Social care eligibility and assessments

If you have care and support needs or know someone who finds it difficult to look after themselves, we may be able to provide support to you. To decide if we can help we will have a conversation with you and we may carry out a needs assessment.

We can give you information or advice on services options that can help you to live safe and well in the community. This may include:

• equipment like a walking frame or raised toilet seat
• how to get a personal alarm in case of falls at home
• community services

You will need to have a needs assessment before the council can recommend certain services or adaptations, such as:

• practical or personal help from a paid carer
• attending day centres or paid carer to access social activities
• moving to an extra care accommodation or a care home
• changes to your home such as a walk-in shower

How to request a needs assessment

The needs assessment is free and anyone can ask for one. You simply need to contact us.  Use our online form, and select the Adult Social Care option that reflects your role.

The Needs Assessment helps us to collect information and agree if you are entitled to care and support services.

We use the National Eligibility Criteria to determine if someone is entitled to care or support services provided by or on behalf of the council. This is used by all councils is set out in The Care Act 2014. 

Eligibility criteria 

To understand if your needs make you eligible for care and support, we consider whether your needs are due to a physical or mental impairment or illness. This includes conditions such as physical, mental, sensory, learning or cognitive disabilities or illnesses, brain injuries and substance misuse.

You may be eligible if your wellbeing is significantly impacted because your needs leave you unable to achieve at least two of the following: 

• cook for and feed yourself
• maintain your personal hygiene and keep yourself clean
• use the toilet independently
• dress yourself
• be safe at home
• keeping your home clean, safe and hygienic
• maintain healthy relationships
• access and engage in work, training, education or volunteering
• get out and about locally
• carry out a caring role for a child

What if I don’t meet the eligibility criteria?

If you don't meet the criteria, we can still give you information and advice. We will help you to find services or support in the community, some of which may be free, and can help to keep you as independent and active as possible.

The assessment is more of a conversation and is nothing to worry about. Together we can talk about your situation, what’s going well and how things can be improved.

Your assessment can take place by phone, in person, at home or another place suitable for you.  You can have a friend or family member with you to support you, if you want. We can also arrange for an advocate to help you make your needs and wishes known.

We are here to listen. Give as much detail as you can about a typical week or the everyday tasks you struggle with, even the little ones like turning taps on and off. It's important that you tell us what would make a difference to you. Leaving out things might reduce the care recommended for you.

The information you give is in confidence and will only be shared with those involved in your care. 

After the Needs Assessment we will decide if you need support and if we can provide the support that you need. 

If you’re eligible for support, we will contact you to to let you know. Then we will work with you to create your own Support Plan that will help to keep you as independent and active as possible. This will look at what support is available in the local community, if you could benefit from any adaptations or specialist equipment and what support you have available from friends and family.

If you don't meet the criteria, we will still give you information and advice. We will help you to find services or support in the community, some of which may be free. We might also refer you to a partner agency.

A support plan (sometimes called a care plan, or a care and support plan) sets out how your care and support needs will be met. It is individual to you, and you should be allowed to have as much involvement in the making of your plan as you wish.

The support plan will set out:

• the needs identified by the assessment
• the needs that the council is going to meet, and how it will  do so
• If the plan is for a carer (unpaid family or friend); how that care will be provided, such as through a  personal budget
• information and advice on what can be done to reduce any needs and to prevent or delay other needs in the future
• what needs are being met via a direct payment, the amount and frequency of the payments.

With a direct payment, you will receive an agreed amount of money to organise the support you need. This will give you greater choice over who supports you and how and when your support is delivered.

You will receive a written copy of your plan. Copies can also be sent to friends and family members, at your request.

Adult Social Care is not free for everyone. Depending on your situation, you may need to pay for some of your care. To determine if you will have to pay towards your care you will need to provide income and expenditure details, such as details about your pension, rent and council tax.

You will need to complete a financial assessment so that the council can work out how much of your care cost we can cover, and how much you may need to pay. The amount you pay is called your financial contribution.

What do I need to pay?

If we help to arrange any of your care services, you will need to complete a financial assessment to see how much you can afford to pay.

