Deciding who is eligible for a service from us

As the demand for services is greater than the money available to provide them, not everyone will be eligible to receive a service.

To receive services from us we must first assess your needs. When we have worked out your needs with you, we will decide if you have priority needs. We do this by comparing the information gathered during your assessment with four types of social care needs:

• Health and safety
• Daily routines and home environment
• Family and social responsibilities
• Carer needs

Each type of need requiring Social Services assistance is then graded into the following bands, based on the risk to your independence and risks of harm or danger if your needs are not addressed.

• Critical
• Substantial
• Moderate
• Low

Critical either now or in the next few days

• life threatening harm or danger due to your physical or mental health or behaviour
• inability to carry out most / all personal care, daily household chores causing a major risk to your independence inability to sustain most / all aspects of work / education / learning and family life causing a major risk to your independence
• extensive loss of control over most / all aspects of your home environment causing a major risk to your independence
• complete relationship breakdown between you and your carer.

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Substantial - either now or in the next three months

• significant harm or danger due to your physical or mental health or behaviour
• inability to carry out many personal care, daily household chores causing significant risks to your independence
• inability to sustain many aspects of work / education / learning / community and family life causing significant risks to your independence
• loss of control over many aspects of your home environment causing significant risks to your independence
• Significant risk of a relationship breakdown between you and your carer.

Moderate - either now or in the next 12 months

• inability to carry out some personal care, daily household chores and / or manage your home environment causing some risks to your independence
• inability to sustain some aspects of work/education / learning/community and family life causing some risks to your independence.
• Moderate risk to your carer's ability to sustain some aspects of their caring role.

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Low - when you have

• one or two aspects of your personal care and daily household chores are difficult for you to manage
• low risk to your carer's ability to sustain their caring role.

At present a person is only eligible for social care services where their needs are Critical or Substantial and there is no one else willing or able to assist.

After your assessment / review we will complete an Eligibility Criteria Checklis (55KB - pdf help)t with you and your carer, if you have one. (People's needs and risks alter over time. Some interventions may only be required for a short time).

You will be offered a copy of the Checklist and one will also be kept on the Social Services file as a record of what was agreed.

How can we meet your eligible needs?

When we have decided that you have eligible needs then we will consider what services would best meet your needs. For example, rehabilitation, home care, supported employment, equipment, carer support and so on. This process is known as 'care planning' and will take account of help from family and friends or support from other organisations.

We aim to:

• encourage you to find solutions to your own problems (if possible) by providing you with information and advice
• consider the involvement of carers, families, friends and other organisations
• provide short term help to enable you to become independent or give you time to arrange your own services
• provide help so that you to live as independently as possible over the longer term
• where you have eligible needs, consider the use of Direct Payments - you may be given the money to buy your own care within agreed limits.
• meet your eligible needs in the most cost effective way taking account of your cultural needs.

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Reviewing services

The Eligibility Criteria also apply to people already receiving services. We will invite you and your carer to review your situation.

The review will help us to see if you are still eligible for social care services.

Carers

Carers are eligible for an assessment of their needs, either undertaken separate or jointly with the person they care for. If carers meet the Eligibility Criteria then they are entitled to receive services in their own right.

Find out more:

• Fair Access to Care Services - Policy (Adults)
• FACS - Frequently Asked Questions
• Devon's Local Preventative Strategy (Children)