From April 2015, the new Care Act gave people with care needs new rights to get assessments and support from their local authority. These assessments will be called a Care Needs Assessments.
Read more: Assessments and the Care Act.
Every local authority in England will have to decide for itself how to put these new rights into practice. To request a Care Needs Assessment in Islington, you can contact Islington Council’s Access and Advice Service on 020 7527 2299 – select adult – select option 9 – or email access.service@islington.gov.uk.
For out-of-hours social care emergencies for Children, Adults or Mental Health services please contact the Emergency Duty Team. This is a service that operates across Islington from 5pm-9am Mon-Friday and 24 hours on weekends and bank holidays. Tel: 020 7226 0992.
Ways of Accessing Services: Council-Arranged or Direct Payments?
Everyone who is eligible for a service from the local authority receives a Personal Budget (money allocated to pay for support). The person you care for can choose to have the Council use this money to arrange services for them (such as agency care workers). Alternatively, they can receive the money as a Direct Payment and use this money to pay for services they arrange themselves. They can choose whether the money is paid into a bank account or whether it’s transferred to a special debit card. If they prefer, they can ask someone else to manage their personal budget, such as a family member or a friend.
Many people prefer to use Direct Payments to arrange their own care support as if gives them the opportunity to tailor services to their needs and gain more independence from Social Services. However, using Direct Payments brings the responsibility of employing care workers, keeping financial records and managing the Personal Budget. Unpaid/informal carers are sometimes the people who will take on this responsibility, though there are local organisations who can help. Some of these are listed below.
The following organisations can provide support to people and families to help manage their Personal Budgets, including providing independent advice about Personal Budgets, developing support plans, managing budgets and finding suitable support workers.
Centre 404 Finding and Matching Service
Tel: 020 7697 1327 Email: personalbudgets@centre404.org.uk
Islington Council Direct Payments Team
Support with all aspects of Direct Payments plus a group where users of Direct Payments can get together with people in similar situations.
Tel: 020 7527 8164 Email: directpayments@islington.gov.uk
updated Mar 2021
Islington Carers Hub 