The adult social work service is made up of four main areas:
- services for elderly people
- services for people with physical or sensory disabilities
- services for people with a brain injury
- services for carers
Services for elderly people
This group consists of people aged 65+ who need help because of age related frailty, physical disability or illness, mental illness (including dementia) or learning disability.
This is by far the largest group of community care service users, even though the great majority of people over 65 do not need personal care services from statutory or independent sector organizations.
Most people who use services are aged over 75, and this group is set to increase over the coming years. In particular, we expect significant additional demand from the rise in numbers of people over 85.
The levels of needs of elderly people are defined in terms of the frequency with which they need help from others, and in terms of their ability to live safely and independently.
Services for people with physical or sensory disabilities
This care group includes people aged 18 to 64 who need help because of a physical disability or illness, or because of sensory disabilities or
learning disabilities.
The levels of needs of people with physical and / or sensory disabilities are defined in terms of the frequency with which they need help from others and in terms of their ability to live safely and independently.
Services for people with a brain injury
This group of people may have received a severe blow to the head as a result of for example a car accident, a fall or an assault which causes the brain to be damaged. This is known as Acquired Traumatic Brain Injury. Other cause can include infections and strokes.
The needs level of people with a brain injury can vary widely and services are provided on the basis of the frequency with which they need help from others and in terms of their ability to live safely and independently.
Services for carers
Carers are people who look after or provide regular unpaid help to family members or friends who are sick or disabled, including parents of children with severe disabilities. Many carers provide substantial levels of care and may need help with caring.
How we can help
We can only help people properly if we first listen to what they have to say. In all our dealings with people, we will ensure that their needs come first - not what is convenient for us and our workers.
When working with service users or carers we will ensure that we adhere to our “core value” principles and:
- treat people with respect, consideration and dignity
- give people, wherever possible, real choice and control over their lives
- we aim to actively seek feedback and treat criticism as an opportunity to make improvements and not a trigger for defensiveness
- ensure that all our processes are accessible to all service users
- be clear with people on what they are being asked to take part in, how their views will be used and when they will be informed of the results.
We will respect people’s way of life, including cultural beliefs and religion, and strive to avoid discriminatory practices.
We will respond to telephone calls, letters and other enquiries in line with our standards on these matters.
Accessing our services
People can access the service by
- being referred by someone like a GP or District Nurse
- being referred by a family member
- contacting the service direct
A duty officer is available during office hours to provide advice, information and when appropriate to
arrange for a full assessment of a person’s needs. This assessment would normally result in the
provision of appropriate services; examples could include:
- residential care
- nursing care
- respite care
- community living support package
- day care
- information and advice
- provision of equipment/adaptations
- counselling
In addition the adult social work team is responsible for responding to suspected or actual cases where vulnerable adults may be at risk of harm.
Contact us
Referrals can be made through the Single Point of Referral (SPOR) by calling +44 (0) 1534 444440 or by email
gov.je