Paying for Care

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Assessing your Support Needs
Social Care Direct Payments
Self Funded Support

Assessing your Support Needs

Everyone is entitled to an assessment of their needs to see if Bracknell Forest’s Adult Social Care can help. We concentrate our efforts on help that will keep people living independently for as long as possible – such as help when people first come out of hospital, or providing simple equipment that will make life easier – and long-term help for people with the most severe needs. To make sure that money is spent fairly, people’s needs are assessed against national standards that are called ‘eligibility criteria’.

Both schemes, Support with Confidence and Personal Assistants at Home begin this process when you first make contact. Depending on your needs we can you will be signposted to organisations who may be able to help, or if your needs are greater, Bracknell Forest Adult Social Care will arrange for an assessment of your needs to take place.

What will the assessment seek to find out?

A care manager (usually a social worker or therapist) will help you to think about:

  • What your needs are
  • What problems you are facing
  • What help you have now
  • What help you think you may need

This information will then be used to identify services and/or support which will keep you as independent as possible.

After the assessment

Once the assessment has been completed, the following steps will be taken:

  • You will be told approximately how much money we think is needed to provide the support you need
  • The council’s Financial Assessment team will then check that you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to
  • They will use this information to determine what contribution you can afford to pay towards the cost of your support
  • You will then be supported to decide how you want your support to be provided
  • Once your plan has been drafted, a senior manager will need to confirm that the support would meet your needs, in a way that is legal and affordable

To apply to have a needs assessment please contact the Community Response and Reablement team.

Contact:

Community Response and Re-ablement Team
Bracknell Forest Council
Time Square
Market Street
Bracknell
RG12 1JD

Tel: 01344 351500

Social Care – Direct payments

Anybody who has been assessed as needing help from Adult Social Care has a right to be considered for direct payments. These people include:

  • Carers
  • Older people
  • Parents of a child with a disability
  • People with a disability aged 16 and over
  • People with mental health needs
  • People with learning disabilities

Direct payments are paid directly to the person. These payments are designed to give people more freedom and independence over how money is used to provide support.

How is the amount I receive calculated?

If you are assessed to pay a contribution towards your care costs, the amount of money you receive will depend on the level of support you need and will not differ if you decide to choose direct payments.

Direct payments are not treated as income, so are not taxable. For this reason they do not affect any benefits you may receive.

How can I find out more?

For further information about Direct Payments, please contact your care manager or visit the Department of Health website.

Contact:

Self Directed Support Co-Ordinator
Tel: 01344 351420

Self Directed Support Adviser
Tel: 01344 351841
Short Term Services (Adults)
Tel: 01344 351500

Self Funded Support

Anyone who wants to use the Support with Confidence scheme can self fund the support they choose. So if you do not qualify for financial help or assistance then you can still use the scheme. Contact our team to discuss this further on  01344 206113 or 0118 907 6397

Search for Personal Assistant with Vacancies – Click Here

How to hire a PA and what to think about – Click Here

About the Support With Confidence Scheme – Click Here

Becoming a Personal Assistant – Click Here

Self Employed PA – Find out More

An Employed PA – Find out More

Paying for care – Find out More

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