{"id":24406,"date":"2023-02-02T15:39:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T15:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/care-and-health\/?post_type=dcc_docs_document&#038;p=24406"},"modified":"2026-01-27T13:15:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:15:42","slug":"eligibility-for-adult-social-care-and-support","status":"publish","type":"dcc_docs_document","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/document\/eligibility-for-adult-social-care-and-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Eligibility for adult social care and support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column doc-aside is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#introduction-to-policy-guidance\">Introduction to policy guidance<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#1-eligibility-criteria-for-adult-social-care-and-support\">1. Eligibility criteria for adult social care and support<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#2-carers-eligibility-criteria\">2. Carer\u2019s eligibility criteria<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#3-how-do-i-arrange-an-assessment\">3. How do I arrange an assessment?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#4-what-if-my-needs-do-not-meet-the-eligibility-criteria\">4. What if my needs do not meet the eligibility criteria?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#5-what-can-i-do-if-i-dont-agree-with-the-assessment\">5. What can I do if I don\u2019t agree with the assessment?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#6-how-quickly-will-my-assessment-be-completed\">6. How quickly will my assessment be completed?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#appendix-a-the-care-and-support-eligibility-criteria-regulations-2014\">Appendix A: The Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#policy-details\">Policy details<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"dcc-documents-cpt-fixed dccdocs-sticky dccdocs-hidden\">\r\n    <div class=\"grid-container\">\r\n        <div class=\"grid-x grid-margin-x\">\r\n            <div class=\"cell medium-12\">\r\n                <a class=\"back-to-top hide-for-print\" href=\"#content\"><svg class=\"app-c-back-to-top__icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"13\" height=\"17\" viewBox=\"0 0 13 17\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 0L0 6.5 1.4 8l4-4v12.7h2V4l4.3 4L13 6.4z\"><\/path><\/svg> Contents<\/a>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column doc-content is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:75%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"introduction-to-policy-guidance\">Introduction to policy guidance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our policy on eligibility for adult care and support is to comply with what the Care Act (2014) says about eligibility and follow the Care Act\u2019s statutory guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This policy guidance outlines how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>we assess people\u2019s eligibility against the national criteria<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>to apply for an assessment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have clear duties to promote independence and to proactively prevent, reduce and delay the need for adult social care and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These duties apply before, and regardless of, whether someone is found eligible for adult social services and funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It might be that following information, advice and signposting, a formal and full eligibility assessment is not required or requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Devon County Council\u2019s approach to promoting independence in adult social care is set out in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/document\/promoting-independence-policy\/\" data-type=\"dcc_docs_document\" data-id=\"17319\">Promoting Independence Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-eligibility-criteria-for-adult-social-care-and-support\">1. Eligibility criteria for adult social care and support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>1.1 The national eligibility criteria ensure that all local authorities meet the same minimum level of needs. If an adult meets the three elements of the criteria detailed below and is ordinarily resident in Devon, we have a duty to ensure their needs are met:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1.1.1&nbsp; The adult\u2019s needs arise from or are related to a physical or mental impairment or illness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1.1.2&nbsp; As a result of the needs, they are unable to achieve two or more specified outcomes (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/document\/eligibility-for-adult-social-care-and-support\/#appendix-a-the-care-and-support-eligibility-criteria-regulations-2014\">see Appendix A<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1.1.3&nbsp; As a consequence there is, or is likely to be, a <strong>significant impact<\/strong> on their wellbeing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>1.2 The Care Act does not require that individuals have a formal diagnosis of a physical or mental impairment or illness. Instead, local authorities must make a judgement based on the assessment process. However, assessors will need to be assured that an individual\u2019s needs are not caused by circumstantial factors, but by a physical or mental impairment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-carers-eligibility-criteria\">2. Carer\u2019s eligibility criteria <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>2.1 The Care Act introduced national eligibility criteria for carers. Eligibility is based on the impact a carer\u2019s need for support has on their wellbeing. A carer will have eligible needs if:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2.1.1 Their needs arise as a consequence of providing necessary care for an adult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2.1.2 As a result of their needs their health is deteriorating or is at risk or they are unable to achieve specified outcomes (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/document\/eligibility-for-adult-social-care-and-support\/#appendix-a-the-care-and-support-eligibility-criteria-regulations-2014\">see Appendix A<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2.1.3 As a consequence there is, or likely to be, a significant impact on a carer\u2019s wellbeing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>2.2 Eligibility determination is made regardless of whether or not the adult who the carer cares for has eligible needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2.3 The carer must, however, be providing \u2018necessary\u2019 care. If the carer is providing care and support for needs that the adult is capable of meeting themselves, the carer may not be providing necessary support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-how-do-i-arrange-an-assessment\">3. How do I arrange an assessment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>3.1 An assessment must be provided to all people and carers who appear to need care and support, regardless of their finances or whether the local authority thinks their needs will be eligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.2 An online self-assessment is available following the completion of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/adults\/find-help-and-support\/\">self-help tool<\/a>. A paper copy or Word document can also be requested from Care Direct. This provides an opportunity for you to gather information and think about your needs before a full assessment. Devon County Council can assist you with completing a self-assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.3 You can arrange an assessment by contacting Care Direct on <a href=\"tel:03451551007\">0345 1551 007<\/a> or by email to <a href=\"mailto:csc.caredirect@devon.gov.uk\">csc.caredirect@devon.gov.