Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

(1) Where it appears to a local authority that an adult may have needs for care and support, the authority must assess—
(a) whether the adult does have needs for care and support, and
(b) if the adult does, what those needs are.

(2) An assessment under subsection (1) is referred to in this Part as a “needs assessment”.

(3) The duty to carry out a needs assessment applies regardless of the authority's view of—
(a) the level of the adult's needs for care and support, or
(b) the level of the adult's financial resources.

(4) A needs assessment must include an assessment of—
(a) the impact of the adult's needs for care and support on the matters specified in section 1(2),
(b) the outcomes that the adult wishes to achieve in day-to-day life, and
(c) whether, and if so to what extent, the provision of care and support could contribute to the achievement of those outcomes.

(5) A local authority, in carrying out a needs assessment, must involve—
(a) the adult,
(b) any carer that the adult has, and
(c) any person whom the adult asks the authority to involve or, where the adult lacks capacity to ask the authority to do that, any person who appears to the authority to be interested in the adult's welfare.

(6) When carrying out a needs assessment, a local authority must also consider—
(a) whether, and if so to what extent, matters other than the provision of care and support could contribute to the achievement of the outcomes that the adult wishes to achieve in day-to-day life, and
(b) whether the adult would benefit from the provision of anything under section 2 or 4 or of anything which might be available in the community.

(7) This section is subject to section 11(1) to (4) (refusal by adult of assessment).