Social Care Assessments for Adults in St Helens Borough

Making a referral for an assessment

If you feel you are not able to manage every aspect of your daily living as you would wish or are not as independent as you would like to be, you may be eligible for a social care assessment.

The starting point would be to make contact with the council's Contact Cares Service by phone on 01744 676767 or by email at contactcares@sthelens.gov.uk. Our specially trained advisors will discuss your strengths and support network with you. We may be able to meet your desired outcome and resolve the issue by providing you with a piece of information or signposting you to another service.

If it appears that your desired outcomes can only be met by a service provided by the council, you will need an assessment. Your details will be taken down and an assessment visit will be arranged for you at a time and place convenient to you as soon as the council is able to.

Contact Cares is a multi-disciplinary team made up of various health and social care professionals who work together to make sure that the best outcomes are provided to our service users, their families and carers. Our working hours are from 8am to 10pm, 365 days per year.

When telephoning the Contact Cares number there are three options to choose from, all are answered by experienced Contact Cares Advisors (CCAs)

• Main Line - General queries/referrals - Option 1
• Safeguarding and Mental Health Act Assessment - Option 2
• Urgent Community Response - Option 3

The assessment process

A social care assessment will be conducted by a trained member of staff. This may be a social worker or an assessment and review worker. The worker will conduct a strength-based assessment. This will involve sitting down with yourself to discuss your situation and the aspects of daily living that you may be having difficulty with. The worker will also speak to members of your family or other important people in your life who understand your situation. This will only happen with your permission.

The areas the worker must cover as part of the assessment are defined within the Care Act 214. These are:

• How you manage and maintain your nutrition
• How you manage your personal hygiene
• How you manage your toileting needs
• How you dress yourself
• Can you make use of your home safely?
• Can you maintain a habitual environment?
• Can you maintain and manage family and other personal relationships?
• Can you engage in work, training, education or volunteering?
• Can you make use of necessary services and facilities in the local community including public transport and recreational facilities or services?
• Can you carry out any caring responsibilities you have for a child.

Strength-based approach

The assessment will be conducted using a strength-based approach. Whilst undertaking the assessment the worker will help you look at any strengths which you may have or which your family and friends may have or which are in your local community which may be able to be utilised to help meet the needs you have identified.

Eligibility criteria (Care Act 2014)

In order to be eligible for services, the Care Act stipulates that you must need assistance with two or more of the areas listed above.

If it is determined you require support the worker will discuss options which may be available for you.

What services can we provide?

The local authority has a duty to provide services to support you, if you are deemed eligible. The Local Authority will consider the most cost-effective services available to support you.

Options to meet your eligible needs may include:

• Providing advice and information on how you can meet your own needs
• Helping you maximise your informal networks to support you
• Providing links to community groups or organisations who may be able to support you
• Offering you a short term or reablement support package to help you achieve your optimum leave
• A package of domiciliary care support. This will be care workers coming into your home to provide you with care
• A respite package. This would involve going to a care facility to give your carer a break from providing your support
• A day care facility for you to go to
• A direct payment so that you can purchase your own care if you wish. The direct payment would be up to the level of your personal budget. Further information can be provided on Direct Payments if required.

If it is agreed the Local Authority is unable to support you in your own home with services then the worker may discuss going into an environment which provides 24hr support.

What services we will not provide

The Local Authority will not normally be able to provide services to clean your house. However, the worker will offer advice on where you can purchase these services yourself.

Support plan

Having agreed which services would be available to meet your needs the worker will arrange these and create a support plan which outlines which services you will receive and what these services will do for you. The support plan will also indicate how much these services cost to provide. This will be highlighted on the front of the support plan and will be known as your personal budget.

Review of the services

If the Local Authority do provide you with services these will be reviewed on a regular basis This review will involve a worker visiting you, talking to you about the services being provided to ascertain if they are meeting your needs. As part of the review the worker will also undertake a reassessment of your needs.

Complaint

If you are not happy with the outcomes of the assessment or the proposed support plan, we would hope to be able to resolve this informally with you. You do have the option to make a formal complaint by writing to:

• Information Governance Compliance and Complaints Team
  St Helens Borough Council
  PO Box 512
  St Helens
  WA10 9JX 
• or by emailing adultcomplaints@sthelens.gov.uk

Financial assessment

As a Local Authority we must charge for services which we provide for you. This will be based on your personal financial situation. The worker will give you information about this and arrange for a financial assessment form to be sent to you. This will need to be returned so a decision can be made on how much you will be charged.