Care Act 2014

Care Act statutory guidance - refreshed edition published

On the 10 March 2016 the Department of Health published the refreshed edition of the care and support statutory guidance.

Visit the GOV.UK website to view the care and support statutory guidance

The Care Act is the biggest change to English adult social care law in over 60 years, which aims to make a difference to some of the most vulnerable people and their carers in Telford.

The Care Act came into effect from 1 April 2015 and the key areas of change are:

• local authorities will have a general responsibility to promote people’s well-being, focusing on prevention and providing information and advice
• the introduction of a consistent, national eligibility criteria
• new rights to support for carers, so they have the same rights as the people for whom they care
• legal right to a personal budget and direct payment
• the extension of local authority adult social care responsibility to include prisons, and new responsibilities around transition, provider failure, supporting people who move between local authority areas and safeguarding.

Care and support is the help some adults need to live as well as possible with any illness or disability they may have. It can include help with things like:

• washing
• dressing
• eating
• getting out and about
• keeping in touch with friends or family. 

The main changes to care and support were:

• a national level of care and support needs across all councils - Visit the GOV.UK website for more information on national level of care and support needs. View information on the Care Act assessment and View information on the Eligibility criteria to find out more about Telford & Wrekin Council's assessment process.

• councils having to work together to make sure you don’t have a gap in your care if you move to another area in England.

• more help for carers - Visit the GOV.UK website for more information on more help for carers. View information on Looking After Someone to find out more about the support available from Telford & Wrekin Council.

• deferred payment agreements extended to all of England (so you shouldn’t have to sell your home in your lifetime to pay for your care). Visit the GOV.UK website for more information on deferred payment agreements. Download Telford & Wrekin Council's Deferred payment agreement advice and information pack, you can also view Telford & Wrekin Council's paying for care information.

• protection from unlimited care costs (‘cap on care costs’). Major reforms to the way that social care is funded have been delayed until April 2020. View more information on the care and support reform (cap on care costs) Delay FAQs and Visit the NHS website to view information on care and support – what’s changing? Visit GOV.UK website for more information on the Delay in the implementation of the cap on care costs.

You could benefit from the changes if you:

• receive care and support
• support someone as a carer
• are planning for future care and support.

For more information please view our Frequently Asked Questions:

• View Section 1: General FAQs
• View Section 2: Deferred Payment Agreements FAQs
• View Section 3: Needs and Eligibility FAQs
• View Section 4: Support for Carers FAQs
• View Care and support reform (cap on care costs) delay FAQs.

Visit the GOV.UK website for a more detailed Care Act fact sheets. These provide an overview, and describe the duties and powers of councils to carry out the changes.

Other useful links:

• view the Care Act - easy read version from the Department of Health
• visit YouTube to view the introduction to the Care Act 2014 - a video presentation produced by Social Care Institute for Excellence
• visit the GOV.UK website for more information on Care and support – what’s changing?.

Last updated: 23/05/2022 15:15