Adult social care fees and charges
Care & Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014
The Care Act introduced a single legal framework for charging for care and support. This includes discretion whether to charge or not. See section 14-17.
Where a local authority arranges care and support to meet a service user's needs, it may charge the adult. The exception is where the local authority is required to arrange care and support free of charge.
The principle is that service users should only be required to pay what they can afford. Regulations determine the maximum amount a local authority can charge.
Only in care homes, where the financial assessment identifies that a service user's resources exceed the capital limits, is the local authority precluded from paying towards the costs of care.
The upper financial limit is current set at £23,250. Below this level a person can seek means-tested support from the local authority.
If a person's resources are below £14,250 they do not need to contribute to the cost of their care from their capital.
The council applies a 'tariff' or graduated scale. This is to reflect income received on capital and assets held between the upper and lower limits.
These limits are set by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The council's Fairer Contributions Policy sets out the policy.
This policy requires all eligible service users to have a financial assessment. This is to determine their ability to pay.