Getting Social Care Support as an Adult

What is ‘social care’?

Social care is practical support to help people live well and more independently.

This support usually happens in people’s homes, in care homes or in the community.

There are community social work teams who find ways to help people living in their own homes who need support and hospital teams at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Dewsbury District Hospital who find ways to help people who are leaving hospitals and need support to live well.

Most ‘Adult’ teams help people aged 18+ with a variety of different support to meet their needs. Some teams are more specialised, such as the Community Learning Disabilities Team. All referrals for adult social care support are made through Community Health and Social Care. The advisors will then ask a series of questions to find the most appropriate route for each individual referral.

Community Health and Social Care (formerly known as Gateway to Care) is the contact for anyone that would like further information or advice on adult social care and support services available in Kirklees.

Contact Community Health and Social Care

Tel: 0300 304 5555

The Care Act 2014 is a law mainly relating to Adults who are in need of care or support and their adult carers.

It tells local authorities (like Kirklees Council) how they should determine who is ‘eligible’ for support, how they should carry out assessments of needs for those people and how support should be paid for.

It also includes information on safeguarding, transitions from children’s to adult’s social care, standards of care and health.

More information about the Care Act can be found here (opens link in same window)

Adults (over 18) who may need extra care and support to live well and their unpaid carers.

Care and support for adults is help that some people over 18 may need to live well. This may be because of a disability, ill health or other problems. Help can include support with things like washing, dressing, eating, getting out and about and keeping in touch with family and friends.

Adults who may need extra care and support include:-

older people
people with learning disabilities
people with physical disabilities
people with mental health problems
people with drug and/or alcohol issues
carers

The Care Act 2014 outlines an eligibility criteria for both the person being care for and their carer. The criteria sets out a national minimum threshold to be met. If the person being cared for or their carer meets this threshold, they will have ‘eligible’ needs that the local authority must then meet.

We use the Government's national eligibility criteria to work out if you qualify for support from us. This includes the following:-

whether you have a disability, health need or impairment
whether, as a result of a disability, health need or impairment, you're unable to manage some important aspects of your life without support
whether this is having a significant impact on your physical, mental, emotional or social wellbeing

To find out more about the Care Act 2014 eligibility criteria, Visit the Adults Social Care page (opens link in new window)

Connect to Support
Connect to Support is a website for people looking for adult social care services, advice and support. You can find everything you need to help you here, from local to national products and services, as well as links to information, specialist advice, local activities and community groups on the Kirklees Council website (opens link in new window)

Community Health and Social Care

Community Health and Social Care is the first contact for anyone that would like further information or advice on adult social care and support services available in Kirklees.
You can speak to an advisor by contacting Community Health and Social Care or use the webform. (opens link in new window) Contact us online (Please note this email address is monitored Monday to Friday only, if your request is urgent over the weekend or Bank Holiday please telephone 01484 414933)
Please note the following before completing our online enquiry form:-
• Wherever possible, you must get the consent of the person you are referring
• We will ask you how you're currently managing and what you need help with

After you've contacted us
Depending on the information you provide, we'll either:
• give you information and advice regarding local support and services
• redirect you to a more appropriate source to deal with your request, if we are not able to help
• refer you to the appropriate team or arrange an appointment for a practitioner in the team to find out more about your situation

The Care Navigation Service

The Care Navigation Service support adults in Kirklees to achieve positive outcomes and help them to remain independent and in control of their lives.

There is no charge for the Care Navigation Service. However, there may be a cost to any activity or service you decide to take part in.

Who the service is for?

Care Navigation is for anyone over the age of 18 who would like advice, information or support regarding the outcomes they would like to achieve. We can support you informally (i.e. without an assessment) whether or not you have been assessed as needing formal services.

What we do

A Care Navigator can:

Look at what you already have in place to help you and any additional support you may require.
Help you to think about what you would like to change or improve in your life. Then draw up a plan for you make the changes yourself or with help from others.
Connect you to activities, events and leisure opportunities in your area to reduce social isolation and improve your wellbeing.
We support individuals who have been formally assessed and are in receipt of a direct payment.
We offer advice and information to carers to support them to sustain their caring role.
Meet with you face to face to offer information, advice and short-term help to find services or activities in your local area to help maintain your independence.

To find out more about the Care Navigation service, call Community Health and Social Care on 0300 304 5555.

If you want the council to arrange or pay towards your care you have to meet the national eligibility criteria outline in the Care Act 2014. You will also need to have a ‘needs assessment’ to help find out about your support needs.

If you are eligible for social care support, a financial assessment will be carried out to determine how much you will need to pay towards your care, if anything. This has to be determined before you can be allocated a budget known as a 'Personal Budget'. For more information on Personal Budgets visit our page

What is a ‘needs assessment’

Needs assessments are for adults (18 years of age or over) who may need support because of a disability, ill health or old age.

An assessment starts as a discussion with you to find out more about the kind of things you need support with.

We will ask questions to see whether you're able to:

get in and out of bed
get washed and dressed
go to the toilet unaided
make and eat meals
move around your home safely
use local services, like buses, and go to the shops
get enough contact with other people
keep your home clean and safe

We'll also check whether you have any support in place already, and then work out if you qualify for some help from us to arrange your care.

What is care planning?

If a needs assessment identifies that you are eligible to receive Adult Social Care support, your worker will create a care plan with you which shows how these needs are to be met. This support may be provided in a combination of ways including:

Care support within the home through a care agency
Personal assistant via a Direct Payment
Day care (buildings
Care within a residential / nursing home setting
Reablement services (these are temporary services to regain independence after a crisis)
Supported living (individual homes with on-site carer support)

If you have an assessment from Adult Social Care and the council agree to provide services, you will have a separate assessment from the Client Financial Affairs team to see if you need to contribute to the costs of the care.

You can also find out if, or how much you will have to pay towards the cost of your care by completing an online financial assistance form.

Completing this form takes around 20 minutes.

To complete this web form (opens link in new window) you will need information about your income, capital and expenses.

What is ‘social care’?

Tel: 0300 304 5555

Useful links

Adult Social Care Webform