Social workers given guidance on putting Care Act 2014 reforms into practice

Consultation begins on draft regulations and guidance covering assessment, eligibility, safeguarding and care and support planning

Guidance on how the Care Act 2014 will reshape assessment, support planning, personal budgets and safeguarding has been issued for consultation.

The Department of Health published today draft regulations and statutory guidance on how the legislation should be implemented by local authorities and their staff from April 2015.

The regulations and guidance cover most of the Act’s changes to adult social care law, including changes to assessments and eligibility, the introduction of legal provisions around safeguarding and the new duties on councils to promote wellbeing and commission preventive services.

What the Care Act means for you

Get your legal and practice questions answered in relation to implementing the Care Act 2014 at Community Care’s conference on 17 September in London. Register now for a discounted place.

Changes to care funding – notably the introduction of a ‘cap’ on people’s liability for care and the extension of means-tested residential care support to more people – are not covered, as these will not be introduced until April 2016. Draft guidance and regulations on these provisions will be issued for consultation in November.

Care and support minister Norman Lamb urged professional to respond to the consultation, which runs until 15 August.

“By sharing your views and experience you can help us to ensure that the regulations and guidance deliver these crucial reforms,” he said.

Practitioners can respond by emailing careactconsultation@dh.gsi.gov.uk; the government will issue the final regulations and guidance for the April 2015 changes in October.

 

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