Requesting Adult Social Care Support

1. Requesting Adult Social Care Support

To request support from adult social care:

Phone: 020 8496 3000
Minicom: 020 8496 3010
Email: WFDLiaison@walthamforest.gov.uk

Before requesting an assessment, consider whether it would be helpful to first use the Self Assessment Tool or Health and Wellbeing Planner (see below).

Hospital Team

If the referral relates to a person admitted to hospital see Making a Referral (Hospital Team).

Learning Disability Team

General referrals

General referrals should be made using the phone, minicom or email details above.

Referrals by health professionals

Health professionals should complete the SPA Referral form. This can be found in the Local Resources area by clicking here.

When completed the referral should be emailed securely using the details at the bottom of the form.

Mental Health Services

All Mental Health Services, including social work must be made by a GP through the E-Referrals system.

For information, advice, signposting and access to services in an emergency you can contact Mental Health Direct 24 hours a day on 0300 555 1000.

2. Raising a Safeguarding Concern

Adults

To raise an urgent concern call 020 8496 3000 or email WFDLiaison@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Note: If you are raising the concern outside of normal office hours use the telephone number and an Emergency Duty Social Worker will call you back.

To raise a non-urgent concern, wherever possible use the online referral form by clicking here.

Note: When using the online form you may be asked to Register or Login. If so, you can bypass this request by selecting ‘continue without an account’. You will then be taken to the referral form.

If you do not have internet access or are unable to complete the online referral form independently you can visit a Library Plus branch where self service computers are available and staff are on hand to provide support if needed.

  • Chingford Library Plus - The Green, Chingford, E4 7EN;
  • Leyton Library Plus - High Road, Leyton, E10 5QH;
  • Leytonstone Library Plus - 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone, E11 1HG;
  • Walthamstow Library Plus - High Street, Walthamstow, E17 7JN.

If it is not possible to use the online contact form, use one of the alternative methods of contact. The most important thing is that a referral is made.

If you are concerned that an adult is in imminent danger from abuse or neglect, or that a criminal act has taken place you should contact the police by dialing 999.

Children

To raise a concern about a child call:

  1. 020 8496 2310 (Monday-Thursday 9am-5.15, Friday 9am-5pm); or
  2. 020 8496 3000 (out of hours).
If you are concerned that a child is in imminent danger from abuse or neglect, or that a criminal act has taken place you should contact the police by dialing 999.

3. Steps to Consider before Requesting Adult Social Care Support

Online Self-Assessment Tool

If you are not sure whether you would benefit from adult social care support, or if you just need information and advice relevant to your specific needs and circumstances you can complete the online Self Assessment Tool.

By answering some quick questions you will:

  • Be directed to information and advice services that could help you live independently and improve your wellbeing;
  • Find out how likely you are to be eligible for care and support; and
  • Find out whether or not you would have to pay for some or all of the support you may receive.

After completing the self referral you will have the chance to make a formal referral if this is still something you wish to do.

Click here to find out more and access the Self Assessment Tool.

Note: If you do not have internet access or are unable to complete the Self Assessment Tool independently you can visit a Library Plus branch where self service computers are available and staff are on hand to provide support if needed.

  • Chingford Library Plus - The Green, Chingford, E4 7EN;
  • Leyton Library Plus - High Road, Leyton, E10 5QH;
  • Leytonstone Library Plus - 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone, E11 1HG;
  • Walthamstow Library Plus - High Street, Walthamstow, E17 7JN.

Wellbeing Plan

If you are contacting adult social care because you want to make some positive changes to improve your health and wellbeing, or that of your family you may be interested in the online Health and Wellbeing Planner.

The Planner will help you to identify goals in different areas of your life and provide information and advice to help you achieve them.

To find out more or create a plan click here.

Note: If you do not have internet access or are unable to complete the Wellbeing Plan independently you can visit a Library Plus branch where self service computers are available and staff are on hand to provide support if needed.

  • Chingford Library Plus - The Green, Chingford, E4 7EN;
  • Leyton Library Plus - High Road, Leyton, E10 5QH;
  • Leytonstone Library Plus - 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone, E11 1HG;
  • Walthamstow Library Plus - High Street, Walthamstow, E17 7JN.

Information and Advice

If the purpose of the contact is to access information and advice about adult Care and Support there are a range of alternative options available.

In person

  • Chingford Library Plus - The Green, Chingford, E4 7EN;
  • Leyton Library Plus - High Road, Leyton, E10 5QH;
  • Leytonstone Library Plus - 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone, E11 1HG;
  • Walthamstow Library Plus - High Street, Walthamstow, E17 7JN.

Online

Click here to access the Adult Social Care information and advice pages of our website.

Carers

Carers can also access bespoke information and advice through Carer’s First;

Phone: 0300 303 1555
Email: info@carersfirst.org.uk

Click here to complete the Carer’s First online self referral form.

Note: If you do not have internet access or are unable to complete the referral form independently you can visit a Library Plus branch where self service computers are available and staff are on hand to provide support if needed.

  • Chingford Library Plus - The Green, Chingford, E4 7EN;
  • Leyton Library Plus - High Road, Leyton, E10 5QH;
  • Leytonstone Library Plus - 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone, E11 1HG;
  • Walthamstow Library Plus - High Street, Walthamstow, E17 7JN.

Mental Health

For mental health specific information and advice you can contact Mental Health Direct 24 hours a day on 0300 555 1000.

Transition to Adult Services

The answers to a range of frequently asked questions regarding transition can be found on our website by clicking here.

