The Care Act is the new legal framework for care and support provision. From April 2015, councils have had to meet the requirements of the Care Act.

We know that people are now living longer, with a better quality of life, so care and support needs to change to enable people to live independently and stay in their own homes for as long as possible.

The Care Act shifts the focus of care, putting people’s well-being at the heart of care and support services. Care has to be built around people’s needs and what they want to achieve. The Care Act is designed to help people plan for the future and put them in control of the help they receive.

Changes since April 2015

• increased support through information, advice and guidance
• improvement in identifying needs through assessments
• more focus on prevention to enable people to live independently and to live in their own homes for as long as possible
• a national and consistent standard of eligibility for care and support across England for service users and carers
• personal budgets for service users and carers where there is a significant impact on their well being.

More information

For more information, please see the Care Act fact sheets.