Adult social care
Local authorities have a duty under the Care Act 2014 to provide or arrange services that help to prevent people developing care and support needs, or delay people deteriorating to the point where they would need ongoing care and support. If you have a child who is 18 or over, who has special educational needs or disabilities, and you are their carer, you may like to contact Adult Social Care for a carer's assessment.
How do I request an assessment from Adult Services?
To find out if you or your adult child are likely to be eligible for social care support, you can use Adult Social Care Online. This tool has two online checklists - one to assess the needs of an adult who is struggling, and also a carer's checklist if you are looking after an adult. These will take only ten minutes to complete. They can be completed for yourself or on behalf of someone else.
There is also an online financial assessment to check if there is likely to be a charge for social care support. This takes twenty minutes to complete, and you'll need a recent bank statement to hand. You'll have the option of either keeping the details and results to yourself for information only – or registering fully and sharing with Surrey County Council Adult Social Care.
If you're in need of urgent help, you should call Adult Social Care immediately.
What does a carers' assessment involve?
Once your initial enquiry has been received, you will usually be contacted to arrange a carers' assessment. This involves a meeting with you and the person you care for, to establish:
- the help needed by the person you care for
- the help you provide
- the support you need for your life outside of caring (such as work, education, family life, social life)
- the service(s) the council may provide
- the service(s) other organisations might be able to provide
If you or your child have had a period in hospital, there are Adult Social Care teams within Surrey hospitals who should ensure that adequate support and care is provided once your, or they are discharged from hospital.
What happens after a carers' assessment?
The information from your assessment is put together in an agreed support plan, which describes the services that will support you. If you are not satisfied with this you should discuss this with the social care team who carried out your assessment.
You may also be offered a Personal Budget or Direct Payment, which gives you and your child the opportunity to have some control over the support provided to you.
Can my support plan change?
This support plan will be reviewed occasionally, to see if your needs have changed. You can request a review if you feel your circumstances have changed.
Do I have to pay for care?
Following your carers' assessment, if a decision is reached by the council to provide support, the cost and responsibility for payment will be worked out according to your individual circumstances.
Depending on the services you receive, there may be a charge incurred; the amount will depend on your capital and income. You will receive a financial assessment, which will indicate how much you pay towards care. You will not be charged for services you receive directly or for any equipment or minor adaptations to your property.
Paying for residential care
If you feel permanent residential care would be for the best for your child and family, and you have capital of more than £23,250, it is likely you will have pay for this without financial assistance from the council. You can discuss this further, by contacting Adult Social Care.
If your capital falls below £23,250, you may be eligible for financial support. You may nevertheless need to contribute towards the cost of care. This is dependent on your level of existing income and capital.
Can I complain about Adult Social Care?
You can complain about Adult Social Care using the adult social care online customer complaint form.
You can also contact the Adult Social Care Customer Relations Team to submit a complaint by phone, by email or by post.
Where can I get impartial advice from during the assessment process?
- Family Voice Surrey is a service which speaks up for the rights of families of children and young people with additional needs in Surrey.
- SEND Advice Surrey provides free, confidential and impartial information, advice and support for young people and parents/carers of children with special educational needs or a disability (SEND) aged 0 to 25.
What can I do if I have a safeguarding concern about an adult?
If you are concerned that a vulnerable adult is at risk of harm, you should complete an Adult Safeguarding Referral online form or call Surrey County Council's adult safeguarding team on 0300 470 9100.
More information about how to get in touch, including Textphone, email and Sign Language Video Relay are available on the Safeguarding Adults webpage.
In an emergency, you should still contact the police using 999.