The Local Offer also provides information about all of the following local services for young adults going through transition:

  1. Employment, training, further education;
  2. Health;
  3. Money and benefits;
  4. Places to go, things to do;
  5. Social Care;
  6. Housing.

Click here to access it.

Financial Assessment FAQ's

Click here to see the answers to some frequently asked questions around financial assessment, including questions relating to Disabled Facilities Grants.

Note: This FAQ is based on statutory duties and powers and does not reflect Waltham Forest’s policy to provide all carers services on a non-chargeable basis.

National Organisations

Sometimes it is helpful to contact a well known national organisation with a dedicated information and advice service or help-line. Click here for details of some national organisations offering this service.

Some national organisations do not have dedicated information and advice services but can still provide such support upon request. Click here for a wider range of useful national contacts for adult Care and Support.

If you feel the person for whom the information and advice is intended will need additional support to understand it then the Local Authority may be able to facilitate access to an independent advocate. However, there is no duty upon the Local Authority to do so and any decisions will be made on the available evidence and presenting circumstances. To discuss this further please contact us.

Consent

Referral

Referrals for adult Care and Support interventions cannot be taken unless:

  1. The person or carer the referral relates to is making the referral;
  2. The person or carer the referral relates to has given their consent to the referral; or
  3. The person that the referral relates to lacks mental capacity to make a referral and a decision has been made under Best Interests that a referral should be made; or
  4. The person that the referral relates to is at risk of harm from abuse or neglect.

Review

Requests for a review of an existing Care and Support/Support Plan can be made by anyone who has a concern that a plan may not be working as intended or a person's needs have changed. However, the person or carer whose plan it is must be consulted when deciding how to respond to the request, so it is important that wherever possible they know the request is being made from the outset.

Information sharing

Information relating to a particular person or carer already receiving a Care and Support service cannot be shared unless:

  1. The person or carer to whom it relates is the one requesting it;
  2. The person or carer to whom the information relates has given consent for it to be shared with the person requesting it; or
  3. The person to whom the information relates lacks capacity to consent for it to be shared but has a legally authorised person that agrees to it being shared;
  4. The person to whom the information relates lacks capacity to consent for it to be shared and the Local Authority makes a decision under Best Interests that it should be shared with the person requesting it; or
  5. The person is at risk of harm from abuse or neglect.

What can be provided without consent

Unless one of the above situations applies the service will only be able to provide general information and advice.

Where information is gathered or shared it will be done so with full regard to the Caldicott Principles and local information sharing policies.

Use the tri.x Resources tab to access further information about the Caldicott Principles in the glossary.

Consent to Contact/Referral and Mental Capacity

If there are concerns that the person may lack capacity to consent to the contact or referral then a proportionate mental capacity assessment must be carried out to determine whether this is the case. This can be carried out by the person making the contact or referral if they have the necessary skills to do so, or by the Local Authority as part of the referral process.

If the person has capacity to consent following the mental capacity assessment their consent must be obtained before making the contact or referral.

If the person lacks capacity to consent following the mental capacity assessment then a Best Interest Decision must be made to confirm that making the contact or referral will be in their Best Interests.

Click here to access the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Resource and Practice Toolkit, with guidance about assessing capacity and making best interest decisions.

Prevention Services

Under section 2 of the Care Act the Local Authority cannot provide intensive or on-going long term interventions to adults until it is satisfied that prevention services having been explored and deemed not suitable. To this effect if the person making the contact or referral possesses the necessary skills and knowledge to explore the prevention services available locally it should reasonably be expected that they will do so before making a contact or referral for more intensive support.

There are many kinds of prevention service available. Some are provided by the Local Authority and some are provided by the community or partner organisations, such as health.

Click here to read about the different types of prevention services described in the Care Act.

If you are not sure whether a prevention service is appropriate, or you feel that support from the service is going to be required alongside any prevention service you should proceed to make the contact or referral but you should make sure to explain what has already been explored in relation to prevention so that the service does not repeat the same questions of the person.

4. What Makes a Good Referral

Under the Care Act an assessment begins as soon as the Local Authority receives information relating to the person. How the assessment progresses will very much depend on the quality and comprehensiveness of the information provided at the referral stage.

When making a referral, please ensure that the following information is included:

  1. All personal details, including the persons full name (and also preferred name or previous surname), address and preferred contact details, date of birth, national insurance number and NHS number;
  2. The name, relationship and contact details of the person making the referral (if not the person themselves);
  3. When and how the person consented to the referral;
  4. If the person has not consented to the referral, was a mental capacity assessment carried out and is the referral being made under Best Interests;
  5. What the presenting issue is from the person's perspective and what they would like to happen;
  6. What the presenting issue is from the referrer's point of view (if the referrer is not the person) and what action they may recommend;
  7. What options have been considered with the person to resolve the issue so far, including what support the person has had from family and community networks;
  8. What information and advice has been provided to the person or what information and advice may be required;
  9. What prevention services have been used, considered or may be of benefit;
  10. Any specific communication needs of the person that need to be considered so they can understand and be involved in any adult Care and Support process;
  11. Whether the person is likely to have substantial difficulty in any adult Care and Support process, and if so whether an independent advocate has been considered;
  12. Details of any previous or current Care and Support services (whether the Local Authority is providing them or not);
  13. With the person's consent the name and contact details of anyone involved in their life who should be involved in any assessment (family member, friend or professional); and
  14. Any other information deemed relevant by the person or referrer (if the referrer is not the person).
If any of the above information is missing without a valid reason the referral may be returned to the referrer for additional information to support the outcome decision.