On this page you can find out about support, advice, and information available for people with a learning disability in Surrey.
Whether or not you are assessed as eligible for Adult Social Care services, you may still be able to get help from the following groups.
Some of these are specialist learning disability services, and some are suitable for anyone. Some need to be paid for.
Advocacy
Advocacy services are independent. They listen to you, and help you make choices and have your say. An advocate can help you speak at meetings and get problems sorted. They make sure other people listen to you.
There are 2 types of advocacy instructed and non-instructed.
POhWER provides a range of different instructed advocacy services in Surrey.
- Mobile: Text the word 'pohwer' with your name and number to 81025
- Telephone: 0300 456 2370
- Skype: pohwer.advocacy
- Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
Matrix provides a range of non-instructed advocacy services across Surrey.
This includes advocating for older people with mental health problems and dementia-type illnesses, as well as people with autism and other learning disabilities.
- Telephone: 0300 199 0301
- Email: enquiries@matrixsdt.com
Need help to make a complaint about NHS services?
If you live in Surrey and are unhappy with the NHS treatment you have received, Healthwatch Surrey in partnership with Surrey Independent Living Charity can provide free, confidential and independent support to help you to make a complaint about an NHS service. This team is called the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy service.
You can contact the Surrey Independent Living Charity team via:
- Telephone: 01483 310 500
- Text (SMS): 07704 265 377
- Email: nhsadvocacy@surreyilc.org.uk
Adult social care
If you are finding it hard to manage by yourself and are aged 18 or above, Surrey County Council's Adult Social care service may be able to help.
They support people who have longer term and more complex needs that stop them from doing routine things each day. They also support carers of all ages, even if the person they care for is not eligible for services.
To find out if they can provide support to you, contact them for an assessment. They will arrange to assess your support needs and carry out an eligibility assessment.
If you are assessed as eligible, you can get a support package funded by Surrey County Council to meet your assessed needs.
This easy read booklet about Your Assessment (PDF) explains how to get ready for your assessment and what to expect.
You can contact adult social care to arrange an assessment.
- Telephone: 0300 200 1005
- Open: 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday
You can also complete assessment information online.
They will look at an individual's needs and how they affect their wellbeing. This includes difficulties with developing and maintaining personal relationships, and access to work, training, education, or volunteering.
Support can include care and support to be independent such as:
- short breaks from home
- activities and employment support
- equipment and technology
- care and support at home
Support can be planned for you, or you can have a Direct Payment to organise and pay for your own support.
Social care services are not always free of charge. If the council provides you with adult social care services, you will need to complete a financial assessment and may have to pay towards the cost of your support.
This can be done online and takes around 15 minutes.
Reviews
If you have a support package this will be reviewed. Your review easy read booklet (PDF) explains when you will have a review and what to expect.
Listening to what you think
Surrey County Council wants to know if our services are good, or if something has gone wrong. There is an Listening to what you think easy read booklet (PDF) that tells you how to make a complaint, give a comment or a compliment.
Bus travel
If you are eligible for a Surrey disabled person's bus pass you can travel between 9.30am and 11pm from Monday to Friday and any time on weekends and on public holidays.
You can apply online or book an appointment in a participating Surrey library.
The Helping Hand Scheme is designed to give people a helping hand when using bus services; a simple way to help drivers help you.
You can apply for a card that you can show to drivers when you get on the bus. The card lets drivers know about what you need with out you having to tell them. It is very good for people who have a hidden disability.
You can find out more about the buses services in Surrey on their website including the work they are doing to make buses better.
There are Surrey Connect on demand buses in some areas that can be booked up to a week in advance. There is a video on their website and easy read booklets for each area.
Care Quality Commission
Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.
You can find information, publications, and services on their website.
End of life care
It can be difficult finding information and making decisions about end of life care.
The Victoria and Stuart project at Kingston University created a toolkit together with people with learning disabilities, families, learning disability support staff, and healthcare professionals. It includes resources and approaches to support staff with end of life care planning with people with learning disabilities.
You can find information about end of life care for carers of all ages across Surrey through Connect to Support Surrey.
End of life care training is also provided by Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care which is funded by the NHS.
Priority services register
Ofgem have a Priority Services Register which is a free service to make sure extra help is available from your energy suppliers if you are in a vulnerable situation.
For example, if you are disabled or have a long-term medical condition, if you have a mental health condition or use medical equipment that needs a power supply.
Each energy supplier keeps their own register, if you think you need to be on it you will need to contact them and ask to be added.
