Assessing your needs
If you ask us for help, we will need to find out more about you. We will need to find out what you can do for yourself, what you can do with help and what things you are having difficulties with that are affecting your day-to-day life.
The conversation that we have with you will include finding out what you are interested in and what you want to achieve. We will ask you if you have any support from people you know or places that you go to. This helps us to understand who can assist you in your life to achieve what you want to do. We refer to this as your network. Your network can be made up of family, friends, organisations and people you pay to support you, such as a cleaner. This process is often referred to as an assessment of your needs.
If we determine you are eligible for support, we will discuss with you, your family and carers (with your permission), the options available to you. We will then agree with you a support plan that sets out how you will be supported to achieve your outcomes.
If you are not eligible for help, we will write to you and explain why as well as provide you with information, advice and options to find support for yourself.
How do I arrange an assessment?
Please phone 01926 410410. You will speak to a Customer Service Advisor and if you appear to have care and support needs, a Social Care Practitioner will contact you to continue the conversation. You may be assessed, we call this an Assessment.
Information security
The privacy of your personal information is important to us. We are committed to providing you with services that are safe, secure, and trustworthy and to protect your personal information and privacy.
What will be discussed at the assessment?
It is a chance for you to:
- talk about your situation, what you can do and what you would like to be able to do
- tell us those things that are important to you
- find out about local organisations and local options
- ask us questions about what support may be available.
During our conversation with you, we will talk about:
- those things you can do, as well as those you can’t or are having difficulties with.
- the people who are providing you with support, whether significant or in small ways.
- the things that are important to you.
- local services you may be able to link with that could provide you with support.
- possible options to meet your needs, whether you meet the eligibility criteria or not.
These are some examples of the areas that you may be having difficulties with that we can talk to you about.
- Getting washed: Do you need help with personal hygiene? For example, washing yourself, washing your hair, cleaning your teeth, taking medication, washing your dirty clothes.
- Going to the toilet: Do you need help to use the toilet? Including any continence needs.
- Dressing appropriately: Are you able to get dressed? This includes dressing appropriately for the weather and selecting clean clothes.
- Being safe at home: Are you safe inside and outside your home? For example, being able to move around your home, including getting on and off a chair or in and out of bed, being able to move around your home, getting in and out of your home and using appliances such as a kettle and oven safely.
- Eating and drinking: Do you need help to prepare meals and to eat and drink?
- Getting out and about: Are you able to make use of necessary facilities or services in the local community including public transport and recreational opportunities?
- Role as a parent: Do you look after a child?
- Maintaining your home: Are you able to do housework, shopping, gardening, routine maintenance and pay bills?
- Work (paid/voluntary) and learning: Are you able to work? Are there any learning opportunities at a local college or community centre?
- Relationships: Do you feel lonely or isolated because of your needs? This can also include any caring responsibilities that you have. We will also talk with you about the impact of any caring responsibilities you have.
- Family carers: Do you have help from an unpaid carer (family member or close friend)? They may be eligible for support as carers.
The purpose of the assessment is to provide a full picture of your needs so that together we find the best response at the right time, to meet these needs. This might range from offering information and advice to arranging support to meet those needs. These outcomes are written into a support plan.
Carers assessment
If you have an unpaid carer, there is a service called Caring Together Warwickshire who provide support for carers. Caring Together Warwickshire can provide a range of services that could support your carer including the completion of a Carer Assessment.
You can contact Caring Together Warwickshire on 0800 197 5544 for more information or referral, alternatively more information can be found on the Caring Together Warwickshire website.
Help during an assessment
If you are unable to be involved in the assessment process and you do not have an appropriate friend, family member or unpaid carer to help you, we will appoint an independent advocate to support you.
After your assessment
If you are eligible for help, with your permission, we will talk to you, your family and carers about the options available to you. We will then write a plan that sets out the support we have agreed with you.
If you are unhappy, you can ask for your assessment to be reviewed by contacting the manager of the team that carried out the assessment. If you are still unhappy, you can complain to the manager of the team that has been dealing with you. You can also contact the customer relations team on 01926 410410.