You have a right to an assessment of your support needs if you have an apparent need. This could be because you have recently received an autism diagnosis and been told you might need extra support in your daily life. You’ll need to have this assessment before your local council can recommend a service, such as help from a paid carer or access to day and respite services. 
 

Needs assessments

You have a right to a free needs assessment if you have an autism diagnosis and you think you might need more support. The Autism Act guidance says that it doesn’t matter what your IQ is or whether you have other disabilities or not – you are still entitled to a needs assessment if you are autistic.

Your local authority's website should tell you how to apply for a needs assessment. You could use our letter template to ask for an assessment.

There is no time limit for your local authority to do the needs assessment. If you haven’t had a reply within six weeks, contact them to find out what is happening.

The assessor

The Care Act 2014 says that the assessor must have a good understanding of your condition or they must consult someone who has. That means that someone with a good understanding of autism must be involved in your assessment.

You can have a family member, friend or advocate to be with you during the assessment. If you have substantial difficulty in being involved in the planning process, social services must provide an advocate. 

If you have a carer, social services must involve them in the assessment, as long as you are happy with this.

The location

A social worker or a community care officer will usually visit you at home to do the assessment. Sometimes, they might want to do it over the phone or online. They might ask you to complete some forms yourself (a self-assessment). You don't have to agree to this if you would rather not do a self-assessment.

Your local authority must take into account your preferences and needs when deciding when, where and how to do the assessment. If you do not have mental capacity, then a face to face assessment should be arranged.

The questions

Before the assessment, the local authority must give you a list of the questions they will ask. You might want to write down all the areas that you feel you need support with before the assessment. The questions might include how you manage everyday tasks such as washing, shopping, dressing and cooking, or how well you do certain things.

The assessment should include needs you may have in the future. It should consider whether your wellbeing is likely to get worse in the near future if support is not put in place, and you should give as much detail as you can. This includes all the small things you might struggle with on your own. The assessor should listen to what outcomes you would like to achieve. This is called being person-centred and social services have a duty to work in this way.
 

Eligibility

Not everyone who has a needs assessment will be entitled to get support. Your local authority will help you to get support if your needs meet the national eligibility criteria.
 

Planning and reviewing support

If you are eligible for support, social services should develop a care and support plan with you, usually after a needs assessment has taken place. This is sometimes just called a care plan. The plan will say the type of support you need and how your care and support needs will be met. It will help you to get the care you need and also helps your friends and family understand how they can better support you.

Your local authority must review your support at least once a year to make sure that it still meets your needs. If you decide you’re not happy with a part of your care plan, you can contact your local authority to ask for a review. If your local authority decides that you no longer qualify for local authority support, they should give you information about other help available. More about support options and care plans.
 

If you don’t agree with something

If you don’t think you’ve been offered enough support to meet your needs, or a service has been withdrawn, you can challenge the local authority’s decision.

Find out more

You can read more about needs assessments on the NHS website
You can read more about National eligibility criteria on the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) website.
Citizens Advice has information about how to complain if you are not happy about the local authority's decisions or the care you receive.