Needs assessment
The assessment will tell us whether you qualify for services under our guidelines (eligibility criteria). It will help us to find out whether you need help in any of the following areas:
- personal care and health
- getting about in your home
- eating and drinking
- personal safety
- communication
- household tasks
- transport
- help to fully participate in family and cultural life
- social support
- work, education and learning
- support for your carer.
The assessment will also tell us how urgently we need to provide services and whether we should refer you to other agencies to get the right support for you.
Qualifying for a service
We use guidelines set by the Government known as ‘eligibility criteria’, to determine if you qualify for a service, based on your individual needs. These guidelines are used because we want to ensure:
- people in greatest need and most at risk receive services
- everyone who asks for a service is dealt with fairly using the same guidelines
- everyone understands what decisions we make and why.
Our eligibility criteria
We need a way to work out who would be most at risk if they do not receive a service from us. The Eligibility Criteria Matrix 
(PDF 38KB) is a tool social care professionals use to help decide who is most at risk. Barnet Council has decided that only those people whose independence would be at substantial or critical risk if they did not receive a service would be eligible for Adult Social Services.
If, following an assessment, we decide the risks to your independence are moderate or low, we will not arrange services for you. However, you will be given information and assistance to help you select the right equipment for you or may be offered services from other agencies, for example voluntary or private agencies.
Who do I contact if I want a social care assessment?
If you would like an assessment to find out if you are eligible to receive support from social services, you should contact the relevant Adult Social Services Duty Team.
How long will I have to wait?
We aim to start an initial assessment within 48 hours of being contacted and complete it within 28 days. If this is not possible we will tell you how long you can expect to wait.
What happens at the assessment?
The aim of the assessment is to find out what your needs are and what the risks would be if we did not provide you with a service. We will ask you about how you manage your personal care and household tasks, what you find difficult, what might help and what support you have.
We will discuss other areas of your life with you, for example, your achievements or goals which you would like to build on - returning to work, looking into further training, or help in participating more actively in your cultural or religious life.
You can invite anyone you wish to the assessment. The social worker will primarily want to speak to you but may also want to speak to your carer(s) if you have one, as well as any other workers who may be involved, including your GP. However, the social worker will discuss this with you and ask your permission.
If you find it easier to talk to us in another language you can ask us to bring an interpreter when we see you.
Sometimes you might want to say things about your care but can not do this yourself.
You can ask an advocate (representative) to help you. For more information on advocacy, please contact Advocacy in Barnet on:
- Tel: 020 8201 3415
- Email: admin@advocacyinbarnet.org.uk
or Mind in Barnet on:
- Tel: 020 8343 5700
- Email: admin@mindinbarnet.org.uk
You will get a copy of the assessment in your preferred format.
After your assessment
If you qualify for a service, we will agree your care plan with you. Your care plan says what you need, and tells you how your needs will be met. We will let you know:
- what services we will provide
- who will provide services, and
- when they should start.
This will always be done with the intention to promote and maintain independence in the community, or to prevent admission to hospital, residential or nursing care.
If you are involved in the trial of self-directed support for people with a physical or sensory impairment or learning disability or , we will then work with you after your assessment to provide a short-term package of support. This support will be focussed on:
- maximising your skills to help you to live without assistance (such as getting up and dressed) or
- resolving problems that were caused by a crisis (such as the extra support you might need when leaving hospital after an accident).
The support you receive will be time-limited, normally lasting up to six weeks, during this time we will look at how you are managing. If it became clear that this initial help was not going to resolve all of your needs we will talk to you about longer-term support.
Find out if you could receive self-directed support.
Will I be charged for services?
You may be required to pay for some of the services you receive. This will depend on your income, but we will give you advice about this when you contact us. More information can be found in the charging policy (PDF: 777KB)
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Email this pageLast modified by: Dawn Rowe on 20/07/2010