What is Adult social care?
Adult
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
is a wide term for the support provided
organisations
Organisations are groups like companies and businesses.
and individuals to help people in need to maintain their
independence
Independence means doing things on your own. Making your own choices.
. This is a statutory obligation for councils under the Care Act 2014.
Some people with a learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. who are over 18 may be eligible for social care support
This could include support with personal care, daily living and social activities.
Care and support plan
A care and support plan is a detailed document setting out what services will be provided, how they will meet your needs, when they will be provided, and who will provide them.
You are entitled to see a copy of your care and support plan and the
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
should make sure that you are happy with it before it is finalised.
Your plan should be reviewed regularly by the local authority A local authority is another name for your local council. It is a group of people whose job is to look after the area where you live. once it is in place, at least once a year or more often if necessary. Your plan should always be reviewed if your circumstances change.
What is a 'needs assessment’?
In adult services, the support offered to you will be decided through a ‘needs
assessment
An assessment is a way of finding out what help a person needs. When you have an assessment, you might have to go to a meeting or fill in a form.
’, carried out by your local authority.
What you need in terms of care and support, healthcare and housing should all be considered as part of this assessment.
Personal budgets
Adults with eligible needs can be given a personal
budget
A budget is a plan where you look at how much money you have and how you will spend it.
by the local authority. The amount you get must be enough to meet ‘eligible’ needs and pay for all the services set out in your care and support plan.
The Government The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much tax people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work. says that local authorities A local authority is another name for your local council. It is a group of people whose job is to look after the area where you live. Local authorities means more than one local authority. must not use reviews of care and support to cut personal budgets without having a good reason. You can challenge a decision if your budget has been cut or if you are worried it is not enough to cover the costs of the support you need.
Adult social care questions and answers
The Care Act tells local councils across England what they need to do if someone needs social care support. It also tells councils what they have to do if they know someone is caring for a family member or friends and needs support as a carer.
A personal budget is the amount of money you can get to pay for the care and support that meets your needs, whether this support is provided by the local authority or paid for by you using
direct payments
Direct payments are when the money for your care and support, or benefits, is paid to you.
.
Things can go wrong in the social care system; something might happen that you're not happy about or that you don't think is right.
Common problems include:
- assessments that don’t accurately reflect the needs of the person
- care and support plans that don’t meet all eligible needs
- personal budgets that are not enough to cover the costs of the support needed, or that are cut
- charges that are too much to afford.
Whilst it can be very stressful and worrying if something does go wrong, there are ways you can challenge all of these things.
If you have a learning disability, or if you are a carer or family member of someone with a learning disability, you can contact the Mencap Learning Disability Helpline for support.