Your assessment
If you refer yourself or are referred to Adult Care you will have an assessment of your needs.
The person conducting the assessment will discuss those needs and make an accurate record, which you will need to agree with.
Some people who clearly need a short period of practical help to get them back on their feet after a short illness or other problem, will be offered what we call re-ablement.
Following that assessment, if you meet the criteria for eligibility, you will be asked by your assessor to help make a detailed support plan.
The Support Plan, sometimes called a Care Plan, will describe how your needs will be met. The Support Plan will usually be drawn up by the assessor.
You will also be given an indication of how much money will be spent on your support. This is called an indicative budget. With that budget you will be able to decide what is most important to you and allow you to decide what services you wish to receive.
We will monitor how things are going and, if you need our services long term, review your situation at least every year to make sure we're getting it right.
What is an assessment?
During your assessment, we discuss with you the levels of risk you or your carer may have to cope with if we do not provide services or support.
We want to know whether your current living or care arrangements are at risk of breaking down if you don't receive our help or support.
The first part of this process is usually carried out on the telephone. This is called an initial assessment.
The worker will discuss your situation with you, and if you wish to proceed will pass your details on to an assessor.
How an assessment works
After the initial assessment, we will pass your details to a social worker or community care worker. They will then usually visit you to carry out an assessment of need.
Following this assessment we have to decide if you are eligible to receive support from Adult Care, or if, regretfully, we cannot always offer you a service. Even if we can't help you, we can put you in touch with other useful organisations which may be able to help you.
The assessment is your opportunity to discuss your support needs in confidence with one of our experienced and trained social workers.
He or she will meet with you and, if you wish, your partner, a friend or family member to ask you how you manage your day to day life and what help you need to stay independent.
If you have health, social care and housing needs, we may need to share information about you with other agencies. We will always ask you first unless we need to act quickly to protect you from harm.
What we take into account in an assessment
We take into account the following:
- the physical health and safety of you and your carers;
- the mental health and mental well-being of you and your carers;
- your ability to look after yourself i.e. feeding, washing, use of the toilet;
- whether you are supported or are alone;
- the security and/or adequacy of your current living arrangements;
- your ability to manage your money.
How long will this take?
If the assessment is straightforward, it may be as little as an hour. However, if your circumstances are more complicated, then more than one visit may be needed. We aim to complete an assessment within 28 days.
Most are finished sooner. In very urgent cases an assessment is done the same day.
Aim of assessment
The aim of the assessment is to:
- agree your needs;
- give you information about the services and support that may be available, and how much they cost;
- decide whether or not we can arrange services or support for you;
- agree the needs of your family or carer.
If your situation is complicated, we may have to seek specialist advice. The specialist might also need to meet you. Our staff will tell you how long this will take.
You can ask for written details of your assessment.
Preparing for your assessment
You will get the most out of your assessment by thinking through any issues before we visit you. You might like to make some notes about the things that are most important to you or have somebody present to help you do this.
Everyone is different but some things you may wish to think about could include
how you look after yourself and your personal needs;
the people or relationships that are important to you;
the things that are important to help you stay healthy and safe from harm;
the things that enable you to stay in control of your life;
the things that enable you to stay or get involved with your local community;
work, leisure and learning;
the support you feel your carer(s) may be in need of.
These things will help you to identify any achievements (outcomes) and goals you would like in your support plan. We have a duty of care to ensure that you stay safe from neglect or abuse.
Who may be involved in your assessment?
Some people will already know what they need and feel happy to tell us what they need without any help from us. Other people will need the support of someone to talk through the issues surrounding their care needs. This could be a friend or someone you feel understands you.
A social worker will carry out your assessment with you.
Some situations may need us to introduce you to people with special skills, such as an Occupational Therapist, a nurse or another health worker.
If you have a carer, they have a right to an assessment too.
If you need translation or interpretation services, please tell us. Also tell us if you need specific communication support to help you with your assessment.
What happens next?
Once your needs have been agreed, the next step is to work out how to meet them and help you to be more independent. This is written down as a care plan and you will be given a copy to keep.
The care plan explains the help we will give you, who will provide that help and when you will get it.
Other help and support you may get - for example from relatives or a district nurse - will be added into the plan to give a complete picture of your care. We will review your care plan after six weeks.
If you need our support long term we will review it at least once a year to make sure we're getting it right.
Choices available to you
Your care worker will talk to you about the choices and types of services and support available.
You could opt for a direct payment where you can get the money instead of services from us. You can then use the money to arrange your own support to suit you.
Your personal budget
Together we will agree that the assessment reflects your needs and circumstances.
If your assessment shows you can get social care support, we will then tell you how much money you could get to pay for the support you need.
This money is called a 'personal budget'.
This is worked out using a system called the Resource Allocation System (RAS).
What is a resource allocation system?
A resource allocation system helps us to work out your indicative personal budget following your assessment
If you don't agree with any part of the process i.e. your budget or support plan, then you should talk it over with the person helping you with the assessment process.
What if my circumstances change?
Your needs, and the support given to you, will be reviewed regularly to make sure that the help you get is still appropriate.
If there are changes affecting how you manage, you can ask for a further assessment.
What if I disagree with my assessment?
If you disagree with any part of the process you should discuss this with your assessor.