The financial assessment will look at:

• your income from employment
• any savings and investments
• what benefits you get
• any property that you own or part own - where applicable
• any other regular income that you receive.

As a result of the assessment we will work out how much you will need to contribute towards your care. This may be none, some or all of the cost of the care, depending on the amount of income, savings and assets you have.

Non-residential care

If your plan includes, non-residential care, your contribution will be based on government regulations. In some cases you will not have to pay anything towards your care.

Residential or Nursing Care

If your plan includes residential or nursing care, you will always have to make a contribution towards the cost of your care fees, however there are some exceptions.

Your contribution with be in line with the Care Act regulations set out by the Department of Health. You will make a contribution based on your income from state pension, benefits or other income, plus any capital or savings you have over £14,250.

You are entitled to retain an amount towards any personal items you need, such as toiletries and newspapers. This amount is currently £24.90 per week.

If you choose a care home that is more expensive than the maximum weekly council contribution, you will have to make arrangements for someone else to pay the difference. This is called a third party top up. You cannot pay this amount from your own income or capital.

Use our online form to contact us about an assessment. Select the Adult Social Care option that reflects your role.

You will be given a personal budget, which is the total cost of your care. This can then be used to pay for your care and support services. We can take care of any payments relating to your care, or your personal budget can be paid direct to you. This is known as a direct payment.

Direct payments

Direct payments give you more flexibility over how your care and support is arranged and provided.

It is an agreed amount of money that is paid directly to you, so that you can buy the care and support that you need. 

If for example, you choose to employ someone directly, it means you can ask them to attend your home at a time that is best for you and then arrange to pay them yourself.

We will send you payments in the form of a prepaid card, which you can use to pay for services.

Types of direct payment accounts

Brent offers two types of direct payment accounts, one is called a managed account and the other is called a non-managed account.

A managed account

This is when we, or a third party, manages your direct payments for you. The direct payments team will process payments to the provider or personal assistant for the services you receive. However, you will still be responsible for managing the service provider and employment of the staff. 

A non-managed account

This is where you manage all direct payments yourself. This means you are fully responsible for all employment responsibilities, including paying your carer or support worker(s), managing and making payments to HMRC, and keeping records.

Whatever account you decide to have, you will always remain in control of how your personal budget is spent.

Receiving your direct payments

All direct payments are paid into a Prepaid Financial Service (PFS) account and this account will allow you to purchase your care and support services.

If you decide to have a direct payment, the council will automatically set you up with a Prepaid Financial Service account, so that you can receive payments.

Direct Payment Service

The Direct Payments Service is a free service that offers direct payment support. They will provide you with support to manage your direct payment account, your costs, as well as help with more practical things such as recruiting and employing staff, paying wages and sorting out Tax and National Insurance contributions.

How to get a Direct Payment?

Once you have received your needs assessment and have been told what your personal budget is, you can request a direct payment. There is no time limit for you to decide whether to have a direct payment or not.

If you decide that you would like a direct payment, your social worker or care co-ordinator will refer you to the Brent Direct Payment Service. A Direct Payment Officer will contact you to discuss your direct payment, what your options are and what is involved.

Deferred payments

Deferred payments are designed to prevent people from having to sell their home in order to meet the cost of their care. If you meet the scheme criteria, we could offer you this option.

To be eligible for deferred payments, you must:

• be already in a care home, or moving to one soon
• own a property
• have less than £23,250 in capital

A deferred payment agreement is only one option to pay for care. To find out more about all options available, it is best to speak to a financial advisor or seek advice from an independent organisation.

We charge for care services (such as homecare, residential and nursing homes, day care and equipment) but how much you pay depends on your financial assessment.

If you receive direct payments, we will send you a bill every 4 to 5 weeks for services you have received. The simplest way to pay is by standing order, but we do offer a number of ways to pay your social care bill.

Standing order

The most convenient payment method is by standing order. 

Pay online

You can use our online payment form to pay your bill online at any time.

Other ways to pay:

• Debit or Credit Card payment by phone
• Online and telephone banking
• Pay at the Post Office

Payment difficulties

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact us so that we can discuss payment arrangements with you.

If you wish to come to the Civic Centre to see a member of the team to discuss your bill or payment arrangements, you will need to make an appointment.