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Ealing’s new Advocacy and Advice service

Ealing’s new Advocacy and Advice service. Provided by. The Disability Advocacy & Advice Bureau is a service jointly run by Ealing Mencap and the Ealing Centre for Independent Living.

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Ealing’s new Advocacy and Advice service

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  1. Ealing’s new Advocacy and Advice service Provided by

  2. The Disability Advocacy & Advice Bureau is a service jointly run by Ealing Mencap and the Ealing Centre for Independent Living. DAB can help people who have disabilities and their carers to speak up, understand their rights and get the services they are entitled to. ECIL’s Bayham Road advice service and Ealing Mencap’s Lido based advocacy service are now both at 44 South Ealing Road, next to the Carers Centre. What is the DAB?

  3. DAB Advice DAB advice caseworkers are available to take referrals and make client appointments during office hours at the DAB office. They can help with the following: • Form Filling including: • Disability Living Allowance • Carers Allowance • Blue Badge/Freedom Pass • Retirement Benefit • Pension Credit • Other Tax Credit Forms • Other miscellaneous forms • Debt advice • Challenging Decisions • Housing Advice • Personalisation advice • Charity Applications • Mobility and Equipment Advice • Job Applications • CVs • Locata Bidding

  4. DAB Advocacy • DAB advocates can help people with disabilities and their carers to speak up and be heard. • DAB co-ordinates a number of self-advocacy groups including Ealing Partners and the Power Group (a consultation and advocacy group for people who have learning disabilities), Carers Together and the Individual Budget users group. • Advocacy caseworkers can support clients to attend meetings and visit clients in their home if necessary. • Examples of advocacy work could include: • Social care services – chasing up assessments, resolving issues with providers • Housing - contesting council banding, assisting with landlord disputes • Benefits – attending benefit tribunals, contesting claims • Family – forward planning for older carers, emergency provision • Complaints – within employment, education & health services • Making decisions – person centred planning, • Crisis advocacy

  5. Other DAB services In addition to advocacy and advice services, DAB co-ordinates a number of other services: • Support Planning service – A consortium of 5 organisations providing support planners to help people decide how to spend their budget and arrange their services. • Southall Asian carers advocacy – An advocacy and support service for carers and families living in Southall, focusing on families who require support with translation. • DAB Quality Checking service – Can provide quality checks on social care services through visits, interviews with service users and staff and observation. • Services that can be spot purchased – Carer’s assessments, specialist legal work with parents who have learning disabilities (via Pattie Vincent), Person Centred Planning and Support Planning for clients who live outside Ealing, self funders or clients who are not eligible for council funded social care services, consultancy and training.

  6. How to get in touch • You can contact DAB via phone, email or by dropping in to our office at 44 South Ealing Road. Carers and professionals can also refer people to DAB. • To contact DAB by phone, call 02088408573. This is the old contact no. for ECIL Bayham Road. • If there is another organisation who may be able to help you, we will put you in touch with them. • If you need advice or guidance which may take more time, our advice workers will arrange a time when you can meet 1:1. The DAB service has confidential interview space on-site. • If you need someone to speak up on your behalf, the advice worker will refer you to DAB Advocacy who will contact you to arrange an appointment. Your advocate can meet with you on-site or, attend meetings and appointments in other locations depending on your circumstances. The advocacy service deals with cases according to priority, so there may be a waiting list.

  7. The big changes • There is a clear separation between ‘Advice’ and ‘Advocacy’ services. • Mencap no longer has a specialist housing worker but we do have advocates and advice workers who have a wide range of training and experience. • We have less capacity – particularly within our advocacy service, but we are prioritising cases and working to resolve client’s problems more quickly. • DAB works with all kinds of disabled people but primarily provides a service to clients who have learning and/or physical disabilities. • We still provide specialist support but may require the council to spot purchase some services eg. carer assessments & work with parents who have learning disabilities. • The DAB service moved to the old Ealing Direct building from January 2012.

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