A social care assessment (AKA a care act assessment) is a process where social services evaluate a person in order to determine if they have eligible care needs that require support. If you want a career as a social worker, then you’ll learn to perform these assessments and help people access the help that they need.
Social care assessments are free, and anyone can ask for one, including family members and community members who want to request an assessment for someone else. The social care assessment will determine the type of support a person requires and who should provide that support. A person may not meet the eligibility test within that assessment, but it is local authority’s duty to signpost to community and/or voluntary organisations that may be able to meet this.
An identified need could include the following:
Equipment – Wheelchairs, walkers, and personal safety alarms, etc.
Home modifications – Installation of wheelchair ramps, grab bars, and safety equipment, etc.
Physical help – Assistance from a caregiver to perform daily activities, including grooming, bathing, meal preparation, transport, and medication management, etc.
Daycare – Care for a child or dependent if you and/or they are disabled/
Relocation services – Assistance moving into a care home.
Community programs – Access to day centres, community activities, support programs, and lunch clubs, etc.
Care Act 2014 Eligibility Criteria
The Care Act of 2014 sets out the eligibility criteria that people need to meet to qualify for care services from the local council. This act contains three conditions that assessors need to ensure are met to grant care services:
1. That the need for care and support originates from a mental or physical impairment or illness that hasn’t been caused by other circumstantial factors.
This means that you need to determine that the person has a need that has been caused by a mental physical, sensory, or cognitive disability or illness. This also includes those caused by substance misuse or brain injury.
2. Because of this impairment or illness, the person is unable to complete two or more specific outcomes.
This covers everyday activities such as good nutrition, personal hygiene, toilet needs, clothing themselves, being able to use their home safely and keeping it a habitable environment, developing/maintaining personal relationships, engaging in work, using available public services, and caring for any children or dependents.
It remains an eligible need even if the person can achieve the outcomes but needs support or extra time to do so. If the safety of the person and/or the safety of others around them is compromised by them meeting the outcome, this is still deemed as an eligible need. Good examples of this may include someone with a learning disability preparing a hot meal but omitting to turn off the appliances thus putting themselves and others around them at risk.
3. That a consequence of being unable to achieve these outcomes, there is or will be a significant negative impact on their wellbeing.
Any outcome that is not met that significantly impacts on a person’s wellbeing is carefully considered in a care act assessment as an important need that should be met. This could be one specific area of wellbeing, or an accumulation of smaller needs. For example, the person with learning disabilities mentioned above, may disengage with personal care activities and this could have a significant negative impact on both their overall health and their community access. Another consideration is that family members/main carers of people eligible for services, can also request a care act assessment. It can be extremely challenging to care for loved ones whilst fully functioning in all areas of their own lives. To get access to social care, there are two conditions that assessors need to ensure are met to grant carer services:
a. That their care needs arise directly from their need to provide care for another person.
They play a significant part in ensuring that their loved ones eligible needs are being met. These cover the same activities as mentioned above, such as managing nutrition, dressing, bathing, etc.
b. That the carer is experiencing or is at risk of experiencing deterioration of their own mental or physical health because of their care duties. Or that the carer themselves has developed mental or physical health issues or limitations that make them unable to achieve these outcomes.
This includes situations where the main carer requires support to continue with their caring duties to their loved one. For example, a mother caring full-time for a parent with dementia could be struggling to work, manage their child’s life, and provide for their family. Because of this, there is or will be a significant negative impact on the carer’s wellbeing. For this condition to be met, the social care assessment will have to show how this impacts one or more areas of the carer’s life significantly or has a cumulative impact on multiple areas of their life. Using the example of the mother mentioned above, it could be determined that because she would have to leave her parent with dementia to meet the needs of her child or to work, the parent could easily endanger themselves. This means that the mother essentially cannot care for her family, thereby having a significant negative impact on her and their wellbeing.
How can a Person get a Social Care Assessment?
