The way that people get support from social care is changing.

The changes will give people that receive support from social care more choice and control over the services they receive and who provides them.

The changes will put people who receive support from social care at the centre of the support planning process. This will allow them to develop flexible services to meet their own specific needs, rather than relying on traditional, less flexible services.

The idea behind the change is that people who use social care services and their families are in the best position to know what kind of support will allow them to live independent lives. This could include services that:

• Are provided by the council;
• Private companies; or
• Family and friends

The changes will come primarily through the introduction of personal budgets and person centred planning which means that people who receive social care services will have the choice of being in control of their own budget for their care needs.

They will receive as much support as they require from us to develop and manage their personal budgets. It is possible for people to still have their budget managed by us if they would prefer.

What does this mean to me?
If you get support from social care the changes will give you more choice and control over your social care support, so you can live your life the way you want.

They will help you to have real choice in the services you need; where they are provided, who provides them and the dates and times you receive them.

The changes mean that if you receive support from adult social care, you will be supported to:

• Live independently.
• Stay healthy and recover quickly from illness.
• Have maximum control over your own life and, where appropriate, the lives of your family members.
• Have the best quality of life possible; and 
• Retain maximum dignity and respect.

You can find out more about the changes to social care services by looking at the different tabs at the top of this page.

As well as the information on these pages you can also download our booklets on Personal Budgets from our booklets and brochures page.