Useful Links

General Advice

For further advice and specific information on services offered by Surrey County Council Adult Social Care Team visit:
www.surreycc.gov.uk

Carers UK is a website offering advice services aimed at carers, to offer support and information.
www.carersuk.org

A Surrey based Charity Social information on disability has a website with a wealth of information for people with disability, their carers, friends and family
www.asksid.org.uk

SID's sister site gives information on living with a disability in Surrey
www.askenid.org.uk

Counsel and Care is a website for older people, their families and carers. Offering advice and support on all aspects of care.
www.counselandcare.org.uk

The National Council for Independent Living (NCIL) offers an advice service covering all aspects of independent living for disabled people.
www.ncil.org.uk

If you are under the age of 18 and are a carer, then there is a website available specifically for you to access
www.sycp.org/youngcarers/livesites/useful.html

In-Control, a service established in 2003 to transform the social care system to enable people to take greater control over their lives. They offer advice on all aspects of direct payments and individual budgets.
www.in-control.org.uk

Care Choices has a website where you can access e-books of information on care providers in Surrey
www.carechoices.co.uk

The Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) has 2 websites, each offering advice and information, one for older people the other for people with learning disabilities

Older people: www.cat.csip.org.uk

Learning disabilities: www.valuingpeople.gov.uk

Care home handbook: www.counselandcare.org.uk

Funding

For older people considering direct payments there is a fact sheet with further information on:
www.ageconcern.org.uk/ageconcern/fs24.asp

The Rowan Organisation, a charity support disabled people offers a range of factsheets on it's website for those taking direct payments and employing carers or personal assistants directly
www.therowan.org/factsheets

Care Aware offer information specifically on funding long term residential care, including a flow chart to help you assess your individual circumstances.
www.careaware.co.uk

Advocacy services

The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) offers advocacy advice and services for people for visual impairment.
www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/
publicwebsite/public_communitycare.hcsp

Age Concern in Surrey has an advocacy service for the older person living independently or in residential care in the Surrey area.
www.acsurrey.org.uk/advice/advocacy.htm

Independent Mental Capacity Advocate Service offers services across Surrey. East Surrey is served by Kingston Advocacy Group, West Surrey by Just Advocacy
www.kag.org.uk
www.justadvocacy.org.uk

For people with learning disabilities, the Learning disability partnership board in Surrey offers advocacy and advice services
www.surreypb.org.uk/index.php?page=/advocacy

Regulation and advice about choosing care services

All Care providers have to be registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) until Apr 09 when that transfers to Care Quality Commission (CQC). For information on individual care providers:
www.csci.org.uk
www.cqc.org.uk

Counsel and Care on their website have a factsheet on what to look for when choosing a Domiciliary care agency to provide your care
www.counselandcare.org.uk/assets/library/documents/
15_home_care_agencies_what_to_look_for.pdf

Age Concern has produced a downloadable checklist for you to use when looking for a care home. Find and more information at:
www.ageconcern.co.uk/ageconcern/is25.asp

Help and advice lines

If you would prefer to talk to someone, rather than look through website information there are the following helplines available

Surrey Independent living council: 01483 458111

Social Information on Disability advice line: 0800 043 9395

Surrey County Council Contact Centre for general enquiries about Adult Social Care: 08456 009 009

Age Concern Surrey Advice line: 01483 446627 or Advocacy line: 01483 446644

Counsel and Care Helpline: 0845 300 7585

Care Choices offer a helpline for people with disability and the elderly looking for care: 0800 389 2007

Help the Aged Senior Line: 0800 800 656

Care Aware Helpline for funding advice on long term care for older people: 08705 134925

Relatives and Residents Association: 0207 359 8136

Eldercare Advice Line on paying for care: 01707 368945

Kingston Advocacy Service covers East Surrey: 0208 549 1028

Just Advocacy covers West Surrey: 01483 527759

NHS Direct for health related enquiries: 0845 4647

Others

For an insight to how direct payments work in practice, and the difference they have made to one persons life:
www.suesdirectpayments.org.uk