Local authority information return
Information requested
We will ask for this information.
Section 1: Key contact information
Voluntary organisation information
Contact name, phone number and email addresses for the chair of the voluntary sector forum.
Contact name, phone number and email addresses for local umbrella bodies.
This is so we can seek feedback from them ahead of our site visit.
Carer organisation information
Organisation and contact name, phone number and email address for all carer organisations the local authority works with.
This is so we can seek feedback from them ahead of our site visit.
Advocacy organisation information
Organisation and contact name, phone number and email address for all organisations commissioned to provide advocacy services.
This is so we can seek feedback from them ahead of our site visit.
Site visit planning template
Complete this to tell us the names of individuals or teams that carry out each function on the template.
Section 2: Local authority information
All themes and quality statements
IR 1
Submit a self assessment.
See information about local authority self-assessment.
IR 2
Feedback obtained from people about their experience of assessment and care provision.
Include themes, trends, and action taken to address any issues.
IR 3
Compliments/complaints received by the local authority in relation to Care Act duties.
Include a summary of issues, trends, outcomes and actions taken.
IR 4
Feedback obtained from staff, that the local authority has requested.
Include themes, trends, and action taken to address these.
1. Working with people
IR 5
Assessment, care planning and review. Processes and pathways (flowcharts) from first contact with local authority
For each of these activities:
- Care assessments (state if measures vary between different groups or needs)
- Care reviews (if different)
- Financial assessments
- Carer assessments, including young carers and parent-carers
provide:
- waiting list size (on date of this submission)
- median and maximum waiting time (for last 12 months)
- your target timescale. Themes, if any, on the reasons why any people wait longer
IR 6
Care Act assessment, support and care funding:
- arrangements for determining eligibility
- number of appeals: themes, trends, and outcomes
Supporting people to lead healthier lives
IR 7
Direct payments:
- arrangements for offering direct payments.
- arrangements for supporting people to use direct payments, and level of oversight. Include support for people to employ their own personal assistants.
- the number of people who have stopped using direct payments to meet their ongoing care needs. Include themes, trends and actions taken.
IR 8
Provide your strategy to prevent, reduce or delay the need for care and support.
Provide details of your existing services, facilities or other measures to prevent, reduce and delay the need for care and support.
IR 9
Arrangements for access to aids and equipment to promote independence.
Include:
- what role or team carries out assessments
- if there is an external equipment provider, provide contact details.
For each of these activities:
- assessment for equipment
- provision of equipment
provide:
- waiting list size (on date of this submission)
- median and maximum waiting time (For last 12 months)
- your target timescale. Themes, if any, on the reasons why any people wait longer
IR 10
Provision of information and advice to enable people to make informed choices about care and support. How is information and advice provided in a way that is:
- available
- accessible
- tailored to the needs of local people?
Equity in experience and outcomes
IR 11
Arrangements to support inclusion and accessibility. For example, access to interpreting services.
IR 12
Provide your strategy and actions for:
- identifying, and
- reducing
any inequalities of experience and outcomes relating to Care Act duties.
IR 13
Provide details of any groups of people in your area identified as being at risk of having unmet needs or poor outcomes because of their protected characteristics.
For example, members of groups who may be seldom heard due to their race (including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers), ethnicity, religion, LGBTQ+ identity
2. Providing support
Care provision, integration and continuity
IR 14
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment: provide a link to your JSNA.
IR 15
Shaping and sustaining the market. Provide your:
- market position statement
- market shaping plans
- market sustainability plan
IR 16
Commissioning strategies (including joint and specialist commissioning). Include arrangements for monitoring and evaluating their impact.
IR 17
Provide details of out-of-area placements, including:
- the total number of people placed out-of-area at the time of this assessment
- a summary of the reasons for these placements, including any key themes (for example, because of specialist needs)
- how many of these placements were made within the last 12 months
IR 18
Arrangements for quality monitoring of commissioned services. Include services commissioned from outside of the local authority area.
IR 19
Social care workforce.
Provide your strategy for maintaining enough capacity and capability in the workforce to meet social care needs in your area. For example, a social care workforce strategy, if available.
IR 20
Market sustainability. For these commissioned service types:
- homecare
- supported living
- residential care home
- nursing home
provide details of:
- Contracts handed back early to local authority by providers and reasons why
- Local authority commissioning embargoes and reasons why
IR 21
Demand for care services and capacity. For the following service types:
- home care
- supported living
- residential care home
- nursing home
provide details of:
- the number of times people have had to wait for their service to begin due to lack of capacity
- the average length of time (in days) people have had to wait
(Last 3 months - covering the preceding 3 months from the date you complete the information return.)
IR 22
Provide any examples of work with key partner agencies to deliver shared local and national objectives.
IR 23
Use of Better Care Fund (BCF): how has BCF been used to deliver shared local priorities?
3. Ensuring safety within the system
Safe systems, pathways and transitions
IR 24
Provide your end-to-end process/pathways when people move between services and agencies.
This should include:
- children into adulthood
- hospital discharge
- moving to another local authority
- transitioning between services
- people who can no longer fund their own care.
IR 25
Contingency and emergency preparedness plan. Provide your plan for provider failure and other disruptions in the provision of care and support.
Include any examples of when this was implemented, and whether it was effective.
IR 26
Safeguarding Adults Board. Provide the annual strategic plan and annual report.
IR 27
Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs). Provide details of all SARs and a record of subsequent learning or actions taken.
Covering the preceding 24 months from the date you complete the information return.)
IR 28
Pathways for managing safeguarding concerns and section 42 enquiries.
Include your quality assurance arrangements.
IR 29
Provide your plans and actions to address any identified safeguarding themes, trends and key safeguarding risks in your area.
For each of these activities:
- safeguarding referrals awaiting initial review
- Section 42 enquiries awaiting allocation
- DoLS applications awaiting allocation
provide:
- the number of referrals
- the median and maximum waiting time for review/allocation
- your target timescale. Themes, if any, on the reasons why people wait longer.
(Last 12 months) *
4. Leadership
Governance, management and sustainability
IR 30
Adult social care strategic plan(s) and delivery plan.
IR 31
Governance arrangements for delivery of Care Act duties.
IR 32
Current Adult social care risk register.
IR 33
Strategy for supporting unpaid carers.
Learning, improvement and innovation
IR 34
Learning and improvement plans from:
- serious incidents
- serious case reviews
- Coroner Regulation 28 Reports
- whistleblowing
- Ofsted
- SEND
- Local Government Social Care Ombudsman.
IR 35
Provide your general co-production policy or approach.
Include an example of work that was co-produced.
IR 36
Workforce development plan. Arrangements for supporting the continuous professional development of local authority staff.
General
IR 37
Organisational chart showing all levels of roles involved in the delivery of the Care Act.
Include:
- from Chief Executive, senior leadership to frontline teams
- social work/ community teams, commissioning, quality monitoring etc.
Provide a description of the teams and their functions.
IR 38
Provide details of any key groups, partnerships or networks in the local area we could gather feedback from in relation to the assessment. For example: carers groups, provider forums, partnership boards, seldom heard groups and voluntary sector organisations.
Include all groups not just those who are commissioned.
Include:
- name of group, partnership or network
- contact details (name, email, telephone number)
- purpose of group, partnership or network
Time period
Last 12 months
This means covering the preceding 12 months from the date you complete the information return.