Within the Assets team, our Adaptations Officer is responsible for managing and processing all Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) projects, along with minor adaptation works for our customers.
A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a government grant in the UK designed to help fund adaptations and changes in the home to support disabled people. This can cover a variety of changes, such as installing ramps, widening doorways, or adding a stairlift.
We caught up with our Adaptations Officer, Angie, who shared more about her week helping customers live independently and comfortably.
Working together
“As an Adaptations Officer, my day-to-day tasks include overseeing and processing all DFG works, along with coordinating any minor adaptations needed in customers’ homes.
“We may get DFG requests on behalf of customers from Occupational Therapists (OT), Social Workers, any other medical professionals or occasionally our Neighbourhood Officers.
“I often spend part of my week visiting people’s homes with OTs, surveyors, and contractors to assist, liaise and advise on any adaptations needed.
“A lot of what I do involves collaborating with various teams across the organisation and external agencies to make sure adaptations are completed on time and customers are happy!
“I’m also a trained Trusted Assessor. This means that if the adaptation request is straight forward and doesn’t need external partners, I’m able to visit the customer’s home and carry out the assessments myself. This comes in handy if a Neighbourhood Officer suggests someone needs a basic adaptation as it means we can arrange the work ourselves and install it for the customer much quicker.
“As a Trusted Assessor, I can mark-up simple home adaptation requests, such as grab bars or advise if the customer needs an OT to visit to further assess the home.
“When I’m not visiting people’s homes, a huge chunk of my day consists of completing admin work. This includes collating information, invoicing, servicing, checking the various accounts we manage, and going through warranties and repairs. Basically, all things adaptation-related!
“I have to balance the paperwork alongside prioritising the most important aspects of the job; arranging the adaptations to be fitted, keeping customers updated, maintaining communication, and coordinating the entire process.”
