Social care needs assessments
We use the national eligibility rules set out within the Care Act 2014 to decide if you can get support from us. We can only make a decision on your eligibility once we understand your needs. We do this through a social care needs assessment.
The social care needs assessment looks at your needs against a set of eligibility criteria. There are 2 sets for:
The assessment helps us understand if you need help with everyday tasks like washing and dressing. It also considers if your wellbeing will be significantly impacted because you can't do these things. This could include being able to live independently or being able to get involved in social activities.
If you need a lot of support with 2 or more everyday tasks and your wellbeing is significantly impacted, you are likely to have eligible needs.
If you are found to have eligible needs, you have a right to support. However, adult social care is not free. Services are means tested and as part of the overall process you will need to do a financial assessment. Most people pay something towards their care. The assessment will help us work out if you must pay towards the cost of your care, and if you do, how much.
Some people will have to pay for the care they need themselves. This is called self-funding. We can offer information and advice to help you arrange the care you need. See Arranging and paying for your own care to find out more.
