Care and Support at Home: Assessment and Funding

Assessment of your care needs

This guide explains how your council, or the NHS in some areas of Scotland, will assess your care and support needs to see if you qualify for help. The care needs assessment will look at:

• your individual needs and circumstances, including what support you already have
• which of your needs the council can meet 
• how much your care will cost, and whether you will need to pay for
  some of it yourself

Social care (or community care) services include:

• help with your personal care
• respite care (including temporary residential care in a care home)
• community alarms and telecare
• day care (going to a day centre for support)
• lunch clubs
• night sitting services (if you need care at night)
• equipment to help you with everyday tasks and keep you safe, for example handrails and shower seats
• delivery of hot or frozen meals
• help with housework
• transport

Some services may be offered free of charge if you are assessed as needing them. For others, you may be asked to pay. 

Self-Directed Support for care and support services

Even if the council is paying for your care, you should be given a choice about how your care services are arranged. You can ask the council to arrange them for you, or you may be given a budget so you can organise and pay for services yourself. Having these choices is called Self-Directed Support. 

You can read more about Self-Directed Support in this guide, or on the Scottish Government website.