Needs assessment
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 Care and Health 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 assessment will also tell us how urgently we need to provide you with support and whether we should refer you to other agencies to get the right support for you.
We will ask you:
- What your immediate needs are
- How you manage your personal care and household tasks
- What you find difficult
- What might help and what support you have
- What achievements or goals you would like to build on, e.g. returning to work, looking into future training
If you qualify for a service from the council, we will let you know:
- What services we will provide
- Who will provide services, and
- When they should start.
We will also talk to you about how else we could help. This could include:
- Occupational Therapy, including equipment or adaptations to your home
- Telecare - equipment that makes it possible for people to call for help and assistance when needed.
Support at your assessment
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.
Qualifying for a service - our eligibility criteria
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 make sure that:
- 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.
Once you have been assessed, your eligible needs will be worked out using the criteria in the four following bandings:
Critical
Your needs will be assessed as meeting the Critical band if your circumstances mean that you are at immediate risk in your daily life. For example:
- You are unable to carry out any of your personal care routines. You are at significant risk of harm or neglect.
- You are unable to continue in employment or education because of your disability.
Substantial
Your needs will be assessed as meeting the Substantial band if your circumstances mean that there is a risk of breakdown of the present situation. For example:
- You need support to carry out most of your personal care.
- You are experiencing significant difficulties in carrying out your family care, for example as a parent.
Moderate
Your needs will be assessed as meeting the Moderate band if your circumstances identify moderate risk in your daily life. For example:
- You have some difficulties with your personal care but this does not put you at risk.
Low
Your needs will be assessed as meeting the Low band if your circumstances identify minimal risk in your daily life. For example:
- You are able to carry out your personal care routine but with some difficulty
- You have some difficulty in accessing activities in the community but this does not affect your life.
For more information on these bandings see the Eligibility Criteria Matrix 
(PDF 38KB) – a tool social care professionals use to help decide who is most at risk.
If following an assessment, we decide the risks to your independence are in the Substantial or Critical band, you will be qualify for support from Adult Social Care and Health.
If the risks to your independence are in the Moderate or Low band, you will not qualify for help from Barnet Council. However, you will be given information and assistance to help you select the right support for you or may be offered services from other agencies, for example voluntary or private agencies. Social Care Connect (external link) also contains information about local support organisations.
After your assessment
If you qualify for a social care service we will work with you to provide a short-term package of support. This is called an Enablement package. This support will be focused 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).
The support you receive will be for a limited time and during this time we will talk to you about how you are managing. If this initial help does not resolve all of your needs we will plan longer-term support with you.
Enablment options might include:
What happens after enablement?
Adult Social Care and Health will meet with you at an agreed time to talk to you about:
- What difference the help has made
- Any further help you may need from Adult Social Care and Health when the enablement service ends.
We will then talk to you about what happens next. This will either be to complete:
- A Move-On Plan - If you do not need any more help from Adult Social Care and Health we will give you information on the range of local organisations you may want to contact. You can also find information on our Social Care Connect website.
- The Personal Budget Questionnaire and Support Plan.
Will I be charged for services?
You may be required tocontribute towards the cost 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 fairer contributions policy 2011-12: Oct 2011 (PDF: 303KB).
If you pay for your own services, it may be advisable to seek independent financial advice about covering the costs of your care in the future. See our information about paying for long-term care.
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Email this pageLast modified by: Neha Shah on 31/10/2011