Social Care & Benefits

Social care is a term that generally describes all forms of personal care and other practical assistance for children, young people and adults who need extra support. It can range from aids and adaptations to make life easier around the home, to full time residential care. Some social care is provided by Bucks Council and some is provided by other organisations including charities and private care providers and is based on assessment of need.

Social care is complex and here we offer just some key starting points for information, support and advice. The organisations signposted below aim to help you navigate key parts of the social care system.

Buckinghamshire Council offers a range of social care services. Hands on carers and social work is provided following a formal assessment of need and referrals for adults (18+) can be made via the website.

Young people from aged 17 can be referred for transition support when preparing to leave school and commence college and enter adult services, this is also via the website.

There is a useful online directory of services that are offered in the community, covering all sorts of activities and support. One is for families and the other for adults.

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Benefits

Financial support may be available to you through the benefits system. The benefits system is complex and it may be useful to get advice and guidance on which benefits your family and family member with Downs’ syndrome may be entitled to.

Citizen’s Advice and Carers Bucks are great sources of advice on benefits and support.

There are local branches of Citizen’s Advice across Buckinghamshire including Chesham, Amersham and High Wycombe and their advisors are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about benefits, finance, housing, employment and many other matters. The service is FREE. CAB also has a good website with lots of useful information.

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Carers' Support

Parents may not always consider themselves to be carers, but Carers Bucks offers a wide range of support and some direct services to unpaid carers of all ages in differing roles including young carers and parents of those with a disability. All of their services are FREE and they are a fantastic local organisation.

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Housing

There are a number of options for accommodation when reaching adulthood, from living in the family home, to ownership, as well as residential care and supported living depending on individual need and circumstances.

A new charity called Where I Want to Live is developing online tools and resources to empower and educate young people with disabilities and their families about their future living options. This will help them to understand and explore the options available to them and to choose where and how they wish to live.

Trials of their new toolkit are underway and WIWTL is looking for people to use it and provide feedback (June 2022).

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