The Care Act, Personalisation and the new Eligibility Regulations: Implications for Homeless People

Michelle Cornes, Jill Manthorpe, Martin Whiteford, Mike Clark, Helen Mathie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

322 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

As government funding for housing related support (formerly Supporting People) services continues to shrink, it is timely to revisit the question as to whether ‘homeless people’ are eligible for publically funded care and support, including personal budgets, organised through the local authority. The Care Act 2014 which was implemented in England on April 1st 2015 may serve to provide greater entitlement to this source of funds which has rarely been used in support of ‘homeless people’. However, there are questions as to how far these changes will be embraced and actively implemented on the ground. On the one hand, social workers may be reluctant to extend their reach because there is already a shortage of resources to meet the needs of existing service users. On the other hand, there is uncertainty inside homeless organisations as to the benefits of personal budgets which may lead to a reluctance to refer ‘homeless people’ for assessment under the Care Act 2014. We outline suggestions as to how these mutually reinforcing barriers might be overcome to ensure adult social care becomes more inclusive.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)211-223
JournalResearch, Policy and Planning
Volume31
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Care Act, Personalisation and the new Eligibility Regulations: Implications for Homeless People'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this