Glossary of Terms

Access to Work

Access to Work provides information and advice to people with disabilities and their employers and may provide grants to cover additional costs arising through disability. It can assist with costs such as support workers, specialist equipment or the cost of traveling to work. To find out more contact an Access to Work adviser through Jobcentre Plus.

Advocate

An advocate is a person who can support a service user or carer through their contact with health services. Advocates will attend meetings with patients and help service users or carers to express concerns or wishes to health care professionals. Although many people can act as an advocate (friend, relative or member of staff) there are advocacy services available that can be accessed through the Trust. These advocates are trained and independent.

Approved Social Worker (ASW)

Approved Social Workers (ASW) have specialist training and experience in identifying disorders of mental health and are familiar with the problems experienced by users of mental health services and their families. They are employed by Local Authority Social Services and work in hospitals and in the community as part of the community mental health teams. They will organise social care support for people in contact with mental health services, such as helping with housing and getting welfare benefits. They work closely with health professionals and, under the current Mental Health Act, they work with two doctors to assess a person who may need admitting to hospital. Social workers can also act as care coordinators for people on care programmes.

Assertive Outreach

Assertive outreach services aim to support people in the community who find it difficult keeping in contact with mental health services.

Assessment

Assessment happens when a person first comes into contact with health services. Information is collected in order to identify the person’s needs and plan treatment.

Carer

A carer is someone who looks after their relatives or friends on an unpaid, voluntary basis often in place of paid care workers.

Charity

A charity exists to serve a societal or group mission, and does not pursue a self-interest or pay out profit to individuals. It is recognised by the IRS as tax-exempt and eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

Child Benefit

Child Benefit is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, non-taxable benefit payable for each child in a family from birth to age 19, or to a fixed end-date related to the end of non-advanced secondary education.

Child Support

Help with the cost of bringing up a child if one of the child’s parents is living somewhere else in the UK.

Child Tax Credit

A tax credit administered by the HM Revenue and Customs, payable to people who are responsible for at least one child or qualifying young person from April 2003. It is paid directly to the person who is mainly responsible for caring for the child or children. The amount received depends on annual income.

Client

A term for the person using the services of a social services agency.

Community Care

Community Care aims to provide health and social care services in the community to enable people to live as independently as possible in their own homes or in other accommodation in the community.

Counselling

Counselling is a talking therapy that usually deals with a recent distressing event. The length of time that counselling is needed varies from person to person.

Disability Living Allowance

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a non-means-tested, non-contributory benefit, paid as a contribution towards the extra costs associated with disability, where a person became disabled after the age of 65. Entitlement is based on a person’s care and mobility needs.

European Social Fund

The European Social Fund provides resources to help Member States develop their labor markets and human resources in line with National Action Plans for Employment. Resources are targeted on helping unemployed and socially excluded people to enter and progress in the labor market.

General Practitioner (GP)

A family doctor, usually patients’ first point of contact with the health service.

Health Care Assistants

Health Care Assistants are non-qualified nursing staff who undertake assigned tasks involving direct care in support of a registered/qualified nurse. There are two grades of Health Care Assistants, A and B grade. A grades would expect to be more closely supervised, while B grades may regularly work without supervision for all or most of their shift, or lead an A grade.

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit (HB) is an income-related benefit, reformed in 1988, to provide Rent Rebate for public sector tenants, and Rent Allowance for private sector tenants. Local authorities that receive subsidy from central government administer it.

Income Support

An income-related benefit payable to people not in remunerative work, whose net income is less than a minimum level set by Parliament, and determined by age, family membership and other circumstances.

Job Coach

A job coach provides training and related support on a one-to-one basis to a client who needs these supports in order to learn or maintain skills related to the job.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is a benefit that was introduced in October 1996 to replace contributory Unemployment Benefit and Income Support for all those aged over 18 needing financial support because of unemployment. Since April 2002, it has been administered by Jobcentre Plus.

Language skills

The use of language for communicative competence. The ability to use language as a tool to aid interaction within society, via communication with individuals and groups.

Respite care

Provision of care, relief or support to carers of physically or mentally disabled persons.

Support Workers

Support workers provide support for clients and their carers under the supervision of a care coordinator which has been negotiated under the care programme approach. They can help people regain lost skills and develop new interests to help regain confidence and self esteem.

WORKSTEP

WORKSTEP is a program administered by Jobcentre Plus which provides supported job opportunities for disabled people facing complex employment barriers.

Work Prep

Work Preparation is a Jobcentre plus programme that can help to prepare individuals for work after perhaps a long period of unemployment due to ill health or a disability.