STEP 3 Engaging the Social Worker
Engaging with the Social Worker
It is important the social worker knows
1. That you are aware of your rights and
2. That you already have your own view of your needs for wellbeing in the form of your wellbeing self-assessment.
Click here for a letter to give the social worker along with your self assessment. This letter tells them that you know your rights and to please respect them.
Many social workers will welcome working with you in the way the letter asks. It fits with their values and skills. They will enjoy seeing if they can help you to make your self-assessment even better, so it clearly sets out how to make your life the best it can be through making the best use of both yours and the council’s resources.
However, this is very likely to clash with what the council expects of them. They have to follow rules that determine the ‘eligibility’ of your needs.
Click here for an explanation of how eligibility works. It is important you take the time to do so.
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Making Eligibility work for you
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Expect the social worker to agree that all of your needs in your self-assessment will pass the test of having a significant impact on your wellbeing. This is your judgement after all.
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Push the social worker to agree that each of your needs also satisfy one (or more) of the ‘eligibility outcomes’.
If you are successful in doing so, all your needs will be met.
If you cannot achieve that, the next most important thing is to tell the social worker you expect them to make a clear record in the assessment of any need you have for your wellbeing under the Act that the social worker does not believe are ‘eligible’.