If your social care worker thinks you need support, they will ask a benefits adviser to assess your finances and work out whether you should pay towards the cost of your care. They will use our charging policy to work this out. This will not delay the start of any support you may receive. You can find our Charging Policy at westsussexconnecttosupport.org (in the Policy-Strategies-Frameworks section of the Professional Zone). Or you can contact our Adults’ CarePoint and ask for a copy. See our contact details on the 'Contact us' page.

We will contact you to arrange an assessment and we will tell you what information you will need. The benefits adviser will tell you about the types of benefits you may be entitled to. We take account of disability-related expenses, household costs and affordability, so that you are not charged more than you can reasonably afford to pay.

You can find more information in our 'Financial assessments: what you need to know. Information for people receiving care and support services in their home or local community' leaflet. Or contact our Adults' CarePoint and ask for a copy. See our contact details on our 'Contact Us' page. 

Your contribution

For most people, the amount you pay will only be a contribution towards the full cost of your care. However, if you have more than £23,250 in capital assets (including property, but not the value of your main or only home), you will have to pay the full cost.

If you have £23,250 or less in capital assets ( including property, but not the value of your main or only home), the amount you will pay is based on your weekly income and any capital assets you may have. This is explained in the next section. The financial assessment also takes account of some property-related household expenses, and certain extra expenses you may have because you are disabled. These are called disability-related expenses. You can find more details and examples about capital assets, income, property-related household expenses and disability-related expenses in the definitions section.

Carers

If you are a carer with support needs and you have £23,250 or less in savings or capital assets (not including the value of your main or only home), you will not have to pay a contribution towards your support. If you have savings and investments above this level, we will give you information and advice to help you get support to meet your needs.