The help they can give you:
- tell you when there is going to be a power cut (if they know)
- priority help in an emergency
- ID and password scheme so you know if it is really them if they contact you
- you can tell them someone you trust to get bills and letters for you
- read your meter for you
- give you information in a way that you can understand
SES Water
From financial support to a little extra help when it's needed most, SES Water offers a range of services to its customers.
One of those services is Water Support and if you meet the requirements, then you could receive 50 % discount on your water bill. To find out more visit their website.
SES Water can provide 1 to 1 appointments with Here for You Support Officers to complete forms and help with your bills.
They also have a Priority Services Register which can help you, for example, sending you large print bills or delivering bottled water if there is an incident in your area.
If you need help paying your bill, you can watch a video and find out more about how SES Water could help you. You can also find out about how saving water can save you money.
Social tariffs for broadband
Social tariffs are special discounted deals available to certain low income customers. They are generally cheaper than standard broadband tariffs, starting at just £12 a month. They are usually not subject to price rises or exit fees.
Eligibility depends on the broadband provider. Some offer social tariffs to recipients of the following benefits: universal credit, pension credit (guarantee credit), income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and income based employment and support allowance.
Some providers include other benefits, too. The account holder must be the person receiving the benefit to be eligible.
4.3 million UK households are eligible, but only 5% have signed up.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is about keeping you safe. If you feel in danger or unsafe, you must tell someone.
In an emergency dial 999 for the emergency services such as the police.
You can call the Surrey County Council contact adult social care helpline. If you need to speak to someone urgently, out of normal office hours, call the emergency team.
Easy Read leaflets
What is abuse?
Understanding what abuse is, where abuse can happen and different types of abuse.
Reporting abuse
Speaking up to abuse, who to talk to and how to report abuse.
Section 42 enquiries
What happens when you report abuse, what is a Section 42 and understanding what happens when an enquiry is over.
Domestic abuse
Understanding domestic abuse, examples and who to tell.
Financial abuse
Understanding financial abuse, examples, signs and who to tell.
Modern slavery
Understanding modern slavery, human rights law and different types.
Neglect
Understanding neglect, examples, and signs of being neglected.
Scams
What are scams? The effects of being scammed and how to protect yourself.
The Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board has information on their website about what to do if you have a safeguarding concern. There are also videos and other useful resources.
Surrey Fire and Rescue
Stay safe by booking a free visit from Surrey Fire and Rescue. The team can provide personalised advice about fire safety at a time convenient for you.
You can arrange a visit by:
- Telephone: 0800 085 0767
- Text (SMS): 07971 691898
The government has guidance about how to make your home safe from fire, including an easy read version.
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle is a way of making sure that emergency services like the police, paramedics and fire-fighters can find out very quickly if there is anything they need to know about. This could be allergies, medication or how to contact your family or support provider.
You fill out a form with your information, put it in the bottle in your fridge. You put one sticker on the inside of your front door and one on your fridge.
You can get one when you have your Safe and Well Visit and from Fire Stations.
Connect to Support Surrey
Connect to Support Surrey is a website for Surrey residents and their families.
It provides details of care, housing and accommodation, community and health information, money matters, support getting around your area, things to do and support services.
Surrey police and hate crime
There are videos, guides and easy read guides for people with a learning disability, autistic people, their carers and supporters about Hate Crime on the True Vision website.
This includes understanding what Hate Crime is, how to report it and support for victims and witnesses.
All hate crimes should be reported. True Vision is a website you can use to do this, but you should call 999 in an emergency. You can also call 101 or go to your police station.
Surrey Police has easy read information about hate crime and how to stay safe when you are out and about available to download on their website.
The Pegasus card can help people with a disability or illness who find it hard to communicate with the police. Find out how to get a Pegasus card on the Surrey Police website.
Moving to adulthood
This page has links to services in Surrey helping young people during their transition to adulthood.
If you are between 14 to 25 years old and also have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), have a look at our Preparing for adulthood pages to see how the Transition Team can support you through your transition to adulthood.
Surrey County Council has a team which supports young people during transition into adult life. It has a separate section of its website for information about special educational needs and disability.
The council also has services and information about children's social care.
Surrey Local Offer has information and services for children and young people up to age 25 with special educational needs or a disability.
SEND Advice Surrey provides information and advice to parents of children with special educational needs.
Family Voice Surrey is a network of parents, carers, and families of young people who have special educational needs and disabilities. It is run by parent volunteers.
Cost of living
We know that people in Surrey are finding the increases in cost of living difficult. The Essential Services directory has all the
financial, health and welfare advice on offer in the county in 1 place.
You can also find the Health and welfare directory of support in alternative formats.
