If you’re struggling with daily activities due to age, illness, disability, or mental health issues, you may be entitled to a care needs assessment.
A social care needs assessment is the first step in getting help and support from your local authority if you or someone you care for is finding daily tasks difficult. It’s a free process designed to find out what kind of support you need to live as independently and safely as possible.
Page contents
- Key points
- What is a social care needs assessment?
- Who can have a care needs assessment?
- How much does an assessment cost?
- Can I have a needs assessment if I am paying for my own care?
- How do I get a local authority needs assessment?
- What does the assessment involve?
- Care needs assessment questions
- Preparing for a local authority needs assessment?
- How long does a care needs assessment take?
- How is eligibility for care and support decided?
- What happens after the assessment?
- Financial support: Who pays for the care?
- What happens if I have dementia?
- How often does an adult care assessment take place?
- What if I don’t agree with the care needs assessment?
- What if I am not happy with the local authority’s response?
- How to fund your care and find a care home
Page contents
- Key points
- What is a social care needs assessment?
- Who can have a care needs assessment?
- How much does an assessment cost?
- Can I have a needs assessment if I am paying for my own care?
- How do I get a local authority needs assessment?
- What does the assessment involve?
- Care needs assessment questions
- Preparing for a local authority needs assessment?
- How long does a care needs assessment take?
- How is eligibility for care and support decided?
- What happens after the assessment?
- Financial support: Who pays for the care?
- What happens if I have dementia?
- How often does an adult care assessment take place?
- What if I don’t agree with the care needs assessment?
- What if I am not happy with the local authority’s response?
- How to fund your care and find a care home
Key points
Free and accessible to all: Anyone aged 18 or over who appears to need care or support is entitled to a free care needs assessment from their local authority, regardless of income or immigration status.
Comprehensive evaluation: The assessment examines physical, emotional, and social needs, focusing on daily activities and overall wellbeing. It can lead to support at home, adaptations, or placement in a care home.
Clear process and preparation: Assessments are conducted by trained professionals (such as social workers or occupational therapists) through home visits, phone, or online. Applicants should prepare by noting daily challenges and can invite a friend, carer, or advocate to attend.
Outcome and next steps: Following the assessment, eligible individuals receive a care and support plan and may undergo a financial assessment to determine payment responsibility. Reviews occur at least annually or when circumstances change.
What is a social care needs assessment?
A care needs assessment is a free evaluation carried out by your local authority to determine your physical, emotional and social needs.
It involves a series of questions and looks at how much help you need with everyday activities like getting dressed, washing, preparing meals, feeding oneself, taking medication and managing your home.
You could be eligible for help, which can include a move to a care home or adaptations to your own home, such as installing a stairlift.
If you feel you may be eligible for state-funded care, you can ask your local council to carry out a care needs assessment. A local authority care needs assessment will find out what care and support you are entitled to.
This short video talks you through the process of what is meant by a care needs assessment.
Who can have a care needs assessment?
Anyone who aged 18 or over who appears to need care or support has the right to ask for a care needs assessment. This is regardless of their income, savings or immigration status. You can ask for one for yourself or on behalf of someone else, such as an elderly parent or a person with a disability.
Children and young people preparing to move into adult services can also have a transition assessment to help plan their future care needs.
How much does an assessment cost?
Your care needs assessment is free. Your local authority is legally required to pay for your care needs assessment.
Everyone has a right to a local authority needs assessment.
This is the case even if they will end up paying for their own care. A local authority needs assessment may be offered, even if you have not asked for one.
Can I have a needs assessment if I am paying for my own care?
As a self-funder, it is especially useful to have an assessment of your needs. This is because in the future, your financial resources may reduce to the level where you would be seeking funding from the council.
It would, in these circumstances, be unwise to choose a care home that does not match your assessed needs. This is because you would need to find a third party to top up your care fees if they were higher than the local authority pays.
How do I get a local authority needs assessment?
- You can phone to request a social care needs assessment yourself.
- An application for a care needs assessment can be made directly to your local social services department.
- Alternatively, it can be made through your GP or a health professional
- Your carer, friend or relative can also ask for an assessment for you.
To comply with the Care Act 2014, local authorities in Britain have an obligation to assess everyone. In Northern Ireland, it is called a health and social care assessment. It is arranged by the social services department of the local Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust.
The assessment will identify your care needs. Specifically what kind of care you require and how much support you need.
What does the assessment involve?
