Social Services

What is Social and Community Services?

Social and Community Services is the new name for Social Services.  

The Social and Community Services Directorate works in partnership with individuals, groups, communities and other organisations (including the NHS) to protect vulnerable people. Services provided include:

• Personal Care - washing and dressing etc.
• Meals
• Laundry Service*
• Home shopping
• Day Centres
• Housing adaptations
• Respite Care
• Residential and Nursing Care
• Money Management Team
• Telecare
• Breaks for Carers

NB: Laundry Service:

This service is available to people who meet the following criteria:

• Being unable to manage to do their own laundry and / or lack of facilities for laundry to be done safely in their own home by others.
• Being at risk if the failure to provide such a service would endanger the client's health and well-being.
  

As from December 2010, Social and Community Services is organised in the following way: 

All adults over the age of 18 in need to Adult Social Care, excluding those with a significant mental health problem or learning disability, will be support by one of five Adult Social Care Teams.  

The five new Adult Social Care teams will support these 14 localities as follows:

The addresses for each locality team are below.

These changes will mean that, other than admissions to hospital, customers will be supported by the same team for as long as adult social care support is required.  There may be different workers involved such as an occupational therapist or social worker, but they willl be from within the same team and under the same manager.

The Social and Community Services aims to place an even greater emphasis on supporting people to be as independant as possible through the provision of equipment, adaptations and rehabilitive services.

Where someone does require longer term support, there will be a personal budget that will allow all customers to decide for themselves how support services should be purchased. Customers will have the choice of being able to arrange support directly themselves or with an independent broker.  Social and Community Services will support those with the most complex needs to develop individual support plans.

Referring to New Teams:

Where a person is currently being supported by one of the Adult Social Care teams, then please contact that team directly.                      

Contact Details:

Additional Information

Occupational Therapists

A person with dementia is entitled to a specialist assessment (for assistive equipment and adaptations), by an occupational therapist (OT).

An occupational therapist (OT) can visit the home to assess whether items such as handrails, grab rails or level access showers/baths would be helpful. Most people find the OT's visit and subsequent adaptations very helpful.

Social & Community Services occupational therapists are based at local Social & Community Services Offices. If you are unsure of which team to contact, you should contact the customer services unit, on 01865 375515.

Shared Lives - formerly known as the Adult Placement Service - is a mutually beneficial service for cares and the people who live with them

The Shared Lives service aims to provide support for people within ordinary homes. There are around 100 providers in Oxfordshire who can offer short stays, support for a few hours a day, or somewhere to live longer term. You will be matched with a SL Provider who can offer as much support as you need.

In every placement you are helped and supported by a SL Provider who has been carefully selected and trained by the Shared Lives Service.

Shared Lives is different from other types of care because you will be included as part of the family. You might choose Shaed Lives because you want to live in a family home where you can be supported to have a break or to prepare to live independently, or because you want the special kind of support and friendship that a SL Provider can offer you in your own home.

Further Information

Follow this link to the Oxfordshire County Council's web pages about getting an assessment, eligibility criteria, direct payments, the single assessment process, charges for care and much more:

See also our section Carers - Looking After Yourself, for information on Carers' Assessments.

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Last updated:  16th September 2011