SCIE Guide 33: Fair access to care services (FACS): prioritising eligibility for care and support

Putting disabled and older people at the heart of decision-making is central to government policy for adult social care. The wellbeing of the individual is the primary principle of the Care Bill going through Parliament.

The Bill puts an emphasis on early intervention, prevention and enablement. People should have easy access to information and advice they can use to make their own decisions, manage their own support arrangements and stay as independent as possible. There will be a new national framework for assessment and eligibility.

This updated Guide refreshes SCIE’s 2010 Practice Guide ‘Facts about FACS’, on good practice in applying current policy on assessment and deciding eligibility. It takes account of changes in the policy, resource and practice environments since 2010, including the strong emphasis on more integrated working with the NHS. And it makes links to the new provisions of the Care Bill, due to begin implementation in 2015.

The Guide should be helpful not only to social workers and social care staff taking part in the assessment process, but also to GPs and other NHS staff increasingly engaged in joint assessment and commissioning.