Support from adult social care

Support from adult social care

If you have health and care needs that will continue once you are 18, you can have an adult social care needs assessment. This can help you decide what kind of housing and support is right for you.

You don’t need to currently get help from children’s social care to ask for an adult social care needs assessment.

Get an assessment

Once you are 14 years old, the Preparing for Adulthood Team can help you get an assessment.

Find out more about assessing needs for adult care.

After an assessment

We will work with you to agree the support you need. We will also explain the housing options available to you.

There are different types of housing depending on the help you need. 

Find out more about housing options for people with care and support needs.

Making your own decisions about where to live

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 is a law that protects people aged 16 and over when it comes to making decisions. 

It says:

• Everyone has the right to make their own decisions as much as they can, no matter what disability they have.
• People should get the help they need to understand and make decisions. This might mean explaining things in a different way.
• If a decision is too complicated for a person make, even with support, someone else can decide for them, but it must be in the person’s best interests.

If someone can’t make their own decisions

You can apply to be someone’s deputy if they aren’t able to make a decision when it needs to be made. 

This is called ‘lacking mental capacity’.

They might still be able to make some decisions at other times.

As a deputy, you’ll be authorised by the Court of Protection to make decisions on their behalf.

You can speak to your child or young person’s social worker or other professionals for advice about deputyship.

Find out more about deputies on GOV.UK.