Assessment for adult social care

A social care needs assessment is for adults 18 and over. It finds out if you need any support in daily life. This support could be help to get dressed, taking care of personal hygiene or cooking meals. The Council might decide you need lots of support, or that you already have enough support.

What will happen at the assessment?

When you have your assessment, we’ll ask you what your life is like. This will include questions like:

• what is important to you?
• what does a good day look like for you?
• who are the people or groups that are important to you?
• who gives you the support and friendship to help you do the things you want?
• what can you do for yourself?
• what help do you think you need and why?
• do you have any medical conditions?
• what areas do you think that you need support in?
• what you would like to be different or better?
• what would you like to be able to do?
• how often do you need support?
• how much of the support you need can a carer or your family provide?
• what living arrangements would help you maximise your wellbeing and independence?

You should bring someone who knows you well like a carer or a family member. This is because it’s very important we hear everything you have to say. If you have trouble getting your thoughts across, the person you bring can help you. If you can’t bring anyone, you should ask an independent advocate to support you.

After we have spoken to you and the person you bring, we will decide if you need support. We use a law called the Care Act 2014 to help us decide.

Do I have to pay for help?

We might decide that you need to pay for some of the support we give you. If that happens, we will need to see how much money you have in savings, income and certain outgoings. That way we can work out how much you can pay. If you don’t want to tell us about your money, you will have to pay for all of your care.

What happens after the assessment?

After your assessment has taken place, we will let you know what we decide. You might disagree with what we’ve decided. If that happens, you should get in touch with us.

If we decide that you should have some extra support, we will speak to you about the amount of money we will give you. This money will be to help pay for your care. It is called your ‘Personal Budget’. We will ask you to create a support plan to show what the money will pay for. You can search the My Care Directory to find the services to support you. (Some of these services may be independent from the Council)

If you want to, you can ask us for help putting the support plan together.

What if things change?

If things change with your health or with the amount of money you have in savings or your income, get in touch to let us know on telephone 01332 640777 or contact us online. We can have another look at your assessment.