Care and support planning

A support plan helps you to think about how you want to use your care budget to get the care and support you need.

Everyone's plan will be different. You can use the types of support that work for you.

Your support plan will include:

• how you will stay independent and keep safe
• what you want to change or achieve - we call this your outcomes
• how much the support will cost
• how your support will be arranged

Your support plan will also include the support available from your carers, family, friends and community organisations.

Agreeing your support plan

Once you have completed your support plan it will need to be agreed by us. We must make sure it meets your needs and:

• uses our money sensibly and within the law
• is clear about how you will manage your support and budget

When the support plan is agreed we will have a clear idea of the care you need and how much this will cost. This is called your personal budget.

Arranging your support

Once your support plan has been agreed upon, you can start setting up your support. You need to decide how you want to receive and manage your support and there are three options you can choose from:

• direct payments from the council which gives you complete control
• care arranged by the council
• a combination of both

In order to get the right support, you can also choose to employ your own staff or you can buy services from a private service provider.

What your plan may cover

The plan will cover a range of services and these could include:

• help with personal care - such as washing, dressing and taking medication
• meals - such as meal delivery to your home or going out to a lunch club
• equipment - such as walking frames or personal alarms

The support and activities that should not be included are:

• anything provided through the health service
• day to day living expenses such as rent, food and bills
• anything that is illegal or would not promote your wellbeing

Reviewing your support plan

Even if everything is going well, your social care worker will check to make sure you are happy with your support. This is called a review.

At a review we will:

• check if your needs or circumstances have changed
• check if your support plan is achieving the outcomes you agreed and if not, what needs to be done
• make sure you are healthy and safe
• check your budget is still being used for the purpose it was provided

You will usually have a review within six months of setting up your care plan and then at least every year. You can ask a family member, friend, your carer, an advocate or a service provider to help you prepare for the review. If your needs change between reviews contact your social care worker.

What happens when you move home if you have care and support needs

If you currently receive care and support from us and you move within our council area, we will continue to meet your needs.

If you choose to live in a different council area, we will work with the council in that area, so there is no interruption to your care and support.

The process starts when you (or someone acting on your behalf) tells the council you are moving to about your plans. The new council will check with you that your intentions are genuine and give you information about care and support in the area. They will also inform us that you are moving.

You can read more about ‘notifying before moving’, ‘continuity of care’, ‘information sharing’ and ‘the day of arrival in your new home’ in The Care Act factsheet - Continuity of care when moving between areas.