Social and Community Services
Community Care and Criminal Justice:
Departmental Teams
Community Care Team
The Community Care Team offers a wide range of Community Care services to people who are assessed and meet the eligibility criteria.
The Community Care Teams aim to help those people to live as independently as they can in their own homes or in homely facilities in the community.
| Community Care Teams | |
|---|---|
| Lewis | 16 Francis Street, Stornoway |
| Harris | Council Offices, Tarbert, Isle of Harris |
| The Uists | Council Offices, Balivanich, Benbecula |
| Barra | Council Offices, Castlebay, Isle of Barra |
Some of the services provided include:
- Home Care (Please Contact Us if you would like a 'Home Care' leaflet).
- Community care Assessment (Please Contact Us if you would like either or both of the leaflets 'Caring for People at Home' or 'Looking After People as they get Old')
Eligibility for Care Services Leaflet (PDF, 225k)
- Residential Care (Care Homes )
- Mental Health - provides a range of services for people living in the community who are affected by mental health problems. Some of which include assessment of needs, specialist advice, practical and emotional support, day occupational/supported work placement. (Mental Health Senior Practitioner contact details.)
Adult Support and Protection Act (PDF, 2.2M)
The Local Authority is fulfilling it's duties in providing Mental Health Officers who would specifically carry out work under:-- Criminal Procedures (Scotland) Act 1995 (b)
- Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (c)
- Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003
- Physical Disabilites - a full range of services for disabled people living in the area. These include assessment of needs, aids and equipment to help with tasks of daily living, funding to meet the cost of temporary adaptations to houses, provision of day services opportunities and supported accommodation. (Taigh Blath)
- Learning Disabilites - there is a full range of services and support available to people with learning difficulties and their families, including access to all general services such as assessment of needs, advice, support etc, plus:
- an assessment and therapy unit, and respite care or children from birth to 18yrs funded by Social Work, and run by NCH
- residential and respite care, plus day occupational placement for adults with learning difficulties
- a Local Area Co-ordinator to support people who have learning disabilities and/or their families:
Local Area Co-ordinator’s in Scotland promote the rights of people who have learning disabilities and their families/carers. It supports people to live ordinary lives within their communities in line with the principles of Independent living. ‘Independent living means people with disabilities of all ages having the same freedom, choice, dignity and control as other citizens at home, at work, and in the community.’LAC’s help to connect individuals and families to services, networks and facilities across all spheres of life.
LAC’s work with people who have learning disabilities and their families, as well as with community groups and organisations.The aim is to build inclusion by supporting people to develop their individual capacity and by working with communities to develop capacity for inclusion. LAC achieve this by working flexibly across organizational and professional boundaries.
In practice LAC’s focus on discovering, connecting and creating opportunities to develop individual, family and community based assets. Local Area Co-ordination is a principles based approach which emphasises the rights of people who have learning disabilities to participate in all aspects of community, private, public and social life.
Information Leaflets:
The Local Authority is working towards the Scottish Executive recommendations in the SAY Review for people with learning difficulties.
Contact details for the LD Area Co-ordinator can be found on the Development Team page.
- Direct Payments - A Direct Payment can be offered by the Social Work Department to people assessed as needing Community Care Services and who meet Direct Payment eligibility criteria. (for more information please click on DP link)
- Blue Badge Scheme - This Scheme is a national arrangement of parking concessions for people with severe walking difficulties, whether they are a driver or a passenger. More information on the Blue Badge Scheme is available on the Blue Badge page.
- Faire - the 24-hour-a-day service is operated by the Finance and Corporate Resources Department to provide reassurance for people living on their own, immediate response in an emergency, reassurance and support for carers. For more information click on the link to direct you to FAIRE's own mini site.
- Supporting People - Supporting people is a new integrated policy and funding framework for housing support services introduced from April 2003, The aim is to provide good quality services, focused on the needs of the users, to enable vulnerable people to live independently in the community, in all types of accommodation and tenure
The Social and Community Services department is responsible for the Western Isles supporting people funding from the Scottish Executive. (Contact details for the SP Lead Officer can be found on the Development Team page)
- Sight Action - will provide a quality specialist service for people with blindness / sight loss or deafness / hearing loss in the Western Isles.
(Sight Action Website)
People who wish to seek further information or initial advice and assistance can contact the Community Care Team, Social and Community Care Services and speak to the Duty Social Worker between 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday where a worker is available to give advice and assistance either in person or by telephone. No appointment is necessary. (Contact Us)
Further information on Home Care and Community Care Assessment will be added to these pages in due course.
