What to do if you do not agree with a social care decision
What to do if you do not agree with a social care decision
Social care is help for people who need extra help with every day life. For example, help with:
- cooking
- shopping
- washing
- dressing
- looking after money.
The local
council
A council is also called a
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.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
usually provides social care.
If you think something is wrong, or you are not happy about something the council has decided about your social care...
you can let people know and try to get them to change what the council have decided.
Examples of things you might think are wrong or should be changed:
- your social care
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.
does not have the right information about the help you need - your care and support plan does not have information about all the help you should have
- you do not have enough money in your personal
budget
A budget is a plan where you look at how much money you have and how you will spend it.
from the council to pay for all the help you need - you are being asked to pay too much towards your social care.
How to try to get people to change something
If you think something is wrong and should be changed, you can try these steps:
1. Complain to your local council
Write a letter to the Director of Adult Services at your local council.
Write about what the council have decided and why you think it is wrong.
You can also ask the council to let you know how they decided the thing you think is wrong.
2. Complain to the Local Government Ombudsman
If you are not happy with the reply from your council, you can
complain
Complain is when you say you are not happy about something.
to the Local Government
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is someone who can help you if you have complained about a service, like a hospital. If you think that the service has not looked at your complaint properly, you can take your complaint to the ombudsman. The ombudsman is an independent person who will look at your complaint.
(LGO).
The LGO will decide if they can look at your complaint. If they look at your complaint, they will decide if the council said the right thing about your complaint.
They might tell the council what they think the council should do to make things right for you.
You can find more information about the LGO on the LGO website.
3. Ask a solicitor for help
Sometimes you can ask a judge to look to see if the council broke the
law
Laws are the rules that everyone in the country has to follow. If you don't follow the rules you can get in trouble with the police.
when they made their decision.
A solicitor can tell you if you can ask a judge about the decision you want to change.
To find a solicitor who can help you with social care, go to the justice page of the government's website and tick the
Community
A community is the people and places in an area.
care box.
You will need to put in your postcode to find a solicitor near you.
You can find out if you can get money called legal aid to pay for a solicitor on the government's website.
4. Let your MP know about your problem
You should let your MP know how the council is following laws like the Care Act.
Your MP can talk to the council for you.
You can find your MP's contact details on the UK Parliament website.
First published 03/03/2025
Last updated 03/03/2025