Frequently used terms

Navigating Adult Social Care and making care decisions can be confusing. 

To help you with this, we have provided a video which will explain, in Plain English, some of the terms you might hear or see on your journey.

• advocacy support – getting help or support from another person or organisation (independent of your local council) to ensure you receive the care and support you need
• brokerage services – can help you source and choose appropriate care and support options in your area. This is sometimes called Care Navigation.
• eligible needs – the care and support needs that the law requires your council to meet. You are likely to have ‘eligible needs’ if you need a lot of help to do things like washing yourself, getting dressed and getting in and out of bed. 
• income maximisation – the process of identifying and claiming all the benefits payments you are entitled to. This can give you a much needed financial boost.
• reablement – a way of helping you remain independent by supporting you to relearn or regain some of the daily living skills you may have lost as a result of illness, accident or disability. 
• respite care – gives carers a break, by providing short-term care for the person with care needs in their own home or in a residential setting. This is sometimes known as replacement care.
• social care practitioner – someone with the necessary experience to work with you through your care journey. This might be a Social Worker, Occupational Therapist or other social care professional.
• top-ups – you can stay in a in a care home that costs more than social services will pay if someone else agrees to pay the extra costs. This is called a third-party top-up. 
  • Top-ups can sometimes be paid by the person going into the care home. This is called a first-party top-up.