Anyone can request a social care assessment provided they are over 18 years old and are ordinary residents of a local authority area. The local authority is required to assess any person who asks even if they don’t think that the person has any eligible needs, regardless of the financial status of the person. All a person needs to do to request a social care assessment is to contact social services and ask for one. You can also apply online.
For people living in England and Wales, find your local council on the GOV.UK website. For Scotland, you can find your local council on the mygov.scot website. In Northern Ireland, you can find your local Health and Social Care Trust on the nidirect website.
Can I Request a Social Care Assessment for Someone Else?
Yes, you can request a social care assessment on behalf of someone else. However, you do need to get their permission to do so, providing that they have the mental and/or physical capacity to grant it. If the person lacks capacity, continue to seek advice from the local authority. In some cases, local authorities can grant social care before the assessment has taken place. This is done in cases where the need for care and support is especially urgent. In these cases, a doctor, carer, or social worker can assist the person and a full assessment will take place at a later date to make sure that the right support and care is being delivered.
What Happens During a Social Care Assessment?
Only someone from the local authority with the correct training and expertise has the authority to perform an assessment. This can be a social worker or occupational therapist. Generally, the assessment takes the form of an approximately hour-long conversation, which can happen in person or over the phone, depending on the needs and ability of the person needing support. If the assessor deems that the person does not have capacity, then a Care Act advocate may be sourced and/or a representative to be part of the assessment process to be able to contribute to best interests decisions made on the person’s behalf.
The assessor will ask questions about the person’s health, wellbeing, medical conditions, and how they are managing everyday tasks. The assessment will ascertain if the person being assessed is remaining safe in their home environment and, if not, what is required to keep them safe. Part of the assessment is to find out how well a person can function in their day to day living.
Questions may include if the person is able to make a cup of tea, cook nutritious meals, or if they are able to get sufficient groceries and get to important social or medical appointments. They may also ask about the person’s home life, including their personal care needs, social connections, relationships, their employment/occupations and activities within their local community. They’ll also ask if they have any existing assistance if certain equipment or changes to the home are needed and if there are any special, significant concerns about mental and physical health, wellbeing, and independence.
What Happens if a Person Doesn’t Qualify?
If the social care assessment shows that the person is not eligible for social care and support, it is the local authority’s duty to signpost other organisations that could meet the ineligible needs An advocacy service could assist with any appeals made.
How is Social Care Paid For?
While social care can be subsidised through the government and local authority, there is typically a certain amount that the person concerned will have to pay. To determine this amount, the local authority will perform a financial assessment known as a means test.
What Happens During a Financial Assessment?
A Financial Assessment Officer from the council will visit you at home to ask about things like your:
Earnings
Pensions
Benefits (including Attendance Allowance or PIP)
Savings
Property (including overseas property)
They won’t need to know about the value of your possessions or any life insurance policies. It won’t work to spend your money or give your property away before the financial assessment. The assessment can ask you about things you used to own. If the council thinks you have reduced your wealth on purpose, it might stop you getting any type of financial help. Typically, if the person earns less than £14,250, then the local council will provide financial support and they will determine what will be contributed from their income. However, they will not have to pay a tariff income.
If a person is earning between £14,250 and £23,250, then they qualify for financial support from the council but will be required to pay a tariff income based on their capital as well as supply a contribution from their income. A tariff income is worked out by assuming the person has £1 extra per week in income for every £250 (or part of) they have between £14,250 and £23,250 in capital. If the person earns over £23,250, they are considered a self-funder and will receive no additional funding from the council.
Who is Responsible for Care & Support?
The local authority or council that completes the assessment is responsible for the person’s support and care needs. They will settle any disputes, monitor care and support, and supply the necessary resources, equipment, and tools. If a person receiving care and support moves out of their local authority area into a care home or supported housing that falls under the authority of a different council, it is still the responsibility of the local authority where the person originally lived to meet their care and support needs.
Considering a Career in Social Care? We’re Here to Help you get the Best Start!
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