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Did you know that we can help you make changes (called adaptations) to your home if you or someone else who lives there needs them because of a disability?
If this is something you need, the steps are as follows:
Step 1
You should contact Wiltshire Council’s Adult Social Care Team on 0300 456 0111 if you live in the Wiltshire area.
Wiltshire Adult Social Care has a team of friendly customer advisors who can help you to make informed decisions and choices about your social care and support needs. They will always try to help you to be as independent as possible and to stay in your own home.
The customer advisor will ask you to provide some basic information about yourself, your disability, and what you need.
They will use their skills and experience, together with professional support, to advise you on what to do next or tell you about groups or organisations that may be able to help.
Step 2
If they feel that you might need an adaptation, they will pass on your case to the appropriate social care team and arrange an appointment for you with a customer coordinator or an occupational therapist (OT), who will visit you at home to assess your needs.
Step 3
If the OT says that you need an adaptation, they will refer your details to Wiltshire Council. who will tell you whether you are likely to receive a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). Wiltshire Council will need to look at your income to decide whether you will get a grant. These grants are to pay for adaptations such as level access showers, over-bath showers, kitchen alterations, stair lifts, vertical lifts, ramps, and sometimes even extensions.
Step 4
If you need help with the application for a grant, you can choose to use Westlea as your agent, to arrange the adaptation work for you. If you would prefer someone else to be your agent, Wiltshire Council can advise you.
Step 5
Staff from Wiltshire Council, Westlea (if we are your agent), and the OT will then visit you at your home. You can ask a relative or friend to come to this meeting. Your agent will discuss the work needed and help you with the formal grant application, including preparation of drawings and schedules and all necessary paperwork.
Step 6
When the grant is approved, your agent will arrange for a contractor to carry out the work. When the work is finished, your agent will arrange for the contractor to be paid from the grant money.
What if I don’t qualify for a grant?
Westlea has some money to pay for:
- level access showers for people who don’t qualify for a DFG;
- small adaptations such as grab rails; and
- hard-standings for parking, dropped kerbs, and storage for motorised scooters.
Except for the small adaptations, you will need a note from your doctor or OT to say that you need them. There is a set amount of money each year, and it will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you are having difficulty, or live outside of the Wiltshire Council area, we will do everything we can to help you. To talk to someone, please phone Shirley Davis or Jo Taylor on 01249 466061.
If the request is for adaptations for a disabled child, please contact your local Children’s Disability Team:
West Wiltshire
Phone: 01225 709777
North and East Wiltshire
Phone: 01249 444321
South Wiltshire
Phone: 01722 327551
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