Your social care assessment

Visiting you at home

If we cannot decide how best to help you over the phone, we will contact you to arrange a care needs assessment with you at home.

This is when a social worker or occupational therapist visits you to:

• ask how you’re managing everyday tasks like washing, dressing and cooking
• discuss what you might need
• advise you on what will happen next

We aim to complete your assessment within 28 days of your request for help. We arrange the most urgent assessments first. This is based on risk.

Have someone with you

Have a friend or relative with you, if possible. It will help if you’re not confident in explaining your situation.

If you don’t have someone we can arrange for someone to support you. We call this person an advocate.

We can arrange for an interpreter if English isn’t your first language or if you use sign language.

Assessment outcomes

We aim to contact you within 5 working days of your assessment.

We will discuss the support options available to you.

If you’re told you can’t get social care from us

We will still discuss how best to support you if you’re not eligible for social care from us.

We might:

• give you advice and information
• advise you of appropriate support services in your area
• get you occupational therapy support to help you be independent

Appeal your assessment decision

You can make an appeal if you disagree with the outcome of your assessment.

You must contact us within 2 weeks of getting your assessment results if you want to appeal.

You’ll then need to complete and return your adult social care appeal form to us. You must do this within one month of getting your assessment results.

• adult social care appeal form

You can use an easy read version of the appeal form if you’d prefer.

• adult social care appeal form (easy read)

You can also make a complaint if you’re unhappy with the service.