Eligibility criteria for adult social care services

Can I get help from adult services?

When you, or your carer, contact the Adult Social Care Direct Team, we will talk to you about what you find difficult and how you think we may be able to help. We will work out with you what your needs are. We will look at whether you are able to live safely and independently at home. This is called a needs assessment.

We have to make sure everyone has fair access to our services. To do this we look at whether your needs are critical, substantial, moderate or low. These ‘levels of need’ have been decided by the government for all social services directorates.

In Newcastle we are able to help if you have critical or substantial needs:

Critical needs:

Life is, or will be threatened; or
significant health problems have developed or will develop; or
there is, or will be, little or no choice over vital aspects of the immediate environment; or
serious abuse or neglect has occurred or will occur; or
there is, or will be, an inability to carry out vital personal care or domestic routines; or
vital involvement in work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; or
vital social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; or
vital family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

Substantial needs:

there is, or will be, only partial choice and control over the immediate environment; or
abuse or neglect has occurred or will occur; or
there is, or will be, an inability to carry out the majority of personal care or domestic routines; or
involvement in many aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; or
the majority of social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; or
the majority of family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

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If you have medium needs:

We are not usually able to help people whose needs are moderate but we will give you advice and information about organisations who may be able to help. If your needs are moderate but are likely to become critical or substantial we may be able to provide some services such as equipment.

Moderate needs:

there is, or will be, an inability to carry out several personal care or domestic routines; or
involvement in several aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; or
several social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; or
several family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

If you have low needs:

We are not able to help people whose needs are low but we will give you advice and information about other organisations who may be able to help.

Low needs:

there is, or will be, an inability to carry out one or two personal care or domestic routines; or
involvement in one or two aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; or
one or two social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; or one or two family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

You can download a copy of the Eligibility Criteria (pdf 25.9kb)