Factsheet: Assessment, support planning and review

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Summary

April 2026

This factsheet explains the different types of assessment, how we plan your social care support and review how things are going.

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Your assessment

We will have an initial conversation with you and/or your carer about your needs. This is where we find out more about you and your situation. We will ask you about:

your daily life
your support needs
what you think would help
any support you get from family and friends

We will talk to you about the things you can manage, as well as the areas that you find difficult.

If it appears that you may need ongoing care and support, we’ll do a more detailed Care Act needs assessment with you. This is usually done in person, at a place that suits you. The assessment helps us understand more about you, your life, your strengths and your support needs. It tells us if you are eligible for support from us.

To be eligible, you must meet national eligibility criteria set by the government and listed in The Care Act 2014.

Your care and support needs must:

be due to a physical or mental health condition or illness
make fulfilling two areas of your life more difficult, and
have a significant impact on your wellbeing

For more information on the criteria, read our factsheet Who qualifies for our support

Please let us know if you have a carer, so we can offer them support too.

We respect your right to confidentiality and will only share information about you if you agree, unless someone is at risk of harm.

Carer's assessment

You are a carer if you support someone who would not be able to manage everyday life without your help. This could be an adult relative, partner, friend or neighbour. As a carer you have a right to have your own needs assessed. We offer carers and the person they care for a shared assessment, if appropriate.

If the person you’re caring for does not want to have an assessment or does not meet the care and support eligibility criteria, you may still be entitled to support.

Find more information about Caring for someone

Understanding what you will need to pay

Unlike NHS healthcare, social care support is not free. Most people pay for some or all of their care. We will do a financial assessment to see what you’ll need to pay.

We use the term ‘capital’ to mean savings, investments and assets.

If you have more than £23,250 in capital and assets, you will need to pay for your care yourself. The £23,250 does not include the value of your property unless you're moving into a care home.
If you have less than £23,250 in capital and assets, we will assess your finances and let you know what you need to contribute toward your care.

The amount you pay is called your ‘contribution’. It is payable from the first day of your care and support. There is more information in our leaflet What you will need to pay

Planning your support

If your assessment shows that you have eligible care and support needs, we will work out your estimated ‘personal budget’.

This will help you to understand how much it may cost to meet your needs and to look at options for your care and support plan.

We will start developing your support plan with you. You can be creative and use support that works for you, as long as it meets your eligible needs, is legal and affordable (within your personal budget).

We will talk to you about your support networks − friends, relatives, neighbours or the wider community − to explore all options.

Your support plan will cover:

what is important to you
your personal outcomes that you want to achieve
how you will use your personal budget to meet your needs
when and how you will get support, and any you’re getting already
whether you have a carer, who may have needs of their own
how you to manage risks
how much you will pay, and how much we will pay
any cultural or faith needs
plans for what will happen if things change
when we will review your support

When your care and support is agreed, you will be given a final personal budget based on the actual costs of your planned care. This may be more or less than your estimated budget.

Your personal budget is the total amount it might cost to meet your eligible care and support needs. The budget includes the amount you are assessed as able to contribute yourself.

You may choose to arrange your own care and not have a care and support plan.

Managing your care

Once we have agreed your support plan, your care can be set up in various ways. If you’re eligible for support and we are going to pay towards the cost of your care, you can:

buy services yourself with a direct payment
ask us or a provider to buy services on your behalf
have a mixture of the two

If you choose a direct payment, we can put you in touch with specialist organisations that help people manage their personal budget and employ a personal assistant. Read more about direct payments .

If you are paying for your own care and support, we can still work with you to help you find and arrange services.

Checking how things are going – review

Once your support starts, we will set a date with you to see how things are going. This is called a review. It’s an opportunity for you to tell us what is working or what may need to change. Most people have this review once a year, but it may vary depending on your needs.

If your needs change before your yearly review date, you can contact us to request a review. You, or anyone involved with your care and support, can request this.

Sometimes a review may result in a reassessment. That may mean a change to your care because your needs or circumstances have changed. This will always be discussed with you, and your support plan will be updated to reflect changes.