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.4 An assessment could be an individual assessment or a combined assessment with a carer and the person for whom they care. Where relevant, it could be undertaken jointly with contribution from others, including the NHS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.5 A copy of the assessment will be sent to you. This will clearly indicate whether you are eligible for support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-what-if-my-needs-do-not-meet-the-eligibility-criteria\">4. What if my needs do not meet the eligibility criteria?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>4.1 If your needs do not meet the eligibility criteria, we may look at how we can signpost you to alternative support that is available. For example, this may include suggesting services available to you in your community. We may encourage an individual to seek medical diagnosis or support from healthcare services where appropriate. In exceptional circumstances, we may offer funded support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4.2 We are not under any legal duty to meet non-eligible needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-what-can-i-do-if-i-dont-agree-with-the-assessment\">5. What can I do if I don\u2019t agree with the assessment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>5.1 We will always explain the decisions we make about your eligibility against the national eligibility criteria, and we must record your views if they are different to the decision we make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5.2 Both you or your representative must always be informed of your right to make a complaint using our complaints procedure, if you remain unhappy with our assessment and decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5.3 Section 13 of the Care Act 2014; The Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulation 2014 and Section 6 of Care Act Statutory Guidance provide further details on eligibility and the eligibility criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"6-how-quickly-will-my-assessment-be-completed\">6. <strong>How quickly will my assessment be completed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>6.1 We aim to complete an assessment within 28 days, but timescales may vary due to the level of requests at any given time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>6.2 If you are approaching us for financial support due to your funds nearing or reaching the upper capital limit (Currently \u00a323,250) and we take longer than 28 days to assess your needs, any financial support you are eligible for will be backdated to 28 days after your initial contact, or to the date your capital went below the upper limit, if this date is later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"appendix-a-the-care-and-support-eligibility-criteria-regulations-2014\">Appendix A: The Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/ukdsi\/2014\/9780111124185\" rel=\"noopener\">The Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"policy-details\">Policy details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><th scope=\"row\">Version<\/th><td>5.0<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Strategic Owner<\/th><td>Deputy Director of Integrated Adult Social Care (Operations)<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Business owner<\/th><td>Principal Social Worker<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Author<\/th><td>James Martin, Policy Manager<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Date of approval and commencement<\/th><td>2015<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Last review date<\/th><td>January 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Last reviewer<\/th><td>Senior Policy Officer<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Next review date<\/th><td>February 2028<\/td><\/tr><tr><th scope=\"row\">Changes at last review<\/th><td>Additional context added<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"document-meta-acf-block clearfix \" id=\"block_acf-block-6978ba7b874e1\"><div class=\" dcc-documents-meta\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget dcc-documents-widget-block\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget-box2\"><p class=\"dcc-documents-published\"><span>Published<\/span> <time datetime=\"2023-02-02T15:39:22+00:00\">02\/02\/2023 3:39pm<\/time><\/p><p class=\"dcc-documents-updated\"><span>Last Updated<\/span> <time datetime=\"2026-01-27T13:15:42+00:00\">27\/01\/2026 1:15pm<\/time><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction to policy guidance Our policy on eligibility for adult care and support is to comply with what the Care Act (2014) says about eligibility and follow the Care Act\u2019s statutory guidance. This policy guidance outlines how: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have clear duties to promote independence and to proactively prevent, reduce [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2511,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"documents_category":[],"class_list":["post-24406","dcc_docs_document","type-dcc_docs_document","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"updated":"","dccdocs_documents":null,"section-guidance":"","sections":null},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-24 01:59:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"dcc_docs_category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents\/24406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/dcc_docs_document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2511"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents\/24406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48439,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents\/24406\/revisions\/48439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"dcc_docs_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/documents_category?post=24406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}