All local communities will have a range of ‘universal services’ which are available for everyone and can include things like GP Services, community centres and education provisions.

Alternatively, Adult Early Help may give you some information about services in the community that can help you.  These could be:

• information, advice and signposting
• health support
• community groups

You can look at the Adult Social Care pages on Cambridgeshire County Council's website.

If you are over 18 and you or your parent/carer feels that you may need some support  as an adult you can contact Adult Early Help.

Adult Early Help will have a conversation with you about what you think you might need support with

You can contact them yourself or someone else can do it on your behalf.   This could be your parent, a carer or someone like a doctor. 

If you need to contact Adult Social Care please complete the online form:

Online contact form

When you contact Adult Early Help they will have a conversation with you. They will ask you about:

• your situation 
• what your strengths are
• what's important to you
• what you want to achieve in life
• what you might need support with
• what other informal support is available  

The outcome of this conversation could be three things:

• Information about and how to use support and things to do that are available   for everyone. Sometimes these are called universal services
• Short term support
• Long term care and support

You can also look on Adult Social Care pages on the Cambridgshire County Council website.

There may be things that we can offer that would help you be independent or do the things that you want to do. It might be something that we can provide or some support for a short time to help you

This can be some technology or gadgets to help you. Find out more on the Technology Enabled Care page.

It could be some short-term support , which helps you learn skills that you need for daily life. The team who do this are called Reablement Services. Find out more on the Reablement page.

It might be some occupational therapy. An Occupational Therapist can provide expert advice on practical things you can do, equipment and adaptations which may help you be as independent as possible. Find out more on the Occupational Therapy page.

Support with employment. Employment is a very important part of life. When people have a job, they feel part of society, they have a purpose, make new friends plus have money in their pockets to buy the things they want! You can find out more on the Learning Work and Volunteering page and also on the Preparing for Adulthood Employment page.

In order to determine whether you are eligible for social care support from the council we have to look at all the information in your assessment and follow the eligibility criteria set out by the Care Act 2014.

The Care Act 2014 says ‘In considering whether an adult with care and support needs has eligible needs, local authorities must consider whether:

• the adult’s needs arise from or are related to a physical or mental impairment or illness
• as a result of the adult’s needs the adult is unable to achieve two or more of the specified outcomes
• as a consequence of being unable to achieve these outcomes there is, or there is likely to be, a significant impact on the adult’s wellbeing

An adult’s needs are only eligible where they meet all three of these conditions.

You will also need to:

• be over 18 years old,
• appear to require care and support, and
• live in Cambridgeshire

If you are eligible for support from Adult Social Care, the council will carry out a Care Act Assessment.

The assessment process

The aim of the assessment is to identify what needs you may have and what outcomes you are looking to achieve to maintain or improve your wellbeing. An assessment looks in detail at your situation and what is important to you. It helps us understand your strengths and abilities and what care and support you might need to stay independent, safe and well. Together, if one is needed, we can work out a care and support plan.

The assessor will either complete your assessment with you, or you can be supported to complete it yourself. It is a two way conversation. With your permission, we might ask the opinion of other professionals who know and work with you. We will also take account of the needs of your family or carer and assess them separately if they ask us to.

The assessment will focus on:

• exploring your current circumstances
• your strengths and abilities
• what's working well
• what's not working so well
• what you would like to change or achieve
• if you need any help what help you need

Any information you give us will be treated as confidential. It will not be shared with anyone else without your permission - other than in exceptional circumstances where the law says we must show it to someone else.

The assessment considers a number of areas of your life, which include your current situation and what has lead you to your assessment:

• your health
• your safety
• your physical abilities
• your mental health
• how you look after yourself on a daily basis
• your involvement in your community
• who supports you, if anyone
• what your needs are

It will bring together a summary of your needs and the outcomes you want to achieve. The assessor will look at whether there are any risks to you and your wellbeing and agree with you how they can be best managed. They will also look at how to help you prevent and delay the need for care and support. They will give you their professional opinion and following the assessment, your assessor will determine whether you are eligible for support from the council.

You will also need to have a financial assessment to find out how much you will have to pay for your care and support.

You can find out more on Cambridgeshire County Council's website.

Our aim is always to encourage the use of inclusive activities and services that are available to all. We will provide information and advice about these and support young people to use them as independently as possible. 

Depending on the needs and wishes of young people the sort of things that could be part of a plan are:  

• Support to get out and about and do things in their community 

• Support to get a job

• Support to develop independence and life skills  

• Making decisions for yourself and support when this might be difficult 

• Support to meet personal and other care needs  

• Planning for moving out of family home (if that’s what’s wanted) and support that might be needed 

• The opportunity for young people and their carers to have some time apart 

• Support to families and carers 

• Support to think about and prepare for the future 

If you are assessed as being eligible for care and support services when you are over 18 you may need to pay towards some of the cost.  We will work out how much it will cost to meet your needs and carry out a financial assessment of your income, savings and things that you need to pay for.  We will let you know how much you need to pay each week towards the cost of your care or support.  When you are over 18 the financial assessment is on your own income, savings an things you need to pay for.  It is not based on your parent or carers income and savings even if you are still living with them. 

You can find out more about this on our Paying for care - Cambridgeshire County Council page.  If you have an allocated social care worker they will talk to you about this.

Some children and young people under 18 have support from children’s social care. This could be the 0-25 Disability Social Care Service or another children’s social care team.

If you have received support from social care as a child, the team will plan for adulthood with you and your parent/carer. They will make sure that the Adult Care Act assessment is completed in advance of your 18th birthday and, if you are eligible for support, plan it with you.

You can find out more on the Preparing for Adulthood Social Care protocol.

There are several teams who carry out assessments and provide support for adults who are eligible for it.  The Cambridgeshire County Council website has information about the Autism and Adult Support Service, Sensory Services, The Learning Disability Partnership and the Physical Disability Team.

If you are at risk of significant harm when you are an adult, a safeguarding referral might be made.  You can find out more on the Safeguarding page.