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Social Workers and other professionals normally take the lead in doing an assessment, it should always be done with you and in a way which helps you have a say. Anything you tell us will be held in confidence within Social Services. If we need to tell someone else what we have found out we will ask you if you agree. (Only in the case of a serious threat to your child will we share what we have found out without your agreement or against your wishes. We will tell you what your rights are if we do this).
How the assessment works
You and the worker sit down together to discuss and agree several things:
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What is happening at the moment
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What has changed recently to make you feel you need help
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What you want for yourself in the long term
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If and how we can help you improve the present situation
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Who else needs to be involved in these discussions
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What options are there for services which will help meet your needs
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What are the costs of services
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What should happen immediately and what might take a longer time to sort out.
Some assessments will need more than one visit and some will need to involve other professional workers if that is acceptable to you.
Can I bring someone with me to the assessment?
If you want some one with you for your assessment, that is fine and you should let the Assessment Worker know so you can agree who will contact them to make arrangements. The Assessment Worker will normally be a Social Worker, Community Care Worker or Occupational Therapist.
Who else might attend an assessment?
Sometimes the Assessment Worker will suggest someone else attend the meeting for a particular reason. This may be a relative or friend who is offering you help already or another professional worker who would also be able to help. However, if you want to be seen alone, please let your assessment worker know when the appointment is made. If we need help to make sure we are clear about what you want, we will find someone who can help, for example, an interpreter or signer.
Can I see my assessment record?
At the end of the assessment, the assessment worker will record on an assessment form what you have both said and agreed (although the form may be completed later in the office). You can have a copy of the full form if you wish, just ask the assessment worker to send one to you when it is completed. Normally, however, you will be sent a copy of the assessment summary/action page, which will be enclosed with your Care Plan when this is sent to you.
What is a Care Plan?
After an assessment of your needs we will draw up an individual care plan with you if needed. The care plan will detail:
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The services that you will get and which organisation or individual will provide them;
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How often you will get them, and for how long;
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Which members of staff will be responsible for making sure you get these services which is called a Care Programme;
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When the services will be reviewed, to make sure your needs are being met or if the services need to be changed.
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What should happen for you as a result of the Care Plan working successfully
The assessment worker will often record all the different parts of the help you receive on what is called a ‘Care Plan Timetable or Matrix’. This timetable covers 7 days and shows exactly what each person or a service is to do, when it will happen and for how long.
The care plan should also cover any particular risks, which have been identified during the assessment and what to do if things go wrong.
You will be asked to agree the Care Plan, which you can sign if you wish. This is to show that you agree with its contents and are happy that this is the best plan for you. If you are not happy and want to discuss things further please let you Assessment Worker know.
When can I give feedback about the assessment?
We want the assessment to help you. After the initial assessment we will ask you to fill in a short questionnaire to tell us what you thought about the process. In Older People’s services this will happen 4-6 weeks after the initial assessment. In Adult Services this may be at the three month point after arranging the service.
Cheshire Social Services expect their staff to treat you with courtesy and respect, and to treat your information confidentially unless you have agreed it can be shared. If you feel we have not met these standards you can ask for a Complaints/Appeals Leaflet to be provided.
We also hope our Workers will be treated with the same courtesy and respect during their contact with you.
We are proud of the service offered by our staff, but we are always looking to improve our performance. Please let us know any ideas you have for how we may do this via the comments form. |