practical help in your home, benefits money, information about other organisations nearby that could help, a break for you from caring and information about a local carers group.
SENDIST	An independent Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal that hears parents' appeals against LA decisions on their child's special education needs, or parents' claims of disability discrimination against their children in schools.
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)	Member of staff of a school or early education setting who has responsibility for co-ordinating SEN provision within that school. This may be a headteacher or deputy in a small school.
Special Needs Health Visitor	A specialist health visitor has additional training and experience of working with young children with medical problems or disabilities. They can act as a bridge between hospital and community health services in the pre-school years.
Special Schools	State schools in England and Wales which are provided by local education authorities for certain children with special educational needs.
Speech and Language Therapist	A speech and language therapist is a health professional specialising in communication development and disorders (and associated eating and swallowing difficulties). They offer support and advice to parents of children with any type of communication problem. They assess, diagnose and develop programmes of care to help children develop their communication, language and speech, including sign language.
SpLD Specific Learning Difficulties	This term may be used to describe dyslexia and related difficulties.
Statement(ing) of Special Educational Needs	The process of assessing in England and Wales that a child has special needs which will require special services from the local authority. Introduced in the Education Act 1981 to implement the recommendations of 'Special Educational Needs' (Warnock Report) replacing the previous mechanisms of ascertainment.
Statutory Assessment	A Statutory Assessment is a comprehensive, formal, multi-agency assessment of a child's needs and it is coordinated by the Local Authority (LA). Assessment is generally requested by the school or other professional but parents have the right to make a direct request in writing to the LA if they wish.
Supported Accommodation/ Living	A permanent or temporary home where clients are also provided with general counselling and support by their landlord/lessee or someone acting on their behalf.
Supporting People	New initiative for funding housing for vulnerable people. The system for planning, monitoring and funding all housing related support services.
Third Sector	The 'third sector' is the term used to describe the range of organisations that are neither public sector nor private sector. It includes voluntary and community organisations (both registered charities and other organisations such as associations, self-help groups and community groups), social enterprises, mutuals and cooperatives. Third sector organisations (TSOs) are independent of government, are 'value-driven', and reinvest any surpluses generated in the pursuit of their goals.
Unified Assessment	The purpose of Unified Assessment is to develop and integrate the process of health and social care assessment and care provision. It is person centred, avoids duplication and integrates new eligibility criteria.
Voluntary Sector	Organisations, often registered as charities, which operate on a non profit-making basis, to provide help and support to the group of people they exist to serve. They may be local or national, and they may employ staff, or depend entirely on volunteers. They are now sometimes referred to as the 'Third Sector'
Young Carer	People under the age of 18 who have to care for someone in their family like a parent, grandparent, brother or sister.

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Support for Carers in your area

Carers - More Information

Carers Hub

Carers Hub

Carers Hub

Throughout Cardiff there are many community Hubs where you can get a wide range of support and advice.

There is a Carers' specific Hub in the Vale as well that services carers from both counties

The Carers Trust are based there and you can get a wide range of information and support on issues that affect carers.

For more details look here

Financial Support

Financial Support

Carers and Pension

Caring for someone can have a devastating impact on Carers’ longer term pension and Carers need to be aware of their pensions as a result. To be eligible to receive a full basic State Pension, a person must have made a certain amount of National Insurance (NI) contributions towards it throughout their working life. If a person is unable to do this because they are caring for children or for a disabled, ill or frail adult, then the state will credit their contributions. However, this only happens if they claim the right benefits and take the right action.

For more information visit:

www.carersuk.org/Information/Caringforyourpension

For advice and information on all aspects of caring contact:

Carers UK’s Adviceline on:
freephone 0808 808 7777 (Wednesdays and Thursdays 10am-12pm and 2pm - 4pm) or
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Other financial support

Looking after Someone, a complete guide to carers’ rights and benefits, is available from:

Carers UK Tel: 020 7378 4999

Carers UK’s helpline - speak to an advisor for a full benefits check by ringing the

Helpline on 0808 808 7777

Age Cymru has a huge amount of information on financial support for older people.

Call their free helpline on 08000 223444 or visit
www.ageuk.org.uk/cymru/money-matters

The Pensions Advisory Service is an independent non-profit organisation that provides free information, advice and guidance on the whole spectrum of pensions, including state, company, personal and stakeholder schemes.

