About this factsheet

This factsheet is part of RNID’s benefits range. It is written for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and aged 19 or over. We use the term ‘people who are deaf’ to refer to people who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.

This factsheet tells you more about the services you can expect from your local social services department. Read it to find out

If you are the parent of a child who is deaf, contact The National Deaf Children Society (NDCS) for more information.

If you would like this factsheet on audio tape, in Braille or in large print, please contact the RNID Information Line

What does a social services department do?

Your local authority’s social services department is responsible for assessing your need for ‘community care services’ and arranging or providing these services. Your local authority may be called a Unitary Authority, County Council, Metropolitan Borough Council or London Borough Council, depending on where you live. Social services provided by the local authority can include:

Local authorities can directly provide services themselves or make arrangements for private or voluntary sector organisations to provide care on their behalf. The local authority also has the power to give people money (direct payments) to buy their own community care services once they have been assessed as needing help (see What are direct payments?).

Housing-related support needs

You might need extra support to help you maintain your home. This support could include counselling and help to complete housing forms, or the provision of a warden or an alarm service. These housing-related needs may be provided under the Supporting People scheme, which is separate from any help from social services.

Who can get help from social services?

Social services departments deal with many different groups of people with particular needs. These include:

All social services departments have to set out eligibility criteria and a charter that will explain what sort of help they aim to provide and which groups of people will be able to get help from them. You can get a copy of the charter from the social services department, a hospital social services department, a Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), or perhaps in the library or your GP's surgery.

How can I find out what is available locally?

Social services departments in different parts of the country offer people who are deaf a different range of services and support. This is because the law sets out in general what every social services department must provide, but local policies and resources also influence the kinds of services that are available locally.

The social services department should be in the telephone directory under the name of your local authority. If you can’t find the social services department listed, contact the main number for the council and ask for any of the following – social services, the sensory support team or social worker with deaf people.

Some social services offices are based in hospitals, or you may be referred to them by your doctor or GP. Your town hall, council offices, or CAB will also be able to tell you how to contact social services.

Do I have a say?

Yes. Social services have to consult with their local communities, including people who are deaf, about the kind of service that is needed. This gives you the chance to say what is important to you, explain where there are gaps in the service and suggest how to make improvements. The frequency of these consultations will vary. If you want to give your opinion, contact the director of social services in your area.

How do I register as deaf?

In England, deaf and hard of hearing people can register with their local social services department. This is voluntary and many people do not register. You cannot be refused help from social services just because you are not on the register.

To apply to go on the register you should contact your local social services department. The local authority uses the information from their disability registers when planning what services to provide.

What sort of help may be available?

You may be able to get equipment and support services from your local social services because you are deaf. Some social workers who work with people who are deaf provide welfare benefits advice or assist with difficult situations in people’s lives.

Assessment of need

If you need help or support because of your hearing loss, ask social services to assess your needs. A trained officer will usually visit you in your home. They will look at your living circumstances, your care needs and your communication needs. They will decide what equipment and other support would help make you more independent. You should be re-assessed regularly to see if your needs have changed.

You may have to fill in forms and wait for the visit. There are no national rules setting out how quickly a local authority must carry out an assessment. The government has said that all local authorities should try to complete assessments within 28 days and services should be put in place within a further 28 days.

The local authority cannot refuse to assess your needs. If you are assessed as needing a service according to the local eligibility criteria, then social services must provide or arrange for that service. They cannot say they do not have the financial resources to provide that service for you. However, they may charge you for certain services they provide (see below).
 
You may be unhappy with a social services assessment if:

To complain about an assessment, see How can I make a complaint?

Your financial circumstances should have no bearing on whether the local authority carries out an assessment or arranges a service for you.

Carer's assessment

Your carer can also ask for their own needs to be assessed when your care needs are being assessed or reassessed. A carer is anyone who helps to look after another person – for example, your partner or a relative, friend or neighbour.

If you are caring for someone else, you can ask both for their care needs and your own needs to be assessed. The local authority must take account of the ability of the carer to continue to provide care on a regular basis.

Equipment

If you need special equipment, you may have to wait for the equipment to be delivered or installed. Someone from social services should explain how to use the equipment.

In many parts of the country, social services provide a fixed range of equipment, but you may be able to have some choice from what’s on offer. If you want to find out more about the sort of equipment you might find useful, contact the RNID Information Line.

Can I get communication support for meetings with social services?

Yes – depending on your communication needs you should get communication support for any social services interviews. You should let social services know in advance if you require, for example, a BSL/English interpreter.

Are services free?

It depends on the service. You normally do not have to pay for any equipment provided by social services – it will be loaned to you.

You may be charged for other social services such as home care, respite care, meals on wheels, day care and residential care. There are special rules that set out how to pay for residential care. For all other non-residential services, your local authority will have a charging policy that sets out how much they charge for social services and who is expected to pay these charges. Your local social services department cannot refuse to assess your needs because of the level of your income or your savings.

