Personal Care At Uni?

Former Member

I have no idea at all where I need to start with this and have found very little information so far:

I am hopefully off to university in September 2009 and will be moving out (too far to commute) and will possibly need some personal care.

Does anyone know how I organise this? I understand it's to do with Social Services, but don't know exactly who I need to contact (the one where I'm living now/where I will be living in September 2009) and what I need to do.

I understand that I need topay for any services I receive and that my disability living allowance care (currently, low rate/£17.75 per week) should pay for that, however I know I'm not going to have enough to pay for it.

According to someone on another forum, my disabled students allowance pays for that, but I've been told by other people that this isn't true. I was given some information about direct payments and the independant living fund, but not a lot for me to fully understand what they are.

Does anyone have any experience of this? And how is it all organised?

Former Member

Are you able to contact the Disability Services at the University you're planning on attending? Or as you've probably not applied yet, once you know the ones you're planning on applying to, call them up and ask preliminary questions? They're likely to be slightly evasive as probably saying "yes you will be covered for XYZ" could get them into trouble as you'll need an assessment for cover, but if you ask the question in the right way ie "if the assessment showed me eligible for personal care, would that be covered by DSA?" or something along those lines.

As an aside, I know that in my university (Leeds) the Union jobcentre often had job adverts for personal carers. Try the disability services at the uni for your first point of call. They're generally FAR more helpful than school/college services!

Former Member

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Former Member

DSA is usually to provide support for your studies, stuff that you need as a result of being a student rather than just to live as a result of your disability.

So if you were assessed as needing it you'd get funding for a buddy/minder/escort to get around the uni, but not someone to get you up and dressed/take you shopping. Does that make sense?

Former Member

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Former Member

Scary Monster wrote: »

DSA is usually to provide support for your studies, stuff that you need as a result of being a student rather than just to live as a result of your disability.

So if you were assessed as needing it you'd get funding for a buddy/minder/escort to get around the uni, but not someone to get you up and dressed/take you shopping. Does that make sense?

This is what I thought, but wasn't 100% sure, thanks.

GWST - thank you and please say thank you to Kermit for me.

Former Member

girl with sharp teeth wrote: »

You can get a community care assessment carried out by contacting the local authority where you are living. AFAIK you will need to contact the local authority where you live now, not where the uni is based, but I'm not 100% sure on that.QUOTE]

I emailed the two unis I'm considering applying to. According to them, this is correct. One of them did say that if I was to send them the relevant medical evidence, they could organise a carer for me, who would live with me.

Former Member

Melian wrote: »

I emailed the two unis I'm considering applying to. According to them, this is correct. One of them did say that if I was to send them the relevant medical evidence, they could organise a carer for me, who would live with me.

Sometimes uni disability centres take on a lot of the arranging of provisions for students from social services/dsa. That said their offer will depend on your medical evidence etc showing that you'd need a live in carer.