How adult social care support services are planned and funded
We use clear, consistent processes to plan, arrange and fund adult social care support services. These ensure that:
- support is lawful, fair and represents value for money
- we promote independence, wellbeing and choice
First contact
People may contact us directly or approach providers for advice.
Providers should explain that only the council can decide:
- if someone can get funded social care support
- to arrange or pay for services
Not everyone will need ongoing funded support. If someone contacts us who might need further help, we offer an assessment.
Assessment and eligibility
We carry out assessments under the Care Act 2014 to understand someone’s needs, outcomes and whether they meet national eligibility criteria.
Providers do not decide if someone is eligible.
Eligibility cannot be assumed or guaranteed.
Care and support planning
If someone is eligible, we will work with them to develop a support plan. This takes account of:
- their eligible needs
- what they want to achieve
- what is available
- value for money
They will get a ‘personal budget’ for the amount their care will cost.
We support personal choice and control, but we have limited budgets and provision.
Arranging support
Once a care and support plan is authorised, we arrange support. We have ‘brokerage’ teams which do this or the person might choose to use direct payments.
- Providers should not offer support to people and assume that we will arrange or fund it.
- All funded services must follow our assessment, authorisation and brokerage process.
- If someone wants support that costs more than their personal budget, they must arrange this themselves and pay the extra cost.
Reviews and changes
Providers must not vary funded support without our agreement. All changes must follow review and authorisation processes.
Working with us
We commission services based on assessed need, market position and available resources. Visit our Market Position Statement for more information.
To find out about tendering or procurement opportunities, visit Doing business with us.
Who to contact
Email ASC Commissioning if you are thinking of:
- developing a new adult social care service, or
- expanding an existing service
Read the Market Position Statement to find out about our commissioning priorities before you contact us.
We will get in touch if we require more information.