ADULTS' SERVICES GUIDE 33 EASY READ Fair Access to Care Services (FACS)
SCIE 2010 This report is available in print and online www.scie.org.uk Social Care Institute for Excellence Goldings House 2 Hay s Lane London SE1 2HB 020 7089 6840 020 7089 6841 020 7089 6893 www.scie.org.uk
Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) What does Fair Access to Care Services mean? Fair Access to Care Services (FACS for short) means making sure everyone who needs social care gets the right support. It is also about deciding if the council will pay for your support. What is an assessment? An assessment is when a social care worker collects information from you. 1
The social worker will ask you about how you want to live your life and what support you need to do the things you want to. The social worker might also ask your family or carers for information. If the social worker needs to talk to your doctor, they will ask you if this is ok. The social worker will use the information they collect about you to decide what support would be best for your needs. 2
What is self assessment? If you want to, you can assess what support you need yourself and tell social services. This is called self assessment. This means listing your strengths and deciding what things you need support with. Who can have an assessment? Anyone who contacts social services for help can have an assessment. 3
This includes young people. Carers can also have an assessment. You must have an assessment before talking about payment for your support. If you do not agree with your assessment, you can complain to your local authority. 4
What is eligibility? Eligibility means you can get social care support from your local council. There are different types of eligibility for people needing different kinds of help. If you are not eligible, this means that the council cannot pay for your social care. What do I have to pay for? Some councils might ask you to pay for some of your support yourself. 5
If you have more money you might have to pay more. The council will decide how much you have to pay. What happens if the council can t provide my care? Even if your local council can t provide your care, other services may be able to help you. You might be able to get help with these things: 6
Health Housing Education Training 7
Work Transport Having fun 8
How do I find out more? You can contact your local council for more information. The Citizens Advice Bureau can also give you advice. If you don t understand the words social workers use, ask them what they mean. 9
Here are some words you might need to know: Outcomes These are things you want to do. Early intervention This means getting help early so that problems don t get bigger. Direct Payments A Direct Payment is money that the council give you to pay for your own support. 10
Personal budgets A personal budget is when you choose what support you want and someone else helps arrange it for you. Personalisation Personalisation means choosing how you want to live your life. With thanks to: Photosymbols.com and United Response 11
APRIL 2010 FACSEZ Find out more To find out more or to get hold of the big version of this report, please get in touch with Social Care Institute for Excellence Goldings House 2 Hay s Lane London SE1 2HB 020 7089 6840 020 7089 6841 020 7089 6893 www.scie.org.uk