The local authority has to assess your income to decide the level of charges you may have to pay. If you are on Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based) or Pension Credit, you will not have to pay a charge for any non-residential services you receive. If your income is not much more than the rates of these benefits, you will only have to pay a reduced charge. If you receive a housing-related service under the Supporting People scheme as well as help from social services, then your charge for both services can be assessed together. Some minor adaptations to your home may also be carried out free of charge. If you need major adaptations to your home, you can apply for a disabled facilities grant to help with the cost. The amount you have to pay towards the cost will depend on your income and savings. Your local social services can give you more information about disabled facilities grants.

What are direct payments?

If you meet the criteria for receiving help from social services, you may want to ask for direct payments. This means social services will give you money to pay for services yourself, which can give you greater choice. You may prefer this if you want to make your own decisions on the sort of services you receive. For example, this means that you could employ your own care workers or buy your own equipment. Your local social services department must give you advice about direct payments, but you do not have to use them if you would prefer the local authority to arrange services for you.

If you choose to receive direct payments to provide your own care, your local social services must provide you with support to help you manage the payments.

What are individual budgets?

There are various names for individual budgets, depending on your local authority. It might be called ‘self-directed support’ or ‘personal budgets’, among other terms.

Individual budgets are very similar to direct payments, but the money doesn’t come only from social services budgets, but also from disability facilities grants, Access to Work monies and supported people's provisions, among other sources.

Individual budgets are more flexible then direct payments, partly because of the funding, but also because of how you can use them. Individual budgets allow you to employ family members to help with care. But they also mean that you don’t have to buy traditional care services. You could, for example, buy a season ticket for your local football team as a way of giving family members a regular respite from their care duties.

How can I make a complaint?

If you are unhappy about the service you have received from social services, you have the right to complain. Social services departments and any organisations working on their behalf should provide clear information about how you can complain.

When you complain, social services must acknowledge your complaint within three working days. On acknowledging your complaint, which they can do verbally or in writing, the council must discuss with you how the complaint will be handled and when you will receive a written response that indicates the outcome.

Social services have a maximum of six months to respond to the complaint. However, if you are promised an earlier response in your initial discussions, you should be kept informed of any delays.

If you are unhappy with the result of your complaint, you can complain further to the Local Government Ombudsman's office.

What is the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)?

The DDA aims to stop discrimination against customers who are deaf or disabled – someone who buys goods, or uses facilities or services. It seeks to give people who are deaf or disabled equal and enforceable rights and access to goods, facilities or services. The DDA says that service providers are not allowed to treat disabled people less favourably because of their disability.

Under the DDA, ‘service providers’ are most companies or organisations that offer goods, facilities or services in the UK to the public. It does not matter whether the services are free or paid for. Local authority services are covered by the act.

Since December 2006, all local authorities and social services departments have had a duty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. They should publish a Disability Equality Scheme (DED) that sets out what they will do and how they will measure their progress. For more information see our factsheets The Disability Equality Duty (DED) – a guide for deaf people and The Disability Equality Duty (DED) – a guide for public authorities.

What is the Human Rights Act 1998?

The Human Rights Act 1998 aims to protect people’s human rights. It does this by saying:

The Human Rights Act only applies to ‘public authorities’. Public authorities include local authorities and councils with social services responsibilities.

For more information, see our factsheets:

Where can I find out about equipment?

You can get up-to-date information about equipment by visiting the RNID Shop or by contacting the RNID Information Line for our Solutions catalogue, which gives details of equipment for deaf and hard of hearing people.

Where can I get further information?

The National Deaf Children's Society
NDCS supports children, young people and their families in overcoming the challenges of childhood deafness.
The National Deaf Children’s Society, 15 Dufferin Street,
London EC1Y 8UR
Tel/textphone 0808 800 8880 Fax 020 7251 5020
helpline@ndcs.org.uk
http://www.ndcs.org.uk/ (external link, opens new browser window)

Age Concern
Age Concern England produces a range of factsheets about social services for older people.
Information Line 0800 00 99 66
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/ (external link, opens new browser window)

The Commission for Local Administration in England
For a free leaflet explaining the Ombudsman’s role.
Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP
Telephone 0845 602 1983 (local call rate)
The Ombudsman website:
http://www.lgo.org.uk/ (external link, opens new browser window)

Further information from RNID

Our Information Line offers a wide range of information on many aspects of deafness and hearing loss. Contact us for further copies of this factsheet and our full range of information factsheets and leaflets. You can also contact us if you would like information in Braille, on audiotape or large print.

RNID Information Line

19-23 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL.
Telephone 0808 808 0123
Textphone 0808 808 9000
Fax 020 7296 8199
SMS 0780 0000 360 (supported by Lloyds TSB)
informationline@rnid.org.uk   
http://www.rnid.org.uk/ (external link, opens new browser window)

RNID Information, September 2009