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Welfare Rights

The CC Inform Glossary provides a comprehensive at-a-glance guide to organisations and terminology from the fields of social care; education; health; housing and the police.

• Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs)
• Acceptable behaviour contracts are voluntary agreements made between people involved in anti-social behaviour and the local police, the housing department, the registered social landlord, or the perpetrator's school. They have proved effective as a means of encouraging young adults, children and parents to take responsibility for unacceptable behaviour.

• Access to Work (ATW)
• Access to work is available to help overcome the problems resulting from disability. It offers practical advice and help in a flexible way that can be tailored to suit the needs of an individual in a particular job.

• Accountability
• The principal and process of ensuring that public-sector officials and elected representatives are responsible for their actions.

• Accreditation Syndicate for Education and Training (ASET)
• ASET is a national awarding body specialising in providing, quality assuring and certificating vocational learning programmes.

• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• AIDS attacks the immune system. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) usually leads to AIDS, which is diagnosed when a person has developed one of serveral opportunisitc diseases associated with the virus as well as underlying immune problems.

• Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)
• ACRE is active in promoting the interests of rural communities. It aims to promote a healthy, vibrant and sustainable rural community sector that is well connected to policies and initiatives at national, regional, sub regional and local levels. It also acts as the national organisation for 38 rural community councils throughout England.

• Active Communities Development Fund
• Administered by the Active Community Unit the fund is provided for three years, available to voluntary and community organisations to recrut and train staff who will get involved with voluntary activity that tackles social exclusion.

• Active Communities Directorate (ACD)
• The directorate is a government body to promote voluntary and community activity. It works to create local infrastructures for people to become more involved, including improving opportunities for volunteering, training and mentoring.

• Actual Bodily Harm (ABH)
• ABH is a type of criminal assualt defined under English law. It encompasses those assaults which result in injuries, typically a degree of medical treatment to the victim.

• Acute services
• Medical and surgical treatment provided mainly in hospitals

• Addiction
• The condition when an individual uses a substance (legal or illegal) regularly and has developed a dependence on it.

• Addiction Recovery Agency (ARA)
• ARA provides addiction treatment and support services to enable people to lead valued and fulfilled lives free from all forms of substance dependency.

• Additional Educational Needs
• A broader term than special educational needs, which identifies those children who require extra educational attention because of a wide variety of factors that may affect their learning.

• Adjourned (ADJ)
• In law, adjournment means to suspend proceedings to another time or place.

• Admissible evidence
• Evidence which is relevant to a matter which the court is deciding, and which is not excluded by rules established by the courts and statute law. Under the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 video recorded evidence may be admissible even though the normal rules of evidence require witnesses to attend and give their evidence at the time of the trial.

• Adoption and Children Act 2002, Chapter 38
• An Act to restate and amend the law relating to adoption; to make further amendments of the law relating to children; to amend section 93 of the Local Government Act 2000; and for connected purposes.

• Adoption Hearing
• The proceedings in court that determine whether a child is to be adopted.

• Adults with Incapacity
• Provides for decisions to be made on behalf of adults who lack legal capacity to do so themselves because of mental disorder or inability to communicate.

• Advanced Diploma in Children's Care and Education (ADCE)
• A professional development course which builds on experience and understanding of early years care and education gained from the workplace and previous early years qualifications.

• Advisory Centre for Education (ACE)
• ACE is an independent national advice centre, which offers information about state education in England and Wales for parents of school age children.

• Affidavit
• An affidavit is a formal sworn statement of fact, signed by the declarant (who is called the affiant) and witnessed (as to the veracity of the affiant's signature) by a taker of oaths.

• After Care
• Services provided for people discharged from hospitals, prisons or other institutions. After care should assist with resettlement back into the community.

• Agenda for Change
• Agenda for Change is a new pay and reform package that will ensure that people who work in the NHS are paid on the basis of equal pay for work of equal value. It applies to all directly employed NHS staff, except the most senior managers.

