DH publish workforce guidelines on how Care Act should be applied

The Department of Health has published draft regulations and statutory guidance on how the Care Act should be implemented by local authorities and their staff.

The Care Act will make a difference to some of the most vulnerable people in society and the guidance and regulations associated with it set out how it will work in practice.

The guidance will be used by local authority officers to plan care and support at a local authority level, as well as by practitioners. The guidance can also be used by people using care and support, their families, the voluntary sector and providers of care and support to help them understand the new system.

Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said: “Care and support is something that nearly everyone in this country will experience at some point in their lives. Our Care Act will make the system fairer by putting people in control of their care and limiting the amount anyone may have to pay for the support they need.

“These regulations and guidance will help support councils in making these reforms a reality. We ask people to continue to share their views and experiences as part of this consultation to make sure we deliver real, lasting change for people across the country.”

The draft regulations and guidance have been developed by working with expert groups, including users of care and support, local authority staff, voluntary sector organisations, social workers, and national representative bodies including those drawn from local government.

The consultation is open until Friday 15 August and centres on the changes that will come into effect from April 2015.

A further consultation on the reforms that come into effect from April 2016 – which include the cap on care costs – will take place this autumn.

Find out more and have your say here: http://careandsupportregs.dh.gov.uk/