Get social care help

Request an assessment

If you are finding it difficult to look after yourself or live the way you want to, you can request an assessment to discuss your care and support needs.

This assessment will help us to find out:

• if you need care and support
• the level of care and support you need
• how your needs can be met
• how you are already supported by your family and others

Eligibility

We will use the national eligibility criteria to check whether you are eligible for support.

Paying for care

You can check if you are entitled to free care and support services, but it is likely you will need to pay towards the cost of your care.

We will send you a financial assessment form to complete. The answers you give will determine how much you should contribute towards any care or support you receive.

Request an assessment

To make a self-referral for an assessment from adult social services (including mental health referrals):

You can also call 0300 126 3000, and select Option 1, Option 2 and Option 1.

What happens next

We will complete your assessment as soon as possible. Sometimes, we may need more time to gather further information about your medical conditions or circumstances.

We will use the information from your assessment to decide whether you are eligible for care and support from adult social services.

We may direct you to another department or agency, such as:

• your GP
• an occupational therapist
• housing department

We will discuss with you what options and services are available to help you and help to plan how best to manage your care and support. This is called your support plan.

The assessment will help you to live well by working with you to find out what is important to you and create a plan which is independent and individualised to help you achieve your outcomes.

If your assessment shows your needs don't meet the minimum eligibility criteria, we will provide information and advice to enable you to arrange assistance for yourself.

Last updated 09 February 2023