Care Direct Plus
Each of our three Care Direct Plus centres is made up of four teams. The three centres are in north, south and east Devon. The Arranging Support Team is not a public-facing team, the other three teams are public-facing.
The teams comprise of professionals such as social care assessors, social workers, occupational therapists, therapy assistants, and other types of support workers including coordinators and advisors.
Assessment and Review
- This is the first point of contact to discuss any challenges people are facing with living independently.
- This team is made up of social care assessors who provide support mostly by telephone.
- The team offers expert information and advice around local community support for people with various disabilities, older people and carers.
- The team also offers social care assessments and help for people to plan any care and support that might be needed.
Arranging Support
- The Arranging and support team will work alongside the assessment and review team aim to source the care you need from the provider market. They will also support and guide people in understanding direct payments.
Adult Safeguarding Hubs
- Adult Safeguarding Hubs are local teams across Devon, which receive and prioritise safeguarding adult referrals.
- They also support individuals and professionals over the phone or virtually who may be experiencing abuse or exploitation or who are concerned about a person they support and may be experiencing abuse or exploitation.
- The Adult Safeguarding Hubs work closely with other Adult Social Care Teams to ensure anyone who is at risk of or experiencing abuse or exploitation is receiving the right support.
- If you are concerned about an adult who may be experiencing abuse or exploitation. Visit the Torbay and Devon Safeguarding Adults Partnership to report your concern.
Occupational Therapy
- Please contact your local assessment and review team to allow access to this service if appropriate.
- Occupational therapy team see beyond a person’s diagnosis and limitations.
- Occupational Therapists work in a holistic way. They explore the things you want and need to do, and assess any challenges you may face in your daily life. They explore the connection between the person, their environment and their occupations (activities and tasks). They may, provide strategies, advice, techniques, or equipment to help you maximise your ability, promote independence, and increase your health and well-being.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
- We work with all people over 18 where a Deprivation of Liberty is or may be occurring.
- We manage all DoLS requests received by DCC and ensure we are meeting our legal obligations when it comes to depriving people of their liberty in Care Homes and Hospitals.
- We screen and prioritise referrals where a DoL is occurring to ensure that action is taken in relation to the most urgent cases, especially when someone is objecting to their care and support arrangements to ensure that their Human Rights are upheld.
- We have a small team of qualified Best Interests Assessors and commission Doctors to complete the assessments required for DoLS.
- We make sure that people are supported to challenge their deprivation of liberty if they are objecting to it. This includes making sure people have a specialist advocate (IMCA – Independent Mental Capacity Advocate) where required.
- We are currently working on the planning and implementation of the new Liberty Protection Safeguards which is due to replace DoLS in the near future.
Client Financial Service
- Devon County Council’s Client Financial Services Team are responsible for working out how much you will have to pay towards your care. They will also send you a bill for your assessed contribution, and deal with any issues resulting from non-payment of the account.
Emergency Duty Team
- Provision of emergency Social care and advice for clients urgently in need out of office hours (not including Torbay and Plymouth). Part of Devon County Council.
- A generic emergency service responding to social care emergencies (both adults and children) which cannot be safely left until the next day.
- 0345 600 0388
Transitions Adult Social Care service
- The Transitions Adult Social Care service vision is improving our service to better support young people to transition to adulthood
- Previously known as Preparing for Adulthood Team
Reaching for Independence
- Through referral via the Assessment and Review Team or the Health and Social Care Team, we are able to support a person for a time limited period
- The service is designed to increase independence and to improve skills where possible.
- This could be through accessing public transport, meeting friends, managing paperwork and creating manageable bill paying systems, or using Assisted Technology.
- Individuals can also be supported to seek employment opportunities.
Sensory
- All our staff will work with you, and your family or carers, to help you to live as independently as possible.
