Introduction
We follow the rules as set out in the Care Act 2014 which came into force in April 2015. The Care Act brings together lots of Government Acts that were written between 1948 and 2014 into one document. It has revised some areas, making them clearer, and introduced new requirements.
A major element in the Care Act is a requirement to promote a person’s wellbeing in relation to their disability or impairment. We must have your wellbeing at the heart of everything we do, whether you are talking with an advisor, or a social care worker talking about your care needs or when we help you to write your care and support plan.
Wellbeing covers a lot of things and relates to a person’s:
- personal dignity (including being treated with respect)
- physical and mental health, and emotional wellbeing
- protection from abuse and neglect
- control over day-to-day life (including how care and support is provided
- participation in work, education, training or recreation
- social and economic wellbeing
- domestic, family and personal life
- suitability of living accommodation
- contribution to society
We must provide you with information and advice that will help you to maintain your wellbeing so that, where possible, you can choose and make your own arrangements for the things you need. This is whether you look up care and support information on our website, talk to us directly or use our Health and wellbeing advice on Connect Somerset.
We want to make sure that you remain as independent as possible for as long possible. By providing you with the right information when you need it, you will be able to research and source the things that could help you when you need them. Or we can help you to source them.
Talking with someone
We have moved from being a social care system where people expected an assessment to lead to a service, to being part of a joined-up, community based ‘system of support’. This explores community options and solutions that help people get on with their lives. To achieve this, we are linking closely with existing and newly created communities, voluntary groups and people who work to support people locally.
You can chat to a social worker, a volunteer or community agent at a Talking Café. You can find all the dates and venues on the Somerset Village Agents website. The team at the Talking Café can help with everything, from finding a local social group and support with money, to help with transport or support for carers.
What to expect when you contact us
Most people first contact us by phone. Experienced staff will try and help you when they talk to you, or the person phoning on your behalf. Many people can be helped by being given good information and advice on the phone. But if they feel that talking with someone from Social Care, or a full care assessment would be most suitable, they will make sure your information is passed to the Social Care team that is most local to where you live. This is so that they can follow this up with you or provide you with the location of your nearest Talking Cafe.
Care and support assessment
Someone will contact you to arrange to talk with you to understand what difficulties you are having and what you want to achieve. This could be making an appointment for you to attend a local Talking Cafe or by visiting you where you live. After the assessment they can provide more information and advice, or if you need help from us, they will tell you if you are eligible for our financial help. Our Care and support assessment page will give you more information on this.
Advocates
If you need help to understand us or someone to speak up for you and have no one else to do this, we have information available about organisations you can contact, or we can contact them on your behalf.
Support for carers
If you care for someone, for example a family member, we can also talk to you about your caring role and complete an assessment. Using similar eligibility criteria, we may also be able to provide support so that you can arrange things to allow you to continue in your role. You may be eligible for help if:
- your need for support results from providing necessary care for an adult, and
- you need support to achieve outcomes in one or more areas of life, and
- failure to achieve these outcomes would result in a significant impact on your wellbeing
There are lots of services and support to help carers, and the people they care for. Find out more on our Carers in Somerset page.
Paying for care and support
The first thing many people want to know is, ‘Can the council help me pay for care?’
As a general rule, if you have over £23,250 in capital and savings, no we can’t. If you have less than this and you meet the national eligibility criteria for care, we may be able to.
You may be eligible for help if:
- your need for support results from illness or disability, and
- you need support to achieve outcomes in two or more areas of life, and
- failure to achieve these outcomes would result in a significant impact on your wellbeing
Find more information on our Help with paying for care and support page.
If you are eligible for our financial support, someone from our Financial Assessment and Benefits Team will contact you to talk about your finances. They will help you to make sure you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to so that you have enough money to live on and will work out if you should pay something towards the costs of your care. You can find out more on our Financial Assessment page.
Personal budgets and direct payments
If you are eligible for our financial support, we will also tell you how much it will cost to meet your care and support needs. This is called a Personal Budget.
You can decide how you use your personal budget to arrange the things you need. The best way to do this is to ask for a Direct Payment. This means we will give you the money so that you are in full control. If you need it, there is help available for you to manage this. Read more about this on our Personal Budget and Direct Payments pages.
Independent financial advice
We recommend that anyone who is considering care and support, particularly if you are moving into a care home, gets independent financial advice. We can provide a list of organisations that can help you if you need it. See our Independent financial advice page for more information.
Care and support plans
We will help you to write your care and support plan. This describes what you want to achieve (often called “outcomes”) and who will do what to help you achieve them. Please see our Care and support assessment page for more information.
We will regularly review or reassess your care and support plan to check that it is working and that you are achieving your outcomes. We will update it with you. As you achieve things, we will either add new things or reduce your Personal Budget accordingly. If your needs increase, we may increase your Personal Budget.
Health Interface Service
We have teams linked to each hospital. Social Care staff in the teams can assist people to leave hospital or may be able to help prevent someone being admitted to hospital. They will often be able to see people in hospital and complete a care assessment. And if it is needed, put in place suitable short-term care and support arrangements or suggest equipment to help you regain your independence. Or they can help you make longer-term care and support arrangements if needed. Find out more on our Health Interface Service page.
Community Teams
People who need support from social care for longer, or who have more complex social care needs, are helped by our Community Teams. This could be people who may be considering moving into a care home, or who want to remain at home, or are vulnerable in their current situation and need our Support.
Care homes
We have lots of information for people who are considering moving into a care home. Before deciding, always ask for a social care assessment first, as there may be alternative solutions for you. You can find out more on our Care homes and housing page.