Our Aims:
- To promote independence, enable people to live in their own homes where possible and to continue, or return to, employment
- To protect vulnerable adults, in partnership with other agencies
- To seek to continually raise standards through improving the consistency and quality of assessments and through developing integrated, innovative and responsible community based services.
- To ensure a wide range of choice for service users and carers and to ensure the best use of funds available.
What do we do?
We provide an assessment service for people living at home and for hospital inpatients over the age of 18. Following an assessment we may provide a range of services for those who are eligible. Some services are provided by our own staff and others are commissioned from private and independent providers, for example private home care agencies and residential homes.
After a service is provided, we monitor and review the services at regular intervals to make sure the care plan is going well. If someone's needs change, they can contact us for a reassessment.
How do adults get help from Social Services?
When you contact us, you will talk first to a trained member of staff who will ask about the problems you are having. If we cannot help, we may be able to suggest other ways of getting the help you need.
If we can help, you will be given an appointment to meet a member of professional staff for a detailed assessment. Adults receive assessments under the Community Care Act 1990 in order to determine whether they may be eligible for services. Some services are chargeable, so there may be a financial assessment as well.
What is involved in an assessment?
The word assessment can sound offputting – it really means a conversation with a professional worker about how you are managing and what help you might need to enable you to live safely and independently. You will have the opportunity to tell us about your needs. People who need help with communication will receive assistance. We may need to ask other professionals such as your doctor, or a community nurse, to contribute to the discussion so that we have a full and accurate picture of your situation. Often, adults will have a relative or friend who helps look after them – a carer. During assessments, we seek the carer’s views and look at their needs too. Carers who provide regular and substantial care are also entitled to a separate assessment of their own needs.
For more information, see our information sheets 'A handy guide to Community Care' and 'Looking after someone else – information for carers'. See also the Give Us a Break information.
What happens after the assessment?
We look at the information we have collected about your needs and decide if you are eligible for services. We operate a set of eligibility criteria which are designed in accordance with government guidelines called Fair Access to Care. Sometimes we can tell you immediately after your assessment what services can be provided, and sometimes we may have to consider it in more detail. In any case there should be no undue delay in setting up the services you need. We put together a Care Plan which describes all the services that you require and who will provide them. You will be provided with a copy of your Assessment and Careplan.
After your services have started we will review them with you at the end of a short period of 4 -6 weeks to ensure they are working well and are appropriate to your needs. We will then review your careplan at regular intervals.
What kinds of help are available following an assessment?
Some examples are:
Adult Services do not cover people with a learning difficulty or a mental health problem There are specialist teams to assist these groups – please see links below. Referrals for all adults however are made through the Adult Duty Team.
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