We will carry out an assessment of your needs. At your assessment, we will discuss and agree with you, what your needs are and how these affect your ability to live a full and independent life. This will include discussing areas such as:
- what can you do by yourself?
- what can you do if someone helps you?
- what are you unable to do at all?
- who helps and supports you at present?
- what is the best way of meeting your needs?
- how much help is your carer, if you have one, able to offer you?
It is vital that you are fully involved in your assessment and are able to tell us what you think you need.
With your permission, we will also involve any carers in your assessment. These may be members of your family, friends and anyone else who helps look after you.
Once we have identified your needs, we will use eligibility criteria to help us decide if you are eligible (that is, if you qualify) for help. These criteria are laid down by the Government and are quite complicated. Please ask us if you would like to know more about these.
We have to use these criteria because it isn’t possible for us to help everyone who comes to us. The criteria help us to decide whose need is the greatest. Even if we can’t help you directly, we will tell you about other organisations or people who might be able to help.
If we have agreed that you are eligible for services from us, we will then discuss with you different ways in which your needs could be met. This could involve us providing services directly to you or arranging these from others. You may also be able to receive direct payments where we give you money to arrange your own services. Please ask us if you would like to know more.