The Care Act

The Care Act is a law about care and support for adults in England.

Before the Care Act, there were many different laws and pieces of government guidance about how care and support should be delivered. These were confusing and made it difficult for people to find out what they are entitled to. The Care Act brings everything together under one law.

The Care Act places new duties and responsibilities on councils for care and support for adults in their area.

Some key aims of the Care Act are to make sure that:

• everyone can get the information, advice and guidance they need to make good decisions about care and support
• people are supported to keep as well and independent as possible for as long as possible
• people can get the services they need to help prevent or delay their care needs from becoming more serious
• people can achieve the needs and goals that matter to them, and their wellbeing is the driving force behind their care and support
• there is a range of good quality care providers to choose from.
• the same eligibility threshold for receiving funded social care is applied across the whole country
• different agencies co-operate and work together to improve people's wellbeing.

For further information about how the Care Act is applied in Kent, visit the Kent County Council website.