Department of Health

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Personalisation

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Across Government, the shared ambition is to put people first through a radical reform of public services.  It will mean that people are able to live their own lives as they wish; confident that services are of high quality, are safe and promote their own individual needs for independence, well-being, and dignity.

This holistic approach is set out in 'Putting people first: a shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care', the ministerial concordat launched on 10 December 2007.

Personalisation of social care services

Personalisation, including a strategic shift towards early intervention and prevention, will be the cornerstone of public services. This means that every person who receives support, whether provided by statutory services or funded by themselves, will have choice and control over the shape of that support in all care settings.

The work on direct payments and individual budgets, alongside that of In Control, are crucial to delivering greater personalisation, choice and improved quality. They are not separate initiatives or fleeting experiments, but fundamental components of a future social care system.

Revised guidance on eligibility criteria for social care

Published: 14 July 2009

The Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) framework was first introduced in 2003 to address inconsistencies across the country about who gets support and to provide a more transparent system. Councils were asked to operate one set of eligibility criteria  for all adults seeking social services. 

In January 2008,  the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) was asked to undertake an independent review of the application of these eligibility criteria, engaging with stakeholders in the process. CSCI’s subsequent report Cutting the Cake Fairly was published in October 2008.

In light of the recommendations made by CSCI to support fair and transparent application of eligibility criteria, revised guidance has been published for consultation. The new guidance aims to reset the application of eligibility criteria within the new policy context initiated by Putting People First, with renewed emphasis on the benefits of personalisation and prevention.

Putting People First personalisation toolkit

Published: 2 June 2008

The Putting People First personalisation loolkit is now available to support councils and their partners in their work to achieve the changes set out in Putting People First. Bringing together the learning so far from the Individual Budgets Pilot and the work of in Control, the toolkit is available online on the CSIP website.

Councils at various stages of implementing self-directed support can log on to find:

  • a planning for transformation framework to help councils map out their transformation programme
  • tools and guides on critical issues like resource allocation, brokerage and support planning
  • examples from individual budget pilot sites of plans, policies and protocols developed to introduce a new system.

During the summer, a team from the Care Services Improvement Partnership will share the materials in regional workshops with those leading transformation in councils.

Common Assessment Framework for Adults

The Department is developing proposals to improve information sharing around multi-disciplinary assessment and care planning.

There is an expectation that the development of the Common Assessment Framework for Adults (CAF) will take account of and respond to the formalised, sector-wide agreement on a shared vision. The vision covers the components of transformation and implementation of personalisation and self-directed support.

LAC(DH)(2008)1: Transforming adult social care

Published: 17 January 2008

This Local Authority Circular sets out information to support the transformation of social care as signalled in the Department of Health's social care Green Paper, 'Independence, well-being and choice' (2005) and reinforced in the White Paper, 'Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services' in 2006.  It describes the vision for development of a personalised approach to the delivery of adult social care and context in which this policy is grounded.  It also includes copy of the Social Care Reform Grant Determination and the details of the new ring-fenced grant to help councils to redesign and reshape their systems over the next 3 years.

LAC(DH)(2009)1: Transforming adult social care

Published: 5 March 2009

This Local Authority Circular sets out information to support councils and their partners in the ongoing transformation of adult social care as set out in Putting People First (2007), and preceding policy documents.  It builds on Local Authority Circular (DH)(2008)1 and sets out, and reinforces the details of how the ring-fenced Social Care Reform Grant should continue to be used to help councils to redesign and reshape their systems over the remaining 2 years of the Grant.  It also updates the information and support available to councils to drive the transformation of adult social care.

Putting People First

The framework for cross sector reform is set out in Putting People First: A shared vision and commitment to the transformation of Adult Social Care, the Ministerial Concordat launched on 10 December 2007.

The document establishes the collaboration between central and local Government, the sector’s professional leadership, providers and the regulator.  It sets out the shared aims and values, which will guide the transformation of adult social care and recognises that the sector will work across agendas with users and carers to transform people’s experience of local support and services.

To support local authorities in taking the necessary steps to secure transformation, a new ring-fenced grant of £520 million has been allocated for the next 3 years. In addition, the Transforming Adult Social Care Programme Board is committed to providing overall direction and leadership, both at regional and local level, working in partnership with key stakeholders including the NHS to drive progress and promote successful implementation of the programme.

Individual budgets

Individual budgets are designed to give individuals a full understanding of the finance that is available, in order to empower them to take control and make decisions about the care that they receive.

An independent report evaluating the Individual Budgets pilot programme was published on 21 October 2008. 

The report was written by a combined team from The University of York Social Policy Research Unit and the Personal Social Services Research Units of Manchester University, LSE and University of Kent; and Kings College London. They were collectively called The Individual Budgets Evaluation Network (IBSEN). 

The report is an evaluation of the pilot scheme conducted over two years, 2006-2007. It involved a survey of 959 people including disabled groups, older people and young people in transition to adulthood. An additional report examining the impact of individual  budgets on carers was published on 26 February 2009

Direct payments

Direct payments are cash payments made to individuals who have been assessed as needing services, in lieu of social service provisions.

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