There are lots of teams working in Adult Social Care at Sefton Council who can support you with your care. Find out more about each of them below.
Adult social care teams
The team's goal is to check what help vulnerable adults (18 and older) and young people (16 and older) need. They want to do this quickly and well, to keep people safe and help them and their carers do their best. If someone needs extra support, the team will make sure they get it.
The service provides high-quality assessments and arranges care for the most vulnerable people in Sefton. They create individual support plans and care packages to help improve the lives of these people, their families, and carers.
Learning disability and autism
Working with people in the local community, especially those with personal experience, it was suggested that Sefton should create a team to support people with learning disabilities and autism.
In June 2024, we formed a team that does the same assessments, support plans, and care packages as other teams, but focuses specifically on people with learning disabilities and autism to better meet their needs.
Hospital teams
The Social Work teams at Aintree Hospital and Southport hospitals help patients leave the hospital safely and quickly.
They follow the rules of the Care Act 2014 and Mental Capacity Act 2005. Social Workers do Social Care Assessments and Mental Capacity Assessments. They also attend and lead Best Interests Meetings. The team is assigned to different wards to help with discharges by giving information and advice.
When possible, Social Workers help patients go home with a Reablement Service or package of care.
The team works with the Merseycare Assessment Team to arrange 28-day stays in nursing homes. They also arrange 24-hour care in residential and nursing homes.
Community mental health teams
The teams include a Team Manager, Lead Practitioner, Social Workers, Community Care Practitioners, and Support Workers. They work alongside doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, and support staff from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. The Early Intervention Team, Learning Disability Team, and the Park Unit (an acute psychiatric ward for adults) are also on this site.
They work with adults under 65 who need secondary mental health services. The team does high-quality assessments and arranges care and support for vulnerable people in Sefton. They also provide safeguarding services and handle Court of Protection cases.
There are various community-based services available locally, and the team helps people access these services to improve their long-term wellbeing, as well as that of their families and carers.
Approved Mental Health Team
Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) assess people under the Mental Health Act. They are the people who decide whether someone needs to be admitted under the act for additional mental health support.
They will always try to find other ways to help people before they need to be admitted. During their assessment, they will look at medical facts as well as the individual, their needs and their social circumstances.
Safeguarding
The Safeguarding Team ensure that adults are protected from harm and abuse and the Council meets its statutory Safeguarding duties under the Care Act 2014.
The Safeguarding Team works to help vulnerable adults keep their independence, wellbeing and choice, and to live a life free from abuse.
If you are concerned about an adult this is the team that will receive that report.
DoLS
This service manages and maintains safeguards for vulnerable people in Sefton who can't make decisions about their care and treatment. It ensures they are cared for in the least restrictive way. If needed, Court of Protection documents are completed for their care and treatment.
Substance Misuse team
This team assesses anyone over 18 in Sefton who has issues with substance use or dependency. They refer people to in-patient detoxification or rehabilitation and arrange suitable rehab programs. They also assess people in the treatment system for Adult Social Care packages. The team helps individuals find and keep housing and creates an aftercare plan after rehab. They encourage people to become self-sufficient and access education and employment.
Occupational Therapy
Commissioning
The adult social care commissioning team in Sefton arranges various services to support the local community. Commissioning means finding, buying, creating, and checking social care services.
It's important to help the community live full lives, stay independent as long as possible, and provide high-quality services based on their needs.
The team assesses needs, designs new services, reviews priorities, plans services, buys services, and checks the quality and compliance of these services.
Client support team
The Client support team is a group of specific teams that aim to support both clients and staff it consists over several teams.
Care Arrangers: They help Adult Social Care staff find the right services for clients who need care. They talk to clients, staff, and care providers to make sure the right services are arranged.
Complex Support: They oversee supported living schemes and work with care providers and social workers on individual schemes and costs.
Financial Assessment Team: They maximize income for Adult Social Care by doing financial assessments for clients who need care packages or care home placements. They also help clients with benefit claims.
Payments & Billing Team: They process payments to care providers and send invoices to clients for the services they received.
Self Directed Support: They review direct payment spending to ensure it meets the care and support needs in the support plan.
Quality & Systems: They support staff with quality issues and maintain electronic systems to help Adult Social Care staff deliver services.
Community Equipment
Sefton Council's Community Equipment team is made up of assessors and technicians who can install minor equipment in homes. This includes things like handrails and ramps that can be installed to help people to remain independent at home, or give them extra support after leaving hospital.
Sefton Carers Centre
Technology Enabled Care (TEC)
Our TEC team offers support and guidance to people in Sefton on the best equipment and technology to help them with their care at home. When equipment isn't available through Sefton Council, they can signpost people to the best place to purchase helpful items.
Telecare
The Telecare team provide personal devices such as fall detectors and pendants to help people to remain safe and independent in their own home. Any sensors will raise an alert with the Telecare team, who can offer help if needed.