Why have I been asked to pay towards the cost of my community care services?
Where can I hire an electric wheelchair?
Where can I get a Disabled Persons Freedom Pass / taxicard?
Where can I get meals on wheels?
Where do I go for housing advice?
How can I get Disability Living Allowance (DLA)?
What is Careline and how much does it cost?
How do I get a care package?
If you are an adult and you think that you need a care package, then you need to get in touch with Adult Social Care to ask for an assessment. Adult Social Care has to give an assessment to anyone who appears to be in need of community care services.
If you are a resident of Camden then you can call Adult Social Care in Camden on their Information and Access number (0207 974 4000) and tell them that you would like to be assessed. You will also have to give them some information about why you think you need community care services.
Camden adult social care currently only funds people who meet the critical or substantial FACS (Fair Access to Services) criteria. This means that it is unlikely that you will be able to get a care package if you only need support with domestic tasks such as cleaning. If you do not meet the critical or substantial FACS criteria, they may be able to signpost you to other organisations that may be able to help.
For more information, have a look at Camden’s website.
Download a copy of the FACS criteria.
Why have I been asked to pay towards the cost of my community care services?
If you receive Community Care then you will be asked to have a financial assessment to find out if you can afford to pay towards the cost of your care.
The assessment officer will look at your income and allow for your living expenses. This allowance will vary according to you living circumstances e.g. age, rent costs etc. The assessment officer will also include in your allowance an amount for disability related expenses.
After working out your allowance, the assessment officer will compare it with your income. If your income is more, then you will be asked to pay any income above the allowance towards the costs of your care but you will not have to pay any more than the cost of your care.
Camden will ignore the following income:
Any earnings
Any amount of savings
credit paid with pension credit
Working tax credit
The mobility component of Disability Living Allowance
The first £10 of any war pension
Housing and Council tax benefit
Benefits for your children
Child maintenance
For more information call the Camden Awards and Contributions Team: 020 7974 1607
It is always useful for you to prepare for your financial assessment e.g. find your bank statements, evidence of benefits etc. It is also very beneficial for you to think about the costs that you incur because of your disability. This article on disability related expenses that we printed in our newsletter may be useful.
If you are worried about an assessment then it could be helpful to have an advocate to support you.
For further information call DISC’s advocacy service on 0203 317 5071.
Where can I hire an electric wheelchair?
The Supported Self Assessment (SSA) is a means of allowing you to express your own view of your well-being and care needs. This takes the form of a questionnaire.
How do I get Access to Work?
Access to Work can help you if your health or disability affects the way you do your job. It gives you and your employer advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of your needs. You can use it to help pay towards the equipment you need at work, adapting premises to meet your needs, or a support worker. It can also pay towards the cost of getting to work if you cannot use trains or buses, and for a communicator at job interviews, if you need one.
Follow this link to check if you can apply for Access to Work support. If you are eligible, you can print a confirmation letter and use it when you are talking to employers about a job.
Where can I get a blue badge?
You need to contact your local council to apply for a blue badge. They will send you an application form which you need to fill in and send back to them along with two recent passport sized photographs. You may also be able to apply for a blue badge online.
Download an application form for residents of Camden.
Eligibility: Some people qualify automatically for a blue badge without having an assessment. This applies to you if you are over two years old and either:
receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance;
are registered blind;
receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement.
You may also be eligible for a badge if you are over two years old and either:
have a permanent and substantial disability which means you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult;
drive a motor vehicle regularly; have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable or would find it very difficult to operate all or some types of parking meter.
If you do not automatically qualify you will asked by your local council to answer some questions to help them to assess if you are eligible for a blue badge. They may also need to get information from your doctor.
For information for residents of Camden, visit their website.
Where can I get a Disabled Persons Freedom Pass / taxicard?
This is a pass which is provided by your local authority and entitles disabled and older people to free transport on most public transport in London.
Eligibility Applicants must be over five years of age and have their sole or principal address in the borough of the local authority they are applying to. Proof of address is required. Applicants over the age of 60 years of age qualify automatically for an older person's freedom pass.
