Social Care Assessments - What Happens Next?

After a needs assessment , your local authority must review the information gathered and decide whether or not to provide services for you. Your authority will do this by determining whether your needs meet the national eligibility criteria. The eligibility threshold is different for adults with care needs and for carers. Both sets of criteria are set out in the Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014. If your local authority determines that you do have eligible needs for support, then you should be involved in the care planning process in order for you to make important decisions about the type of support that you would like to receive. If your local authority decides that you do not have eligible needs for care and support, you should be notified of this in writing and reasons should be provided. You should also receive written information on prevention which should suggest ways that you can stop your needs deteriorating, or suggest other organisations in your local area that you an approach for support. 

If you have had an assessment of your care and support needs but you have not heard from the social services department of your local authority, you should contact them and ask: Whether they have made a decision about your eligibility for care and support What that decision is When you should expect to receive written confirmation from them of this decision. You are also entitled to a copy of your assessment so you should ask for this as well.