The Care Act came into force in April 2015. The Act places general responsibilities on local authorities for promoting people's wellbeing, focusing on prevention and providing a universal information and advice service. It also included:
- The introduction of a consistent, national eligibility criteria for social care support
- New rights to support for carers, on an equivalent basis to the people they care for,
- Legal right to a personal budget and direct payment,
- The extension of local authority adult social care responsibility to include prisons, and
- New responsibilities around transition, provider failure, supporting people who move between local authority areas and safeguarding.
Our seven minute animated video gives a simple summary of the Care Act and what it means for Surrey.
Detailed guidance
More detail on the Care Act from the Department of Health is available through the following links:
Files available to download
- Care Act and revoked legislation (356.5 KB)
A list of legislation and guidance revoked by the Care Act 2014 - Prison Social Care Policy (389.3 KB)
Surrey County Council’s social care policy for prisoners in the five Surrey prisons - SCC Deferred Payment Agreements Policy 2015 (207.3 KB)
Policy statements and information on the Deferred payments agreement policy