Support and care
If you receive support from Children’s Social Care, including the 0-25 Service, your social worker will start to work with you from Year 9 to help you plan for the future.
Use this page to learn more about:
Adult care and support needs assessment →
Paying for your adult social care and support →
Personal budgets and direct payments →
Decision-making and the Mental Capacity Act →
Adult care and support needs assessment
When you get close to your 18th birthday, you should be referred to the Council for a care and support needs assessment. The assessment will focus on your needs, how they impact on your wellbeing and the outcomes you want to achieve in your day-to-day life.
It should:
- Involve you and your family in discussions and decisions about your care.
- Consider your personal history and life story.
- Take a whole family approach, including the needs of your family.
- Consider your housing status and where and who you want to live with.
- Be aimed at promoting your interests and independence and respectful of your dignity.
- Be transparent in terms of letting you and your family know how, when and why decisions are made.
- Take into account the potential negative effect of social isolation on your health and wellbeing.
The assessment should take place at a time that is of most benefit to you and your family.
Paying for your adult social care and support
People over the age of 18 who have eligible care and support needs may have to contribute towards their care and support costs – this can include paying towards:
- Home care (day and night)
- Day activities and respite care
- Supported living
- Support from a Personal Assistant (PA)
The Council will carry out a financial assessment – called a ‘means test’ – to establish how much, if anything, you should contribute towards the cost.
Personal budgets and direct payments
If you have eligible care and support needs, you may be able to receive financial support from the Council in the form of a personal budgets or direct payment instead of the Council directly organising the services for you.
A personal budget is an amount of money identified to deliver the outcomes in your Support Plan.
Direct payments are available to those who are in receipt of social care support. It can be spent on anything agreed in the support plan, such as:
- Access to local community and groups
- Access to a variety of short breaks
- Personal care
- Day trips/activities
- Personal assistants
You will need to be able to manage your direct payments, either by yourself or with help.
Decision-making and the Mental Capacity Act
This Mental Capacity Act affects decision-making for all people aged 16 and over who are unable to make some or all decisions by themselves.
The issue of capacity is decision-specific. This means that capacity can only be assessed in relation to a particular decision that needs to be made at a particular time.
When assessing capacity to make a decision, it important to consider whether you are able to:
- Understand the information relevant to the decision.
- Retain that information.
- Use that information to make a decision.
- Communicate your decision (whether by talking, using sign language or any other means).
If you lack capacity to make decisions, your parents or carers can apply for a Court of Protection order to make decisions on financial and welfare matters after you reach 18.
The Court of Protection is responsible for:
- Deciding whether a person has the mental capacity to make a particular decision for themselves.
- Appointing deputies to make decisions for people.
Parents and professionals must always support you to be involved as much as possible in a decision made on your behalf, even if you do not have the capacity to make it yourself.