Social services care packages explained: assessment to review

A social services care package is the support a council arranges or pays for once a needs assessment finds you have eligible care needs. Anyone can ask their council for a needs assessment, and it is free, but how much the council pays towards the package depends on a separate financial assessment. This guide explains the process in England and notes where Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.

At a glance

• The steps are: contact the council, needs assessment, eligibility decision, care and support plan with a personal budget, financial assessment, and review.
• In England you are eligible if your needs arise from a physical or mental impairment or illness, you cannot achieve two or more specified outcomes, and your wellbeing is significantly affected.
• Capital above £23,250 means you pay the full cost; between £14,250 and £23,250 you pay a contribution, with £1 a week assumed for every £250 above £14,250.
• Statutory guidance suggests a light-touch review 6 to 8 weeks after the plan is signed off, then at least every 12 months.
• If you disagree, use the council’s complaints procedure, then the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

What is a social services care package?

A care package is the mix of support set out in your care and support plan. GOV.UK lists examples such as help at home (for example cleaning and shopping), equipment and home adaptations, day centres including breaks for carers, and care homes. In England the right to an assessment and to support comes from the Care Act 2014. Our guide to your rights under the Care Act 2014 explains the wider legal picture, and what social care is gives the background.

GOV.UK says the needs assessment applies in England and Wales. Wales has its own law and a weekly cap on non-residential care charges, which was £100 at last check, so ask the council for the current figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate systems: see our guides to paying for care in Wales, paying for care in Scotland and paying for care in Northern Ireland.

A council package is different from NHS-funded care. If someone has a primary health need, NHS continuing healthcare may pay instead. Short-term reablement after illness is covered in our reablement guide.

How does the needs assessment work?

Find your local council through GOV.UK’s postcode search and apply by phone or online. A friend, family member or charity can help you apply, and you do not have to wait for a crisis. A council worker, such as a social worker or occupational therapist, will ask how you manage everyday tasks. It may take place face to face, by phone or online, or as a supported self-assessment, where you and the council complete it jointly. You can also be referred for a separate home adaptations assessment.

The NHS warns that leaving things out can reduce the care recommended, so give the full picture, including bad days. Our guide to preparing for a care needs assessment has a checklist. Some points to remember:

• Waiting times vary by council. Tell them if the situation is urgent, and ask what interim support is possible.
• If you struggle to take part and have no suitable family or friends to help, the council must arrange an independent advocate. See what advocacy in social care is.
• Carers are assessed separately. See the carer’s assessment.
• Free equipment and minor adaptations are covered in free equipment and occupational therapy assessments.

What are the eligibility criteria?

England has a national eligibility threshold. An adult’s needs are eligible if all three conditions are met:

1. The needs arise from, or are related to, a physical or mental impairment or illness.
2. Because of those needs, the adult cannot achieve two or more of the specified outcomes.
3. As a result, there is, or is likely to be, a significant impact on the adult’s wellbeing.

The specified outcomes are:

• Keeping nourished and managing food and drink.
• Keeping clean and maintaining personal hygiene.
• Managing toilet needs.
• Being dressed appropriately.
• Using the home safely.
• Keeping the home in a habitable condition.
• Building and maintaining family or other personal relationships.
• Working, training, studying or volunteering.
• Using necessary local facilities and services, including public transport and leisure.
• Carrying out caring responsibilities for a child.

Where needs fluctuate, statutory guidance says the council must look at needs over an appropriate period, such as the past year. If the council decides you are not eligible, it must give you a copy of the decision and information and advice on how to meet or reduce your needs and prevent or delay them getting worse. If you are not offered this, ask for it.

How much will you pay? The financial assessment

If the council identifies eligible needs, a financial assessment follows. In England the capital limits are:

Statutory guidance says the value of your main or only home must be excluded from the capital assessment when the care is not in a care home. Councils must not charge more than is reasonably practicable for you to pay, and guidance refers to a minimum income guarantee that you should be left with. Our guides to the financial assessment for home care and the care means test give the detail, and the funding checker gives a quick estimate.

Self-funders should know that anyone with capital above the upper limit can ask the council to arrange their care. If the needs are eligible, the council must meet the request, but the person is not entitled to financial help and may pay the full cost. The council may charge an arrangement fee, which must not be more than the cost it actually incurred. See self-funding care and private home care versus council care.

What are personal budgets and direct payments?

Everyone whose needs the council meets must receive a personal budget. It is the amount the council spends on your care, and it must be enough to meet your eligible needs. Statutory guidance says arbitrary ceilings that push people into care homes are not allowed. You can have it managed in several ways:

• The council holds the money and arranges your care in line with your plan.
• A third party holds it, such as a care provider, which arranges payments with the council. Some may charge you extra.
• A direct payment is paid to you, or someone you choose, so you can arrange your own care.
• A mixed package, combining these.

Direct payments must be spent on care and support that matches your plan. Most councils ask for evidence of spending, for example every three months. If you employ a personal assistant, you take on employer duties such as minimum wage, tax and National Insurance. As a general rule you cannot use direct payments to employ a spouse, partner or certain relatives who live in your home, though councils can make exceptions. They cannot pay for permanent residential care, and short care home stays are limited to four consecutive weeks in a year. Our guide to direct payments and personal budgets has more.

How are packages reviewed, and how do you challenge a decision?

Under the Care Act, the council must keep plans under review and review one when you make a reasonable request or your circumstances change. Statutory guidance recommends a light-touch review 6 to 8 weeks after sign-off and a review at least every 12 months. A review must not be used to cut a budget arbitrarily. Ask for one if your needs increase after a fall or hospital stay. See what happens after reablement ends.

If you are unhappy with an eligibility decision, plan or budget:

1. Try to resolve it informally. Ask for written reasons for how the budget was set or reduced, and a copy of your assessment and care plan.
2. Ask the council to review or reconsider the decision, with evidence such as your GP’s or occupational therapist’s views.
3. Use the council’s formal complaints procedure.
4. If the outcome is still unsatisfactory, take it to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

An advocate can help with this. If the complaint is about a care provider rather than the council, see how to complain about home care.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a care package if I have savings?

You can still ask for a needs assessment. If your capital is above £23,250, you will usually pay the full cost, but the council can still assess your needs and, if you ask, arrange your care and charge its cost plus a fee.

How long does a social services assessment take?

It varies by council, and the statutory guidance does not set a fixed deadline. Ask your council for its expected timescale. If risk is high, say so and ask what interim support or emergency options are available.

Will the council count my house?

Not when the care is at home. Statutory guidance says the financial assessment must exclude the value of your main or only home. Different rules apply if you move permanently into a care home, including a 12-week property disregard.

Can a family member be paid from a direct payment?

Often yes if they live elsewhere. As a general rule you cannot use direct payments to employ a spouse, partner or certain relatives living in your home, but the council can make an exception if it agrees it is necessary.

What if I disagree with the council’s decision?

Ask for written reasons and a review, then use the council’s complaints procedure. If still unresolved, go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. An independent advocate can help you through the process.

Where to get help next

Start with our funding checker and what will I pay tool. To compare private options, use how to arrange home care and our care search. See also council care rates.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Apply for a needs assessment
• legislation.gov.uk: Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2015
• GOV.UK: Care and support statutory guidance
• NHS: Personal budgets
• NHS: Getting a needs assessment
• Age UK: Personal budgets and direct payments in social care

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 9 November 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.