Facts for Families13th August 2025
| AAC | Augmentative and Alternative Communication |
| ABI | Acquired brain injury |
| ADASS | Association of Directors of Adult Social Services |
| ADD/ADHD | Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder |
| Advocacy | Getting support from another person to help you with the people you support express views and get their voice heard |
| AP | Alternative Provision |
| APPG | All Party Parliamentary Group |
| Appointee | Someone who has been appointed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to act on another person’s behalf in all social security measures |
| ASC/ASD | Autistic Spectrum Condition/Autistic Spectrum Disorder |
| Assessments | Different organisations use different assessments to look at the needs of a person to decide if and how they can help |
| Assistive Technology | The phrase ‘assistive technology’ is often used to describe products or systems that support and assist individuals with disabilities, restricted mobility or other impairments to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible |
| ATU | Assessment and Treatment Unit |
| BESD | Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties |
| Best interest decisions | Under the Mental Capacity Act all acts and decisions must be in the person’s best interest. A person’s capacity (or lack of capacity) refers specifically to their capacity to make a particular decision at the time it needs to be made |
| BSL | British Sign Language |
| BSP | Behaviour Support Plan |
| CAMHS | Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service |
| Care Manager | A health or social worker who acts as a lead worker for a person |
| Carers Assessment | Carers are entitled to an assessment of their own needs as a carer. This is the responsibility of the Social Care Service |
| CCG | Clinical Commissioning Group |
| CHC | Continuing Healthcare (Adult Heath) |
| Circle of Support | A group of people, who will support and help a person to say what they want and plan what they want to do. This can include family, friends and social care professionals |
| Communication Passport | Helps to focus on people’s communication when they use actions to communicate a message, rather than or instead of words |
| Community Care Assessment | An assessment under the NHS & Community Care Act 1990, used to find out what the needs of the individual are |
| CoP | Code of Practice |
| Co-Production | The term co-production refers to a way of working whereby everybody works together on an equal basis to create a service or come to a decision which works for them all |
| COSHH | Control of Substances Hazardous to Health |
| Court of Protection Deputy | Someone appointed by the court to act on the behalf of a person who lacks the mental capacity to make their own decisions regarding financial and personal welfare issues. This is usually a family member |
| CIW | Care Inspectorate for Wales |
| CSW | Community Support Worker |
| CQC | Care Quality Commission |
| d/Deaf | ‘d’ refers to the physical condition of hearing loss. People who identify with lowercase ‘d’ don’t always have a strong connection with the Deaf community and may have grown up in a hearing community. ‘Deaf’ with an upper case ‘D’ is used to describe people who identify as culturally Deaf and actively involved in the Deaf community |
| DCO | Designated Clinical Officer |
| DDA | Disability Discrimination Act |
| DHSC | Department of Health and Social Care |
| DLA | Disability Living Allowance |
| DNACPR | Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
| DNR | Do not resuscitate |
| DoH | Department of Health |
| DoLS | Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards |
| DP | Direct Payments. Payments given by Social Care Services to disabled people who have been assessed as needing support |
| DPA | Data Protection Act |
| DMO | Designated Medical Officer |
| EHCP | Education, Health and Care Plan |
| ESA | Employment and Support Allowance |
| GDPR-UK | General Data Protection Regulation |
| HI | Hearing impaired |
| HNA | Health Needs Assessment |
| HNB | High Needs Budget |
| HSC | Health and Social Care |
| ICB/S/P | Integrated care board/system/partnership – integration of health and social care |
| ISF | Individual Service Fund |
| LA | Local Authority |
| LD/LDD | Learning difficulty or disability |
| LDE | Learning Disability England |
| LM | Locality manager |
| LO | Local offer |
| LDW | Learning Disability Wales |
| LSW | Lead support worker |
| Makaton | A communication programme using speech, signs and symbols |
| MCA | Mental Capacity Act |
| MH | Mental health |
| MLD | Moderate learning disability |
| NAS | National Autistic Society |
| NFCN | National Family Carer Network |
| OD | Operations director |
| PCP | Person-centred Plan |
| PDA | Pathological Demand Avoidance |
| PECS | Picture Exchange Communication System |
| PfA | Preparation for Adulthood |
| PHB | Personal Health Budget |
| PIP | Personal Independence Payment |
| PMLD | Profound and multiple learning disabilities |
| PB | Personal Budget |
| PBS | Positive behavioural support |
| PD | Physical Disability |
| PPE | Personal protective equipment |
| PROACT-SCIPr | A ‘whole approach’ to working with adults with learning disabilities. It follows the positive behaviour support model and focuses on proactive methods to avoid triggers |
| RA | Risk Assessment |
| Radar | A system to log events, risks, action plans and audits, as well as complaint and compliments. |
| RIDDOR | Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations |
| SEMH | Social Emotional Mental Health |
| SEN | Special Educational Needs |
| SEND | Special Educational Needs and Disabilities |
| SCIE | Social Care Institute for Excellence |
| SID/SPD | Sensory Integration Disorder/Sensory Perception Disorder |
| SLD | Severe learning disability |
| SpLDL | Specific learning difficulties (Dyslexia) |
| SLT/SALT | Speech and Language Therapy or Therapist |
| SLCN | Speech, Language and Communication Needs |
| STOMP | Stopping Over-Medication of People with learning disabilities, autism or both with psychotropic medicines |
| SW | Social Worker or support worker |
| TMV | Thermostatic Mixing Valve |
| Transition | Movement from child to adult services |
| TUPE | Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) |
| VI | Visual Impairment |
| VOCAs | Voice Output Communication Aids |
| VODG | Voluntary Organisations Disability Group |
| WTFC | Working Together for Change |