- Devon Sensory Team provides support and advice to people who:
- are visually impaired
- are Deaf
- have an acquired hearing loss
- are deafblind (sometimes known as a dual sensory impairment – a significant combination of hearing and sight loss)
Health and Social Care Community Teams
- We have a range of these teams across Devon. These teams work with people who require face-to-face assessment, support, and advice. They work with people who have specific needs which might include hearing or sight loss, a learning disability, or a physical disability.
- Health and social care community teams include professionals such as social care assessors, social workers, occupational therapists, therapy assistants, and other types of support workers. These teams are integrated with our health colleagues.
- They will support you to implement your own solutions to the challenges you face, or help arrange and source care if you are still facing these challenges.
- Health and Social Care Community Teams can offer you face to face support from a social care professional. There may also be times where they offer support virtually by the phone or online.
Autism and ADHD
- The Autism and ADHD Team is made up of Social Workers and Social Care Assessors.
- They are a team which specifically supports people whose Autism or ADHD is their primary reason for their care and support needs.
- They will carry out assessments, reviews, support Mental Capacity Act Compliant decision making, and undertake Safeguarding duties. They will support you to implement your own solutions to the challenges you face, or help arrange and source care if you are still facing these challenges.
- The Autism and ADHD Team can offer you face to face support from a social care professional. There may also be times where they offer support virtually by the phone or online.
County Disability Review Team
- The County Disability Review Team is made up of Social Workers, Social Care Assessors and Occupational Therapists.
- They are a County Wide Team which focuses on different projects within Adult Social Care each year.
- They work with people receiving a service from Integrated Adult Social Care.
- The team use new models and tools to work with people to ensure best possible practice.
- They will support you to implement your own solutions to challenges which you may face, or help change your existing care and support to better suit your current situation.
Specialist Placement Team
- The Specialist Placement Team is made up of Social Workers and Social Care Assessors.
- They support adults with Learning Disabilities or Autism or ADHD who are receiving care and support outside of Devon, but their Ordinary Residence is with Devon County Council.
- They will carry out assessments, reviews and support Mental Capacity Act Compliant decision making. They will support you to implement your own solutions to the challenges you face, or help arrange and source care if you are still facing these challenges.
Community Mental Health
- Mental Health support is available in many different forms and from many different agencies i.e. supported self help guides, family and friends, voluntary and community sector, NHS and Local Authority services.
- Devon Partnership NHS Trust offers a range of mental health services, both community and inpatient, for individuals and their families. See Devon Partnership NHS Trust’s website for further info and advice and sources of help including Devon Partnership NHS Trust services.
- To promote an integrated approach Devon County Council has delegated certain Adult Social Care responsibilities to Devon Partnership NHS Trust for those people to whom Devon Partnership NHS Trust are providing adult community mental health services.
Hospital Discharge Teams
- The Hospital Discharge Teams are made up of Social Workers and Social Care Assessors.
- They support individuals and their families adjust to illness, access support and plan for any post-discharge resources they might need.
- They will carry out assessments, reviews and support Mental Capacity Act Compliant decision making. They will support you to implement your own solutions to the challenges you face, or help arrange and source care if you are still facing these challenges
Social Care Reablement
- The service supports you to build confidence and learn, or relearn, skills for daily living such as washing and dressing, preparing and cooking meals or getting out and about.
- We will visit you at home to discuss which tasks you are now finding difficult to do. Such as washing, using the toilet, preparing meals, moving around your home, or taking medication.
- Once we have established the main areas you would like to focus on, we will set manageable goals with a plan for how we can work with you toward independence. Your involvement in this process is really important. Your support workers will refer to these goals each time they visit you to talk about your progress.
Blue Badges
For Blue Badge enquiries please call 0345 155 1006.
Strategic Commissioning and Market Development
Commissioning in social care is the process where local authorities identify, purchase, and monitor social care services for people in their area. It aims to meet the care needs of people and plays a significant role in ensuring vulnerable people receive the support they need to fulfil their lives, remain independent, and delay future care needs.