Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents.  It is a legal procedure in which all the parental responsibility is transferred to the adopters. 

Once an adoption order has been granted it cannot be reversed except in extremely rare circumstances.  An adopted child loses all legal ties with their first mother and father (the 'birth parents') and becomes a full member of the new family, usually taking the family's name.  For more information see the section on adoption.

Attendance Allowance (AA)  is a benefit paid to people who claim after their 65th birthday and who need help because of illness or disability.  It is similar to DLA but it is only paid in respect of help with care.  For more information, contact your local Social Work office.

Copies of birth, death, marriage and civil partnership extracts (certificates) can be obtained from your local Registration Office.

As of January 2007 you can obtain copies of extracts from any part of Scotland at any Registration Office in Scotland.

The Borders Voluntary Community Care Forum (BVCCF) is an independent voluntary organisation which represents the interests of local people in the planning and provision of community care. The Forum has a Border-wide membership of interested individuals and groups who represent service users, carers and voluntary organisations.

The key aims of the forum are:

• to provide a focal point for consultation and representation
• to enable users/carers to have a voice in community care
• to support the development of new projects and services in community care
• to work in partnership with all agencies to improve the quality of community care services in the Scottish Borders.

The BVCCF also assists in the provision of information about community care and promotes training opportunities for its members.  If you have any concerns you wish to raise or, if you are interested in the work of the Forum and would like to get involved in any of their activities, you can contact them at:

Borders Voluntary Community Care Forum
34 Woodmarket
Kelso, TD5 7AX
Tel: 01573 226969
Email: admin@bvccf.org.uk
Website: www.bvccf.org.uk 
More information

The only benefit specifically for carers is Carer's Allowance (CA) which is paid to carers who are looking after a disabled person.  You may be able to claim other benefits if you are on a low income.

Community Care is the name given to the range of services which support adults (aged 16 and over, 18 and over for some services) who are in need of care and support.  Our aim is to assist people to live as independently as possible and to have choice about where and how they live their lives.  Assistance may be for a few weeks or longer and can be provided in a variety of different ways and settings.  In order to provide this support, we work closely with other agencies such as NHS Borders, voluntary organisations and private providers. 

More information about Community Care

Please contact your local Social Work office for more information about how to get a Community Care service.  You can also ask your Community Nurse or your key Health Worker. You can also ask someone else to contact Social Work on your behalf.

More information...

Yes, the Council Has a Corporate Property Asset Strategy and Management Plan which sets out the broad strategy for the management of the Council’s property assets in order to maximise their contribution to the Council’s corporate and service goals and objectives as economically, efficiently and effectively as possible. you can download a copy of this document

Services for people with dementia are supported by specialist teams within Social Work.  Please contact your local Social Work office for more information about how we may be able to help meet the particular needs of people with dementia and their carers.

Contact the Housing Strategy Team to find out how you can make your home more energy efficient.   You may also find useful information on the Housing Forum website (the link will take you to another site).

You can stop these by registering with The Direct Marketing Association at DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8SS

For mail:  Mail Preference Services (MPS)
Telephone 020 7291 3310 Fax 020 7323 4226
or register by email at mps@dma.org.uk or through the MPS website

For telephone calls:  Telephone Preference Service (TPS)
Telephone 020 7291 3320  Fax 020 7323 4226
or register by email on tps@dma.org.uk or through the TPS website

For faxes: Facsimile Preference Service (FPS)
Telephone 020 7291 3330  Fax 020 7323 4226
or register by email at fps@dma.org.uk or through the FPS website

For e-mails register through the DMA website

You can buy your home if you have been a tenant for two or more years and your tenancy began prior to September 2002.  If your tenancy began after that date, you must be a tenant for at least five years before being able to buy the house.

Scottish Borders Council's council housing stock was transferred to Scottish Borders Housing Association on 3 March 2003.  If you were previously a tenant of the Council, you should contact SBHA Head Office on 01896 661500.  To find out more about the 'Right to Buy' your former Council house, contact your current landlord.

More information about housing is available on the Scottish Borders Housing Forum website (this link will take you to another site).

For further information on how to buy your house, please phone the relevant Area Office in Galashiels (01896 754751); Hawick (01450 375991) or Peebles (01721 720153).

This is a warning that the Housing Association may take Court action against you to recover your home. It does not mean you have to move out. It does not affect your right to stay in the home.

