Advice on what to think about before you start looking into care and support.
Each local council decides who can get formal social care support through them. This article explains how this works, and how to get support if you cannot get this through your local council.
An assessment of needs is a discussion between you, anyone who helps you, and your council, to understand your current situation and what you need support with. Find out more about what it involves and how to prepare for it.
It can sometimes be difficult to think about the support you need. Read these tips and advice to help you think about what you need support with, to help you live a good life.
Your Support Plan is the document that describes the support you need that has been agreed. Find out how a Support Plan is made and what it should include.
Once you have had an assessment, you will find out how much money you will be able to access to pay for your support. This is called your support budget. This page explains some important things to know about a support budget.
Once your support is in place, your social worker should check with you how it is going. This should happen at least once a year, but you can ask for a review if your needs change. Find out what is involved in a review and how to prepare.
Find out about the support you can get if you have been in hospital and are getting ready to leave.
Find out about the role of the main professionals and organisations who will help you when it comes to getting support.
There may be times when there are decisions about your social care support that you disagree with. Find out how to approach challenging decisions in the most helpful and positive way, both for you and for the people working with you.
If someone finds it difficult to understand and make decisions for themselves, they may need someone in their life who is legally responsible for helping them make decisions, or even to make decisions for them. Find out more about how this relates to social care support.