Useful links, addresses, phone, fax and email addresses 

Age Concern
Astral House 1268 London Road London SW16 4ER
Tel: 0208 765 7200 and 0208 679 8000

www.ace.org.uk
Age Concern supports all people over 50 in the UK, ensuring that they get the most from life. They provide services such as day care, general information, and campaign on issues like age discrimination and pensions, whilst working to influence public opinion and government policy about older people. The website includes also news, advice, campaign backgrounds, ideas for the elderly to stay active and a newsletter.

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering

www.baaf.org.uk
The British Association for Adoption and Fostering has four main roles; standard setting including developing policies, reports and guidelines and providing training opportunities. They help raise public and professional awareness of issues affecting looked after children by writing leaflets and being active in the media; they also try to influence policy makers across the UK by lobbying and campaigning. They also help support child placement services by assisting agencies, offering training and organising National Adoption Week.

The British Institute of Learning Disabilities

www.bild.org.uk
(BILD) is committed to improving the quality of life for people in the UK with a learning disability by influencing policy makers and other decision makers and encouraging good practice among practitioners from a wide range of disciplines. They carry out research on topics of national interest, and disseminate the findings through conferences and workshops, publications, training courses and policy development. The site has details on all these plus event dates and recent news.

CareandHealth

www.careandhealth.com
CareandHealth is an information exchange for the social care sector in the UK. They work to facilitate and promote professional information and communication exchange within the social care and health sectors. Care and Health aims to do this by delivering solutions on practical management, recruitment, communications and information needs of social care and health professionals. Care and Health also publish CareandHealth Legal Update, a news journal containing information on the latest cases affecting the social care sector.

www.caringinfo.com
Caringinfo.com is an independent and not-for-profit site, designed to help older people in West Sussex, at every stage of the aging process, make choices about any support services or care needs they may have. It provides a variety of information resources to the general public and health and social care partners including a directory of care home providers throughout West Sussex with a listing of those with vacancies. There is advice on staying independent within your home and community, and advice and links on dealing with confusion and mental health. Links to other relevant care websites are also included.

www.communitycare.co.uk
Community Care is a social care information provider. It provides daily news, analysis, opinions, sharing of best practice and ideas, and original research with opportunities for participation. It is an interactive medium for users, providing tools to aid care professionals in their jobs, such as legal updates, a 'directory' and an article search. The website advertises job opportunities for candidates in every specialist area with a comprehensive list every week.

Counsel and Care

http://www.counselandcare.org.uk/factsheets.htm

Provides useful fact sheets for older people on care and funding.

www.csci.org.uk
The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is the single, independent inspectorate for all social care services in England. It works on a local level, at a national level, and across all sectors. CSCI registers the priva te and voluntary care services that are required to meet national standards; inspects, assesses and reviews all care services and children’s boarding schools, residential special schools, etc and publishes the inspection reports. It also deals with complaints about care service providers. All this information is available on the website along with links and general advice.

The Department for Education and Skills

www.dfes.gov.uk
The Department for Education and Skills was established with the purpose of creating opportunity, releasing potential and achievement for all. Their aim is to give children a good start in education, enable young people to equip themselves with life and work skills, and encourage adults to achieve their full potential through learning. It is a large website but the Public Enquiry Unit helps you find specific information about education and skills matters.

Action on Elder Abuse

www.elderabuse.org.uk
Action on Elder Abuse is a national organisation that operates across all of the United Kingdom. It also provides support within Ireland. Its aim is to prevent abuse in old age by raising awareness, education, promoting research and the collection and dissemination of information. The website provides national information, including a helpline and an advice service on abuse issues. There is also guidance for the prevention of, and action on, the abuse of older people.

Electronic Library for Social Care

www.elsc.org.uk
Electronic Library for Social Care is a free online resource owned and managed by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). It provides a single point of access to an extensive range of social care knowledge, including practice information, guidance, standards, research reviews and joint review publications skills tutorials, and around 70,000 abstracts of books, reports, research papers, online journals, official publications and articles. It can be used by anyone to find social care information.

Her Majesty's Stationery Office
www.hmso.gov.uk/acts
Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) is headed by the Controller and operates as part of the Cabinet Office under the ministerial control of the Minister for the Cabinet Office. HMSO delivers a wide range of services to the public, information industry and government relating to access and re-use of government information.

www.lifelonglearning.co.uk
Lifelong Learning offers information for those wishing to gain any new skills. The website provides a good starting point for all learners, providing information about a range of opportunities, from community learning projects to basic qualifications and work-based skills. It gives links to other sites which provide information on how to obtain the qualifications, how to finance them, and many other details. There are qualification targets and advice on how to achieve them and also a news section.

The Mental Health Foundation

www.mentalhealth.org.uk
The Mental Health Foundation is one of the leading UK charities working in mental health and learning disabilities. It develops its own research and community projects, aiming to improve the support available for people with mental health problems and people with learning disabilities. The website has information on the foundation’s publications and projects, mental health in the media, getting help for mental health problems and many other relevant issues and links.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations

www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England. They work to support the voluntary sector and represent the views of the voluntary sector to policy makers and government and consults with the sector to inform policy positions on issues generic to the sector. NCVO offers a freephone HelpDesk, policy briefings, information networks, events and a wide range of publications, including good practice information on everything from trusteeship to employment law and also the opportunity to become a member.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

www.qca.gov.uk
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) which builds the education and training framework designed by the government. QCA maintains and develops the national curriculum and associated assessments, tests and examinations; and accredits and monitors qualifications in colleges and at work. It offers information for anyone involved in learning, teaching or supporting learners.

The RCHA

East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Registered Care Home Association

www.rcha.co.uk

If you intend to stay in business you owe it to yourself to be a member of your trade association. Failing to put your weight behind the association is a failure to have your interests adequately and forcefully represented. Your interests are represented locally with East Sussex and Brighton & Hove City Councils and nationally, in conjunction with many national bodies, directly to government. We are also in direct contact with the East Sussex Area Office of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. To find out more about us, link on to our website.

www.socialworkcareers.co.uk
Social Work Careers provides information on careers in social work to help you decide if social work is the career for you, or for people you're advising. It has links and information for people interested in career opportunities within social care. This includes information on degree level qualifications needed to practise as a social worker. There are also current and relevant news topics to view. This website is for issues and matters relating to social work in England but there are links to other parts of the UK.

www.valuingpeople.gov.uk
Valuing People is the government's plan for making the lives of people with learning disabilities and their families better. The website has on it all the newsletters and papers that the Valuing People Support Team has brought out, as well as information links and help about different subjects, like Direct Payments, Housing, Health etc. There are links explaining what is happening in local areas and who the valuing People Regional Advisor and Partnership Board are.

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