glossary

Here we define a number of terms which you might come across when you are trying to get a short break. Different types of short break are described in a separate part of this Pack (click here).

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Advocacy/Advocacy organisations

Advocacy organisations help people who use services to say what it is they need and to make their own decisions.

Assessment

Assessments are methods for understanding the needs of an individual so that an appropriate care plan can be drawn up and acted upon. There are many different kinds of assessments.

Care Commission

The Care Commission is responsible for checking the quality of all adult, child and independent healthcare services in Scotland.  The Care Commission is also known as the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care.  They make sure that care service providers meet the Scottish Governments National Care Standards and work to improve the quality of care.   

Care Homes

There are now no legal differences between residential homes and nursing homes. They are all care homes and can be more flexible about the services they offer. They can meet all aspects of your accommodation, support and care, including nursing care. Some care homes offer day-to-day nursing care by their own nurses. 

Care Management/Community Care Management

Care management is about managing, co-ordinating and reviewing services for people who use services. It involves an assessment of needs, care planning, monitoring care and review.

Care Manager

This is usually a social worker or health worker, who undertakes all or most, of the tasks of care management. This person may hold a budget, depending on local arrangements.

Care Planning

The process of working out the best ways to meet people’s needs with the resources available.  It usually involves the organisation which has done a service user’s assessment, the service user and other relevant organisations.

Carer

A carer is anyone who as a family member or as a friend is providing essential care and support on an unpaid basis.

Client Group/Community Care Client Group

A way of describing different people who need services. Some examples might include people with learning disabilities; homeless people; older people. 

Commissioning

Deciding what services are needed and then getting someone to provide these by signing a contract.

Community Care Planning

The process whereby local authorities, health services and other organisations work together to plan future services and priorities for user groups.
 
Day Care

Care and meaningful activities provided during office hours usually, outside the person’s home setting. Traditionally provided in day centres/adult resource centres, but increasingly services are making use of leisure and recreation facilities in the community.

Direct Payments

Local authorities giving people money to buy their own social care services so that they have more say in how their needs are met.  This is now also called Self Directed Care and includes other ways to give people more control over the services they receive.

Domiciliary services

Care services provided to a person in their own home. Can be social and/or health care provided to someone living alone or with a carer.

Housing Association

Not for profit organisations which provide, build and/or manage housing accommodation, for example Key Housing, Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association.

Independent Sector

This includes voluntary, not for profit, and private profit making organisations. It also includes housing associations.

Individual Needs Assessment

See Assessment above

Monitoring

Contract monitoring and monitoring the safety and well-being of the service users are separate processes. Specific agreed measures should be used for each.

Nursing Home Care

See Care Homes above.

Person Centred Planning

Strategies that are used to find out how people want to live, who and what is most important to them and what it will take to get the lives and support that they want. Can be used as a starting point for commissioning services for an individual.

Primary Care

Health care provided to people through health centres, GPs, accident and emergency etc. First point of contact with the health services.

Provider Organisation/Providers

The organisation that has been contracted to provide support services to people who need them.

Residential Care

See Care Homes above.

Respite Care/Short Breaks

Respite services for service users and/or their carers. May be short or longer term and may offer the respite in a variety of settings; family, residential, leisure, holiday. Respite care is sometimes included in a package of care commissioned, as a way of supporting carers.

Self Directed Support

See ‘Direct Payments’

Service user

‘Service user’ is a term used to describe anyone who has care or support needs as a result of their condition. Service users are likely to be receiving services from paid carers.

Stakeholders

The people who have an interest in services. This can include various professionals involved in planning and delivery of services, parents, other carers, service users, other supporters, and those who may have objections or could block the process.

Voluntary Sector

Not-for-profit organisations which provide advice or support services, for example ENABLE, Crossroads Caring. (Housing associations are not usually included in this classification, but this varies in some definitions.)