Call 0845 601 2923 or
visit www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk

Directgov is an excellent online source of information on benefits and pensions

www.direct.gov.uk/pensions

Carers Direct also provides information on carers’ pensions and other aspects of caring:

www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect

Contact a Family Specialist Benefit Adviser

Tel: 0808 808 3555

Insight app - a great way to stay in touch and active

Insight app - a great way to stay in touch and active

The Innovate Trust has developed an easy to use app for you to download for free,

It allows families to keep in touch and their loved ones to participate in a wide range of activities and workshops

Legislation

Legislation

Disabled Persons (Services Consultation & Representation) Act 1986 section 8

This requires that, during an assessment of a disabled person, the ability of carers who provide substantial amount of care on a regular basis is taken into account.

Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995

This Act requires the social services authority (if so requested) to carry out a separate assessment of the carer (a “Carers’s assessment”) at the same time as it assesses the person for whom the care is provided.

The act applies both to adult and young carers regardless of the age of the person for whom they provide care.

It defines the carer as an individual who provides or intends to provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis. For the purposes of the
Act the term carer includes people who may or may not be a relative, and who may or may not be living with the person for whom they are caring. The Act excludes volunteers who provide care as part of their work for voluntary organisations and anyone who is providing care by virtue of a contract of employment or any other contract. This would include anyone who is providing personal assistance for payment, either in cash or in kind.

Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000

This Act gives carers a ‘right’ to a carer’s assessment if they are aged over 16 years old and are providing or intending to provide regular and substantial care for someone aged over 18 years. Carers are entitled to an assessment even when the person they care for refuses to have an assessment or having had an assessment refuses to accept services.

It also includes the right for parents of children with disabilities to request an assessment

It provides the power to provide services for carers in their own right, following an assessment of their needs as well as the power to charge for those services.

The act introduced Direct Payments (i.e. cash instead of care) to parent carers, carers for their own services and young disabled people aged 16 and 17 years.

The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004

This places a duty on social care to inform carers of their right to request a carer’s assessment. It also gives the provision for a local authority to
ask another statutory authority or body (such as housing, health, education and other local authorities) to assist in planning the provision of services to carers or to provide services that may enhance the carer’s ability to provide care. The other authority must give the request due consideration.

In relation to work, training education and leisure the Act amends both the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 and the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 by ensuring that carer’s assessments must include consideration of whether carers work, or wish to work, and are undertaking or wish to undertake, education, training or any leisure activity.

Work and Families Act 2006

The Work and Families legislation came in 2006, and allows carers of adults the same right to request flexible working as carers of children. Employers do not have to agree to the request, but must make a good business case if refused.

The Children and Young Persons Act 2008

This requires local authorities to make adequate arrangements for short break provision for Disabled Children. In addition the Welsh Assembly Government has a range of powers to inspect, regulate and issue statutory guidance in respect of local authority services under the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. It also has powers to direct the NHS under the National Health Services (Wales) Act 2006.

Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure

In January 2012 the Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010 came into force. This legislation places a duty on the Local Health Boards to lead on preparing and implementing a carer’s information and consultation strategy. For Cardiff and the Vale the lead health Board is the University Health Board (UHB) who working in partnership with several stakeholders including, Vale Council, Cardiff Council, Vale Council for Voluntary Services (VCVS), Cardiff’s
Third Sector Council (C3SC), Third Sector representatives, Carers representatives and additional UHB services have began this work. At current a working group made up of the above have helped the UHB produce a draft outline of the strategy and what will be included.

Strategies will:

set out how information and guidance will be provided to carers, that will assist them in carrying out their caring role effectively; and
set out how carers will be consulted and involved in decisions affecting them and those they care for.

LHBs are designated as the ‘lead authority’ in the Regulations. They will be required to lead the work to develop and implement the Strategies, working in partnership with Social Services.

‘Carers and their rights: the law relating to carers’, published by Carers UK by Professor Luke Clements.
www.carersuk.org/professionals/order-publications

This fifth edition includes updates based on a number of statutory and case law developments since the last edition, implementation of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 and the Work and Families Act 2006, the impact of the Equality Act 2010 and coincides with the first tangible impacts of the Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010.