The assessment is usually carried out by a social worker, occupational therapist, or another trained professional from your local council. It can take place:
- In your home
- Over the phone or online
- Or at a day centre or hospital
During the assessment, the professional will talk to you about:
- The things you can and cannot manage day to day
- Your physical and mental health
- The support you already get from your family or friends
- What would make life easier or safer for you
They may ask about how you go about your personal care such as washing and dressing, cooking, shopping, mobility and social activities. The focus will always be on how your difficulties impact on your wellbeing and your independence.
The assessor will explain your potential support options. You will be able to get information and advice even if you aren’t financially eligible for services.
Care needs assessment questions
Questions you will be asked as part of a local authority needs assessment are designed to identify your exact care requirements.
Your care needs assessor will discuss with you how you live. They will ask about any personal care preferences and what you find difficult on a daily basis.
It may be that they ask how you wish to live your life. They will ask you whether there are certain aims you would like to achieve but are unable to do so because of your care needs.
Give as much detail as you can about the daily tasks you struggle with. Leaving things out might reduce the care recommended for you.
Preparing for a local authority needs assessment?
- Think about the kind of specific help you need. It can be helpful to keep a diary for a week so you can remember everything you need help with.
- Think about your cultural, religious, emotional and social needs too.
- Anyone involved in your care can be invited to attend your assessment.
- You can ask a family member, friend or an independent advocate to come along to the meeting and represent you.
How long does a care needs assessment take?
- The care needs assessment interview lasts at least an hour and will be either face-to-face, over the phone or online.
- There are no set timescales for carrying out an assessment. It should happen within a reasonable time and consider the urgency of the situation.
- It normally takes 4-6 weeks for your claim to be assessed.
- Once your assessment has been done, you should get the results within a few weeks.
How is eligibility for care and support decided?
After the assessment, the local authority will use eligibility criteria for the country you live in. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have different eligibility criteria.
In England, you must be unable to carry out at least two of the outcomes listed under the Care Act 2014 to be eligible.
Scotland uses four categories of risk. If you meet the criteria for substantial risk or critical risk, your council will aim to have a care and support plan put in place within six weeks.
In Wales, you must be unable to carry out at least one of the outcomes listed under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 to be eligible.
In Northern Ireland, to ensure the assessment follows the same criteria across the country, social care and health professionals use the Northern Ireland Single Assessment Tool and Guidance.
If you meet the criteria for the four different nations, you’ll be entitled to a care and support plan outlining what help you will receive and who will provide it.
You should be provided with a copy of your needs assessment.
What happens after the assessment?
If you have needs that meet the needs assessment eligibility criteria, your local authority must ensure your needs are met.
Your local authority will talk to you and produce a care and support plan. This care plan highlights how your needs will be met and what services are to be provided.
Your care plan is created from the results of your needs assessment and any medical information. You should be provided with a copy of the care plan.
Financial support: Who pays for the care?
If you are eligible for support, the council will carry out a financial assessment. This will determine whether you will need to contribute towards the cost of your care.
People who are not eligible can still get advice and information about local services, charities as well as community groups that could help you to stay independent.
If you have been assessed as requiring a care home place, you will need a financial assessment to find out if you are entitled to financial assistance for care home fees from your local authority.
What happens if I have dementia?
People living with dementia may have difficulty making decisions about your care and support. If you lack the ability, known as ‘mental capacity‘, to make decisions, you may need someone else to make decisions on your behalf.
If you are not able to participate fully in decisions about your care and have no one to help you, your local authority is responsible for arranging an advocate to represent you.
You can have a loved one or person you trust with you while the care needs assessment takes place.
If you have dementia and worry you will forget things, you can get someone you trust to write down what you want to talk about.
How often does an adult care assessment take place?
Local authorities should review care and support plans at least every 12 months. A basic review should happen six to eight weeks after a new or revised care plan.
Once a person starts receiving care, they will have a new care needs assessment regularly. This is to make sure that their care plan is up to date and the information held is still accurate.
You should request a new assessment if your needs or circumstances change.
What if I don’t agree with the care needs assessment?
If you want to move into a care home but the council recommends that you stay in your home with a care package, you can ask for a review of your care needs.
This is to ensure the care needs assessment has considered all the difficulties you are experiencing at home.
Another person can represent you to ensure your difficulties are recorded.
If you disagree with the decision made about your social care after a review, you can make an official complaint.
You can complain to to your local authority in England, Wales and Scotland or your local HSC Trust in Northern Ireland.
What if I am not happy with the local authority’s response?
If you are unhappy with the response received, you can make a complaint to your local ombudsman.
- England – Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
- Wales – Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
- Scotland – Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
- Northern Ireland – Ombudsman in Northern Ireland.
How to fund your care and find a care home
You can read these articles to find out how to fund your care or find the right care home for you and your needs.
