How we can support you
There are a number of ways we can assist you with the care and support you need. We'll work with you to consider the best, and most cost effective, ways to meet your needs.
If you’re a carer for someone aged 60 or over
Ageing Well Southwark is a new flexible service to help older people and their carers discover and access a range of support and community resources in Southwark. The service will offer personalised planning to make it easier for older people and their Carers to find the support they need.
The service is provided by a partnership of local charities collectively known as the Consortium of Older People’s Services in Southwark (COPSINS), working with Southwark Older Persons and Physical Disabilities Service. The lead partner for this service is Age UK Lewisham and Southwark.
Ageing Well Southwark offers:
- support to help older people and carers to be involved in their local communities and to access a range of services, including leisure and social activities. These activities promote physical and mental wellbeing and can help address the causes of social care needs.
- specialist information and advice, including advice relating to:
- welfare benefits - checks and applications
- community care
- utilities and other consumer issues
- accessing transport
- referrals and ‘signposting’ to a wide range of services in the community - including peer support, self-help, online support groups and online group activities
- signposting and identifying suitable support on legal matters, debt and immigration issues
- access to befriending services
- access to a handyperson service - this service can provide a range of small repair jobs to help people live safely and independently at home, including installation of key safes and ensuring homes are free from trip and fall hazards
- access to online learning - including IT sessions
The service can be contacted by telephone on 020 7525 3324 (option 5) or visiting the Ageing Well Southwark website.
If you're a carer for someone aged between 18 and 60
Information, advice and support
The Adult Social Care staff within Ageing Well Southwark may be able to meet some of your needs by providing you with information, advice and support. We can also put you in touch with other organisations who can advise and support you independently of Ageing Well Southwark.
Services in your local community
There are many services in the local community that can help with support if you need it. This includes help with housing money and benefits. They can also offer other support such as telling you about leisure activities and groups you can join.
We will help you access these services if this is the right support to help you maintain or improve your wellbeing.
Personal budgets
It may not be possible to meet all of your needs with information advice and support, or through arranging your needs to be met by universal and/or specialist services. If you have unmet eligible needs, we'll put a personal budget in place to ensure that services can be purchased to meet them.
A personal budget gives you more choice and control over how your needs are met and allows you to spend the money in a way that best suits you.
Meeting the needs of the adult that you care for
We may be able to meet your needs by also meeting the needs of the person that you care for. For example, you may benefit from having a break from your carer duties; in cases like this we may be able to arrange for the adult you care for to receive respite care.
Managing your personal budget
We can make your personal budget available to you in a number of ways:
- Direct payment - you can receive your personal budget, direct into a designated personal bank account
- Council managed - the council can arrange the support you'd like
- Third party managed - a third party can manage your personal budget on your behalf
- Mixed - a combination of the above options
If you choose to have a direct payment (PDF) you'll need to sign a Direct Payment Agreement. This outlines your responsibilities for spending the money you receive.
We'll check that you're managing the money appropriately (for example to meet the needs recorded in your support plan), and that the money is also being used in a legal and reasonable way.
Page last updated: 06 July 2023
