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Support for adults who are deaf or hard of hearing
We provide or pay for a range of services for residents of the borough who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf/blind, to help them and their carers to receive the care they need and to live as independently as possible.
Eligibility
To ensure that services go to those with the greatest need, who are at risk of losing their independence, the Council has eligibility criteria for those who are seeking help from social services. Priority for services is given to those whose needs have been assessed as meeting the criteria.
Bromley Council’s eligibility criteria and timescales for responding to requests for help are outlined in eligibility criteria for adults.
Details
If the duty care manager thinks that social services will be able to help you he/she will take some details of the problems you are facing. A care manager will then contact you and your carer and agree with you the best way to help. In order to fully assess your needs the care manager may need, with your agreement, to work closely with agencies such as health service providers and voluntary organisations.
The assessment of need can include an assessment for environmental equipment relating to hearing loss.
You may have to wait for an assessment. The Council will respond to requests for assistance according to priority of need. You will be told approximately how long you will have to wait.
The details of the assessment and what help will be offered will be written down in a ‘care plan’ and a copy given to you. The care manager will then arrange for any services that have been agreed to be provided. This may include deaf equipment, interpreting, support in the home, education, training, work opportunities and leisure activities. Information can be provided in an accessible format.
If social services cannot help you the duty care manager will, wherever possible, advise you on where to go for the assistance you need.
A British Sign Language ( BSL) Interpreter can be organised through social services.
Costs
There is no charge for an assessment of your needs to decide whether social services can help. However, depending on you financial circumstances you may be required to contribute to the cost of any services arranged for you by social services. There is currently no charge for equipment.
For further information on costs please see
Domiciliary and Homecare Charges.
Next Steps/Conditions
Contact the Social Services Disabilities Team and ask to speak to the duty care manager to discuss an assessment of your needs if you are:
- 18 – 65 and have a hearing loss that can be verified by an Audiology or consultant’s report. This includes people who are deaf, deaf/blind, hard of hearing and deafened
- 65 or over and use sign language, or are deaf/blind, where the primary need is focused on sensory loss.
If you are contacting the team by text phone this is usually an answer machine service. Please leave a message giving your name, address, contact number and reason for calling.
If you are 65 or over with a hearing loss but do not fall into the above category, please contact the Older People’s Team at your local social services area office and ask to speak to the duty care manager to discuss an assessment of your needs. If your enquiry relates to equipment your details will be passed to the technical officer based in the Deaf Access Resource Centre.
For children and young people 18 or under who are deaf or hearing impaired, an assessment of needs can be requested from the specialist social worker for deaf children based in the Children’s Disability Team please see Support for Children with Disabilities for more information.