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Information on Adult Care Act Assessment

Care Act assessment

What is a Care Act assessment?

A Care Act Assessment is an opportunity for us to look at a person's strengths and abilities, and explore informal and formal support with the person to ensure they are able to achieve their outcomes. There is no charge for a Care Act Assessment.

Request a Care Act Assessment

You, a family member, friend or advocate can contact our Careline service to arrange an assessment. Careline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What happens next?

A social worker/social care assessor will visit you and your carer or family member. We will talk with you about your strengths and abilities, and explore what you might need help with to enable you to continue to live independently.

You will be sent a self-assessment form to complete before you meet with the assessor. The form will help you to think about your strengths and abilities, as well as what you may need support with. 

Don’t worry if you can’t complete the form before your appointment, the assessor will go through it with you to make sure that we have all the information we need to help you. You can also get help with completing the form from your carer, a family member, friend or an advocate. 

You can download a copy of the self-assessment form for information.

With your permission, we may need to share information about you with other agencies that become involved with your care such as the Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, or the NHS.

We aim to complete assessments within 28 days. In an emergency we aim to start the assessment and provide help within 24 hours.

During the assessment, we will determine if you meet the eligibility criteria as set out in the Care Act.  If you are in hospital, a social worker will discuss the help you and your carer will need when you leave.

Support plan

Following your assessment a support plan will be agreed with you. It will set out the support that you need as well as:

  • What support you will get and who will provide it.
  • When and how often you will get support.
  • Contact details of the team that makes sure you get support.
  • When support will start and when reviews will take place to make sure we are still meeting your needs.
  • Details of care needs which cannot be met and why.
  • What to do if you are unhappy with the support you are receiving.

Will I be charged for the services I receive?

You may be asked to make a financial contribution towards some services. To work out how much you might have to contribute we will carry out a financial assessment. We will also make sure you are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled. See our ‘paying for care’ page for more information.

Advocacy

If you would like some support with your assessment and care planning you can use an advocate. An advocate is someone who offers independent support. 

You can find out more about advocacy on the Healthwatch Liverpool website or by phoning 0300 7777 007.