• Aggregate External Finance
• The total amount of money given by central government to local government. It consists of the revenue support grant (RSG), ringfenced money and business rates. Councils raise money on top of this amount through council tax.

• All England Law Reports (ALL ER)
• A long-running series of law reports covering the court system in England and Wales.

• Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
• Allied health professionals are those clinical healthcare professionals distinct from the medical and nursing professions. As the name implies, they are all allies in the healthcare team, working together to make the healthcare system function.

• Allocated Case
• A case that has been made the responsibility of a named social worker or other key worker until the case is closed.

• Almshouses
• Housing services provided by charitable trusts for the older residents. Conditions of admission are determined by the individual trust.

• Ancillary relief
• The legal term for the process of dividing the assets – i.e. deciding who gets what financially - when marriages break up.

• Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• An AGM is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public (including companies with shareholders), are often required by law to hold.

• Antipsychotics
• The term antipsychotic is applied to a group of drugs used to treat psychosis. Common conditions with which antipsychotics might be used include schizophrenia, mania and delusional disorder, although antipsychotics might be used to counter psychosis associated with a wide range of other diagnoses.

• Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, Chapter 10
• An Act to make provision in connection with anti-social behaviour.

• Antisocial Behaviour Order (ASBO)
• An injunction made by councils, police or housing associations against any one over 10 years old causing harrassment, alarm or distress to a household or a neighbourhood. Breaching the order is treated as a criminal offence and carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

• APIR (Assess, Plan, Implement, Review)
• APIR is a comprehensive framework for one-to-one interaction with young people used by those working with the Connexions service.

• Approved Develoment Programme (ADP)
• Amount of public money available each year for housing associations to spend on building or renovating new homes. Funding is allocated by the Housing Corporation to housing associations whose bids have been successful.

• Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
• A mental health professioanl who is responsible for co-ordinating and carrying out the assessment (along with two doctors) which determines whether compulsory powers should be used on a patient. The AMHP could be a social worker, but could also be a nurse or an occupational therapist.

• Approved Social Worker (ASWs)
• ASWs are qualified social workers in England and Wales with responsibility for assessing someones needs, care and treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). ASWs must be appointed by the local authority as they have a legal duty to ensure the service is delivered.

• Area Based Initiatives (ABI)
• ABIs are publicly funded initiatives targeted on areas of social or economic disadvantage, which aim to improve the quality of life of residents and/or their future life chances and those of their children.

• Armed Response Vehicle (ARV)
• These vehicles are crewed by uniformed police officers who have been selected and trained to stabilise and control armed incidents, stop and search suspects, their vehicles and to search premises for armed suspects.

• Arms's Length Management Organisations (ALMOs)
• ALMOs are companies set up by a local authority to manage its homes and make them decent. Homes remain owned by the council, and tenants remain council tenants. ALMOs provide a dedicated housing management service while the council can concentrate on strategic housing functions.

• Asperger's Syndrome
• Asperger's Syndrome is a pervasive developmental disorder that falls within the autistic spectrum. It is a life-long condition, which affects about 1 in 200 people. Those with Asperger's Syndrome are usually of average or above average intelligence. The condition is characterised by difficulties with social interaction, social communication and flexibility of thinking or imagination. In addition, there may be sensory, motor and organisational difficulties.

• Assessment and Progress Record (APR)
• The assessment and progress record has two key functions: as a tool for planning and conducting the assessment; and as the record that brings together the information gathered during the assessment to facilitate analysis.

• Assessment of a Child
• Generally, an assessment can be defined as any systematic process of assessing the needs, circumstances or progress of a child (or family) against defined norms, an established scale or standardised benchmarks, with the intention of understanding the child's needs, circumstances or progress to decide on appropriate further action.

• Assistant Commissioner (AC)
• Third highest rank in the London Metropolitan Police.

• Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE)
• The APSE is the UK's fatest growing and most progressive local government association. Formerly the Association of Direct Labour Orgnanisation. Its membership reflects a unique tripartite approach, with involvement from elected members, officers and trade unions. The association has been at the forefront of assisting its members in the ongoing implementation and development of Best Value and the wider modernisation agenda.

• Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector (ARVAC)
• ARVAC was established to promote, disseminate and discuss research on voluntary organisations, volunteer involvment, community action, self-help and informal caring.

• Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO)
• UK's foremost organisation dedicated to the understanding and treatment of obesity.

• Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF)
• ACF is the UK wide support organisation for grant-making trusts and foundations of all types.

• Association of Charity Independent Examiners (ACIE)
• ACIE exists to provide support, training and professional qualifications for anyone acting (or wishing to act) as an Independent Examiner of Charity accounts.

• Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO)
• ACEVO is the professional body for the third sector's chief executives, with 2000 members. The aim is to connect, develop and represent the sector's leaders, in order to increase the sector's impact and efficiency.

• Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS)
• The collective organisation of chief constables, deputy chief constables, assistant chief constables and senior support staff from the eight police forces in Scotland.

• Association of Directors of Education and Children's Services (ADECS)
• The association is a founder member of the Confederation of Education and Children's Services Managers, also known as Confed.

• Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS)
• The ADSS represents all the directors of adult social services (DASS) and directors of children's services (DCS) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The association is able to bring together tremendous breadth, depth and accumulated experience on all issues covering managerial policy and professional activities of social services departments.

• Association of Lawyers for Children (ALC)
• The ALC is a membership organisation which promotes justice for children and young people within the legal system in England and Wales.

• Association of Local Authority Advisory Officers for Multi-cultural Education (ALAOME)
• The association is a constituent member of the Confederation of Children's Services Managers established in 2002, and known as Confed. The association aims to contribute to the development of a just and equal society through education.

• Association of London Government (ALG) now London Councils
• London Councils fights for more resources for London and for a fair deal for London's 33 councils. While lobbying forms a major part of their work, they also develop policy in many key areas and run a range of services designed to make life better for Londoners.

• Association of Police Authorities (APA)
• The APA represents police authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, both on nationally and locally. It influences policy on policing and it supports local police authorities in their important role.

• Association of Police Officers (ACPO)
• An independent, professionally led strategic body. In the public interest and, in equal and active partnershipp with government and the association of police authorities, ACPO leads and co-ordinates the direction and development of the police service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

• Association of Professionals in Education and Children's Trust (ASPECT)
• ASPECT is the only professional association and trade union exclusively representing professionals in education and children's trusts. Members are based throughout the UK, and work across a broad range of sectors serving the interests of all children and young people, including the public, private, faith, voluntary and community sectors.

• Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)
• Professional association for leaders of secondary schools and colleges. Heads, principals, deputy heads, vice-principals, assistant heads, assistant principals, bursars and other senior post holders are eligible for ASCL membership.

• Assured Tenancy
• The most common form of tennancy offered by housing associations. It allows housing associations to increase their rents to market levels if they get into financial trouble. Assured tenants have less legal protection than council tenants who are given secure tenancies.

• Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004, Chapter 19
• An Act to make provision about asylum and immigration.

• Asylum Seeker
• Someone in the process of applying for refugee status. Asylum seekers were removed from the welfare benefits system by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

• At Risk
• A child believed to be at risk of significant harm and therefore in need of protection by the local authority.

• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• ADHD is a diagnosis that psychiatrists and paediatricians use to describe serious and persistent inattentiveness and/or over-activity and impulsiveness.

• Audit
• Commonly used to refer to an audit of a service or services to assess the service provider's practice and effectiveness.

• Audit Commission
• An independent public body responsible for ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently, and effectively in the areas of local government, housing, health, criminal justice and fire and rescue services.

• Audit Commission Performance Indicator (ACPI)
• The Audit Commission has an important role in promoting the use of performance information to drive improvements in public services.

• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Children with ASD find it difficult to understand and use both verbal and non-verbal communication, to understand social behaviour (this affects their ability to interact with children and adults), and to think and adapt their behaviour in different situations.