As of 1 April 2001 the Transport Act 2000 introduced seven new criteria for the issue of DPFP (Disabled Persons Freedom Pass). You can apply if you: are blind or partially sighted are profoundly or severely deaf; are without speech; have a disability or have suffered an injury which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to walk; do not have any arms or have long-term loss of the use of both arms; have a disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind, which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning would, if you applied for a driving licence under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have your application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) other than on the grounds of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol. The only benefits that automatically qualify you for a Freedom Pass are the: Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance; The War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement. Applicants who do not meet any of the above criteria may still be eligible for a DPFP even though they do not automatically qualify. Those applicants applying because of a 'severe, enduring and long term mental health disability' must be in receipt of a current Enhanced Level of the Care Programme Approach (CPA).
Application You need to contact your local authority to apply – this is usually done via their accessible transport team.
Download an application form for residents of Camden.
Residents of Camden can find more from their website.
Camden Accessible transport team 0207 9745919
For general information about the freedom pass.
Taxicard
Taxicard is a method of providing subsidised door-to-door transport for people who have serious mobility impairment and difficulty in using public transport. Taxicard holders make journeys in licensed London taxis and the subsidy applies directly to each trip.
Taxicard is for people with a long term mobility impairment, or severe sight impairment, which makes it difficult for them to use mainstream public transport such as tubes, buses and trains. Long term means that the effect of the impairment has lasted or is likely to last at least 12 months.
Eligibility Receive the Higher Rate Mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance; be registered as Severely Sight Impaired/Blind (Being Partially Sighted does not allow automatic entry); receive a War Pension Mobility Supplement. Proof will be required that you are in one of the above categories. If you are not in one of the above categories you may still apply, but you will need to get a section of the application form signed and stamped by your GP and/or may have to provide further information or be required to have a mobility assessment.
Application You need to request an application form from your local authority.
Alternatively download the relevant application form by going to this website.
Download an application form for Camden residents
For general information.
For more information for residents of Camden.
Where can I get meals on wheels?
Local authorities offer a service which delivers cooked meals to people at home if they can not prepare a daily hot meal. This scheme is often called meals on wheels or community meals.
If you would like to receive this service then you need to contact your council’s social services department.
They will then assess your needs to see if you are eligible for this service.
Residents of Camden need to contact the Information and Access Team (for Adult Social Care) on 020 7974 4000.
If Camden Adult Social Care assesses you as being eligible for the service you will be able to receive hot meals delivered to your home for a subsidised rate of £3 for a meal.
Alternatively, if you do not want to go via social services you can contact the Camden Community Meal scheme directly on 0844 9361 480/1. This means that you will pay the full price to receive the meals which is £7.
For more information for residents of Camden follow this link.
Where do I go for housing advice?
The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) can offer some housing advice via appointment, telephone or online.
To find out the location of your local CAB.
To look at the CAB online advice guide re: Housing.
To call the CAB in Camden: 0844 856 3700.
To contact CAB Housebound service: 0207 428 1616.
Alternatively, you can also go to a local community law centre for housing advice. To find your nearest community law centre.
Residents of Camden can contact the Camden Community Law Centre for housing advice: 2 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5 3LQ
Telephone 020 7284 6510.
Residents of Camden may also want to contact
Camden Council’s Housing Options Team 0207 974 5801.
How can I find legal advice?
Community Legal Advice has a useful website which offers legal advice for residents of England and Wales. The website also helps you to search for legal advisers that accept legal aid in your area.
Community Legal Advice can also offer some legal advice on the phone to those who qualify for legal aid. If you live on a low income or on benefits then it is likely that you will qualify for legal aid.
The helpline number is 0845 345 4345.
How can I get Disability Living Allowance (DLA)?
To claim DLA call 0800 88 22 00 to request a claim form.
They will send out a form to you which you need to fill in and return by the date that is stamped on the form.
Alternatively you can fill it in online.
If you need help with making a DLA claim you may want to contact DISC’s advice line on 0207 3834 775.
What is Careline and how much does it cost?
Careline Telecare is a community alarm service. They provide people with an alarm button which can be worn around the neck or the wrist. This alarm notifies a control centre and a member of staff will contact you or family members or emergency services if appropriate. This service is useful for people who would like to live independently but want to be able to contact help quickly.
Careline Telecare costs between £3.60 – £4.60 week depending on what level of service you choose.
To find out more look at their website.