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Requesting Adult Social Care Support

Adults

During office hours concerns should be reported by calling:
0300 373 3732

Out of hours

Outside normal office hours concerns should be reported to the Emergency Duty Team on 01228 526690.

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

Members of the public should report concerns about a child to 0333 240 1727 or complete a single contact form by clicking here.

Outside normal office hours concerns about a child should be reported to the Emergency Duty Team on 0333 240 1727.

Professionals should refer to the Cumberland LSCB professional's page for guidance about raising a concern. Click here to access it.

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.

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.

Online

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

Citizens Advice Bureaus

The following are a list of Citizens Advice Bureaus in Cumberland, and details of their drop in sessions:

Citizens Advice Allerdale

Town Hall
Oxford Street
Workington
Cumbria
CA14 2RS

Telephone advice line: 01900 604735
(Drop in: 9.30am-12.30pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday)

Carlisle

4th Floor Broadacre House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DA
(Drop in: 1pm-6pm Monday, 10am-3.30pm Wednesday and Friday)

General telephone advice: 03444 111 444
Money Advice: 03300 563 037

Age UK

Older adults and their carers can access information and advice, as well as a range of services from Age UK. Use the details below to find out where the nearest office is in your area.

West Cumbria
Tel: 01900 844670
Email info@ageukwestcumbria.org.uk

Carlisle
Tel: 01228 536673 (Carlisle)
Emailadmin@ageukcarlisleandeden.org.uk

Carers

Carers can also access bespoke information and advice from Carers Support Cumberland. Use the details below to find out where your nearest offices are:

Tel: 0844 384 3230
Emailadviceline@carlislecarers.co.uk

Financial Assessment

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 Cumberland's policy to provide all carers services on a non-chargeable basis.

You may also find the dedicated pages of our website useful. Click here to access them.

National information and advice contacts

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.

Understanding the information and advice

If 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.

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 only general information and advice about adult Care and Support can be provided.

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.

Click here to access the procedure for Providing Information about a Person or Carer.

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 are those services that delay, reduce or prevent the development of Care and Support needs.

Some prevention services are provided by the Local Authority and some are provided by the community or partner organisations, such as health. Prevention services provided by the community or partner organisations can routinely be accessed without Local Authority involvement so it can often be worth exploring these before contacting the Local Authority.

If you make a referral the local authority will need to establish what prevention services have been accessed or explored already and which prevention services may be beneficial in order to fulfill its legal responsibilities around prevention.

To request support from adult social care you can:

  1. Complete an online enquiry form by clicking here; or
  2. Contact your local office using the details below.

Allerdale and Copeland
West Cumbria House
PO Box 100
CA14 9BW
Telephone: 0300 373 3732
Email: customerservicesASC@cumberland.gov.uk

Carlisle
3rd Floor
Cumbria House
117 Botchergate
Carlisle
CA1 1RD
Telephone: 0300 373 3732
Email: customerservicesASC@cumberland.gov.uk

Carers

Carers can use the same contact details above but they can also go direct to Carers Support Cumberland:

Tel: 0844 384 3230
Emailadviceline@carlislecarers.co.uk

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. As such, it is important that the person making the referral provides the right information in the right way, so that:

  1. The service receiving the referral can determine the best course of action following referral; and
  2. The person does not have to unnecessarily repeat what they have said should their assessment progress into a more prolonged intervention.

When making a referral using one of the local authorities Referral Forms make sure that you complete all required sections of the form.

When making a referral by telephone please ensure that you have the following information available/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.

If any of the above information is not available when the referral is being made the referrer may be asked to make further contact to provide the additional information required.

Last Updated: May 7, 2024

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