How to get social care and support
What is social care?
Social care is practical help with things like everyday tasks, getting around, and looking after yourself or someone else. It’s provided by your local council or, in Northern Ireland, your health and social care trust.
The type of social care you get depends on your needs. It might include having professional carers in your home, getting equipment for your home, or being cared for in a care home. Social care can help with everyday tasks such as:
- getting out of bed
- getting dressed
- going to the toilet and showering
- cooking and eating
- seeing friends and family
- using public transport
- keeping fit and active.
Adult social care is for people over 18 who need help because of a disability or illness which means they can’t manage by themselves. Social care is also available for children, but it’s provided slightly differently.
Quick guide to accessing social care
These are the steps to get social care:
- Contact your local council or trust and request a needs assessment.
- They will assess your needs and give you a plan to meet these needs.
- The council or trust will work out if you need to pay towards the cost of your care and, if you do, how much you need to contribute. Whether you have to pay will depend on where you live, your financial situation and your needs.
- Either you’ll organise your social care, with support from your local council, trust, or another organisation, or they will manage it for you.
How do I get a care and support needs assessment?
To get social care, you normally have an assessment from your local council or trust, called a needs assessment. In Scotland, it’s known as a community care assessment.
You can request an assessment yourself by contacting your local social care services:
- In England and Wales, GOV.UK has a database to find social care services.
- In Scotland, Care Information Scotland has a map to find your social work department.
- In Northern Ireland, Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland has information about your local health and social care trust.
If you’re unable to contact social services, someone else can contact them for you.
This could be a family member or friend, or a health or social care professional, like your GP or social worker.
If you need care urgently
If you need care urgently, you may be able to get services without having a full assessment. Contact your local social care services about this.
What happens during a care and support needs assessment?
Before your assessment
Try to keep a diary or make a note of tasks and situations you find difficult, and have them with you during the assessment. Your emotional wellbeing is very important too, so make a note of how you’re feeling.
If a family member or friend is helping to look after you, they might also find it helpful to make any notes about their needs and any tasks they’re unable to do.
You might be worried about having the assessment, or how long it might take to get support. Even if something seems small, try to make a note of it and give as much detail as possible. The person doing the assessment needs to know as much as possible so they can get you the right care.
At the assessment
The assessment will be carried out by someone from the council or trust, such as a social worker or occupational therapist.
If a family member or friend looks after you regularly, it may be helpful for them to be there for your assessment. They can also have a carer’s assessment separately.
The person assessing you will visit you at home, in hospital or in a hospice, and ask you and the person looking after you about:
- your health and any difficulties this causes
- your current living and care arrangements
- any worries you have about your safety and wellbeing
- your wishes, goals, and what you want to be able to do
- anything specific you need.
You might also be given a form to fill out yourself, but it’s likely you’ll have a face-to-face assessment as well.
If you’re in hospital or a hospice, the person assessing you can start an assessment while you’re there. But they may need to complete this once you’re back at home so they can see how you’re managing at home.
The time that the assessment takes can vary depending on your needs, but it usually lasts at least one hour. You could ask the person assessing you how long it will take.
After the assessment
Using what you said at the assessment, the council or trust will decide how well you can do the following things. If you struggle to do at least two of these without help, you may be given social care services:
- managing and maintaining nutrition
- maintaining personal hygiene
- managing toilet needs
- being appropriately clothed
- being able to make use of the home safely
- maintaining a habitable home environment
- developing and maintaining personal relationships
- accessing and engaging in work or training
- making use of community services and facilities
- carrying out caring responsibilities.
You’ll be asked to sign a form giving your consent for specific information to be shared with other professionals. This means a full assessment of your needs can be done, and it might relate to your health and housing, as well as your social care needs.
What happens if I’m eligible for social care?
If you meet the requirements, social care must be provided as soon as possible. There can sometimes be a delay in how quickly you get it.
You’ll be given a copy of a care and support plan, which lists the needs you have and the support you’ll get. Your carer can get one too. If you have difficulty in understanding the care system and don’t have friends or family to help, your local council or trust must arrange for someone (an advocate) to help you.
The care and support plan will tell you what support you’ll need, and whether you will have to pay anything for this support. We have more information on paying for social care.
Once the support is in place, your support plan will be reviewed regularly. If your needs change, you may be reassessed and the support you get may change as a result.
What happens if I’m not eligible for social care?
If you’re not eligible, the council or trust must explain their decision and give reasons for refusing to provide support services in writing. If you think you’ve been unfairly refused services, or what you’ve been offered doesn’t meet your needs, you have a right to appeal. Call the council or trust department dealing with your assessment or have a look at its website for the complaints procedure. You can also read our information about making a complaint.
What happens to my social care if I move house?
If you are getting social care and move to a different council area, the two councils have to arrange it so that all necessary services will be ready for you on the day you move. If the new council has not carried out an assessment of your needs, it must continue to meet the care and support needs that were being met by the original council until it has carried out its own assessment.
Can my family and friends get social care too?
If you are looking after a friend or family member who is ill, you could also receive social care.
Ask your local council or trust for a carer’s assessment for help with your needs. We have more information on our page, Carer’s assessments.
External websites
Citizens Advice – information about social care in England
Disability Rights UK – support with getting social care
GOV.UK – social care services in England and Wales
Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland – health and social care trusts
Did you find this page useful?
Help us be there for anyone with an illness they're likely to die from by telling us what you think.
If you are completing this survey using a desktop computer, hold down the Ctrl button to select multiple options.
About this information
This information is not intended to replace any advice from health or social care professionals. We suggest that you consult with a qualified professional about your individual circumstances. Read more about how our information is created and how it's used.