It does not affect your duty to pay your rent. It is the first step in the legal process which could lead to you being evicted if you don’t pay your rent or you break one of the conditions of your lease.

The only people who can legally buy the home are the people living there. If a relative lives with you, then yes they can be on the form or buy the home. In addition, a relative can help with the cost if they don’t live in the home but the purchase itself must be in the tenant’s name.

Please contact the relevant Area Office in Galashiels (01896 754751); Hawick (01450 375991) or Peebles (01721 720153).

The Guide to Housing Options on the Scottish Borders Housing Forum website provides information to help you make informed housing decisions (this will take you to another website).  You may also wish to contact the Housing Strategy Team.

The Local Housing Strategy is produced by the Housing Strategy Team.  Information can also be found on the Scottish Borders Housing Forum website (this will take you to an external website).

You can sell the home straight away but if you do this within one year of buying it, you will have to pay back all of the discount that you got when you bought the home. If you sell the home within two years of buying it, you have to pay back two-thirds of the discount. If you sell the home within three years, you have to pay back one-third of the discount. You need to hold on to the home for a full three years before you can sell it without having to pay money back to the Housing Association.

The price of a home is set by the District Valuer and will depend on things like how long you have been a tenant, the size and age of the home and any improvements that have been done to it.

If the person you look after is severely disabled and they are under the age of 65, they may be eligible for assistance under the Independent Living Fund.  They must be in receipt of the highest rate of Disability Living Allowance Care Component and have been assessed by Social Work as requiring more than £200 worth of community care services in order to remain living at home.  The maximum weekly payment for the Independent Living (1993) Fund is £420 per week and for the Independent Living (Extension) Fund, i.e. for those who first claimed after 1993, is £715 per week. 

Please contact your local  office for more information.

Meals at Home is a service delivering pre-cooked, frozen meals to you in your own home.  This service is for people with community care needs who are unable to shop or prepare meals for themselves.  Delivered direct to your freezer, the service offers an extensive menu of high-quality, nutritious meals, giving you the flexibility to have a hot meal when you want it.

This is one of a number of Care at Home services arranged by Scottish Borders Council Social Work Services.  We have commissioned the Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) to provide this service to you.

If the council feel that the noise is a nuisance in terms of The Environmental Protection Act 1990, they may serve notice on the person causing the noise, in order to rectify the problem. Contact the Environmental Health Service.

Either contact the Royal Mail Postcode Centre in Inverness direct on 01463 256213 or the relevant Area office. See the Home page for details.

Please write, telephone or fax the relevant Area Office:

• Duns Area Office: Council Offices, Newtown Street, Duns TD11 3DT - Tel: 01361 882600  Fax: 01361 886111
• Galashiels Area Office: Council Offices, Albert Place, Galashiels TD1 3DL - Tel: 01896 754751  Fax: 01896 662711
• Hawick Area Office: Council Offices, High Street, Hawick TD9 9EF - Tel: 01450 375991  Fax: 01450 364711
• Peebles Area Office: Council Offices, Rosetta Road, Peebles EH45 8HG - Tel: 01721 720153  Fax: 01721 726311

The Wilton Centre provides support for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties who are unable to access full-time mainstream education.  The Primary resource is managed solely by the Education and Lifelong Learning Department, while the Secondary resource is managed by both Social Work and Education and Lifelong Learning.

If you would like more information, please contact your local Social Work office and ask to speak to a member of the Children and Families team.

The Scottish Borders has an area of 4743 square kilometres which is 1831 square miles.

In the first instance contact our Traffic and Road Safety section. There are a number of factors that need looked at before any decision could be made.

The Environmental Health Service has a duty to deal with abandoned vehicles, and can carry out the necessary procedure to have notices placed on the vehicles and the vehicle removed. Contact your Environmental Health Office who will deal with this matter.

Biodiversity is another term for Biological Diversity, that is the whole variety of life on Earth.

The then Scottish Executive launched the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy in May 2004. One of its main concerns is to get more people involved in saving our natural heritage. This is where you can help out.

After the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the UK Government took a leading role and produced the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) in 1995. Locally this is put into practice by the Scottish Borders LBAP which was launched in 2001.

Yes, the council can sample the water and have it analysed. Contact your Environmental Health Office for information on costs or to arrange a visit.

Employers are required to keep their business premises at a reasonable temperature in terms of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. This Act is administered by Environmental Health officers and if you contact them they will advise you further on how this may be resolved.