Long term care and support
A social care assessment makes sure that social care services reach people who are most in need.
This is an opportunity for us to look at your needs and work with you to find the best options for your care and support.
You do not need to pay for a care assessment.
By clicking on the step you are interested in you can access further information.
Contact us to see if we can help you
Before we can help you, we need to look at your needs
You or a family member need to contact our Adult Social Care Helpdesk to arrange an initial assessment.
For more information about having an assessment visit the Your Circle website
If you are requesting an asessment on behalf of someone else we will need their consent for this.
Your care assessment
When your assessment is completed and if you qualify to receive help from us we may offer you a personal budget. Your assessment helps us to determine how much your budget will be, based on your assessed needs.
If you are not eligible, whatever your situation, we may still be able to offer guidance and information about sources of support that you can access or provide for yourself. See the Your Circle website for more information.
Writing your support plan and choosing your care
For further information on what to include in your support plan please read the or visit "Personal budgets brought to life" area of the Your Circle website
Once you have written your support plan your social worker will then arrange for it to be approved.
What can I spend the money on?
Everyone's requirements in life are different and therefore everyone's support plans will be different. There are lots of different ways that you might like to have support, and this fine as long as they obviously meet your needs, are lawful and affordable. Many people will still spend their budget on traditional methods of social care, for example receiving support at home to help them get up, get washed and dressed.
Personal budgets can only be used to support you with your care needs (not used for something you would normally buy yourself) and agreed by us. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, you can't use the money to employ a close relative or person living in your home.
How do I receive my personal budget?
You can have your personal budget paid directly to you as a direct payment into your bank account. This means you can organise, buy and manage all your agreed support for yourself. Or you can opt to have a combination, so that we manage part of your personal budget and you manage part.
If you do not want to manage your budget yourself there are support brokers who can help you manage your budget and provide the services and help you need.
For more information on personal budgets and direct payments please go to the 'Care and Support' area of the Your Circle website.
Can I complain or appeal if I do not agree with a decision?
Yes. The normal complaints and appeals procedures apply. If you have concerns about the decision we have taken, we would ask you, in the first instance, to contact the person (or team) you have been dealing with to let them know what your concerns are and ask them to review our decision.
For information about the complaints and appeals process see Complaints, compliments and comments about adult social care.