Care & support · England
Your social worker
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This guide is for people in England.
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A social worker helps with needs, rights and support.
Ask them to explain their job.
Ask what decisions they can make.
A care worker helps with everyday support.
A social worker has a different role.
Ask each worker what they are responsible for.
Ask your council for a care needs assessment.
This assessment is free.
You may have to pay towards care afterwards.
Tell the worker about your everyday life.
Explain what is difficult and what helps.
Tell them what you want to do.
Ask for the communication support you need.
You can ask someone you trust to join you.
Ask about an independent advocate if needed.
You should get support to make your own decisions.
A learning disability does not remove that right.
Ask for reasons if a choice is refused.
Ask how your information will be used.
Sometimes information must be shared to help keep people safe.
Ask the worker to explain.
Ask for a written plan you can understand.
Check who will do each task.
Ask when it will happen.
Tell the worker or manager if something is wrong.
You can ask how to complain.
Ask for help if you need it.
What you can do next
Contact your council’s adult social care team.
Ask for support that helps you take part.
Read about social work Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Check a social worker’s registration Web page
Use their name or registration number; ask for help if the name does not match.
- Social work professional standards Web page
Expectations about rights, participation, decisions and records.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Working with a social worker
Know what social workers do, prepare for meetings and ask for clear decisions and records.
Adult social care · England · Children’s services have different processes
What a social worker does
Social workers work with people, families and communities to understand difficulties, build on strengths and improve wellbeing. In adult services their work may include assessments, care planning, reviews, safeguarding and supporting difficult decisions. They may work for a council, NHS service or another organisation. Ask the person to explain their specific role, who employs them and what they can decide. Not every assessment is carried out by a social worker.
Social workers and care workers are different
A care worker or support worker usually provides agreed everyday assistance, such as help at home or in the community. A social worker has a professional assessment and support role and must be registered with Social Work England to practise in England. A care coordinator or care manager may have a different professional background. Ask for the exact job title instead of assuming everyone visiting from a service has the same powers or training.
How to ask for help
Contact your council’s adult social care service and describe the help you may need. You can request a needs assessment without already knowing whether you qualify for funded care. The assessment is free; paying for ongoing support is considered separately. If a worker is allocated, ask how to contact them and who covers absence. If you do not have an allocated worker, ask for the duty team and explain any immediate risk or breakdown in support.
Prepare around your own life
Explain a typical day, a difficult day and the activities you want to keep or start. Include communication, relationships, work, learning, personal care, health and safety where relevant. Show what happens when support is missing and what unpaid carers can realistically provide. Take existing plans or a short diary if helpful. You do not need to present your life as a list of failures: your strengths and goals matter too.
Take part in a way that works for you
Ask for a familiar place, suitable timing, breaks, your communication aids and information in an accessible format. Choose who you want involved and whether you want some time alone. Ask about independent advocacy if you find the process difficult. In relevant Care Act processes, the council must arrange an independent advocate where you have substantial difficulty being involved and no appropriate person to support you. A paid worker is not automatically a substitute for that safeguard.
Be clear about decisions and legal authority
Ask which decisions are recommendations, which the worker can make and which need another decision-maker. Request reasons when a preferred option is refused. Having a learning disability does not let someone else take over all your decisions. If capacity is questioned, ask which particular decision is being assessed and what support has been provided. Social workers should explain how your wishes, rights and relevant risks have been considered.
Safety concerns and information sharing
Social workers may need to respond to abuse, neglect or exploitation. They should explain what a safeguarding process involves and seek your views about what you want to happen. Ask what information will be shared, with whom and why. Confidentiality is important, but there are circumstances where sharing information without consent is lawful or necessary. Ask for an explanation rather than being promised that everything said can always stay secret.
Leave meetings with a usable plan
Ask for a copy of the assessment, decisions and agreed actions in a form you can understand. Record who will do each task and when, including how urgent needs will be met while arrangements are made. Check factual errors promptly and ask for your disagreement to be recorded. If your social worker changes or your case closes, ask who takes responsibility and how to return if needs change.
Raise concerns through the right route
Start with the worker or their manager if you feel able. Explain the specific action or omission, its effect and the remedy you want. Use the organisation’s complaints route for service decisions, delays or poor communication. Social Work England deals with concerns about a registered worker’s fitness to practise; it does not replace a council complaint or decide your care budget. Check the public register if you are unsure about registration. Serious safety concerns may need the safeguarding route as well.
Words you could use
“Please explain your role, my choices and how I can take part. I would like the decisions, reasons and agreed actions in an accessible form.”
More useful links
- Check a social worker’s registration Web page
Use their name or registration number; ask for help if the name does not match.
- Social work professional standards Web page
Expectations about rights, participation, decisions and records.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 1 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- Social Work England: what social workers do Web page
The role, protected title and routes to support.
- Social Work England: public register Web page
Registration and the regulator’s role.
- Social Work England: professional standards Web page
Rights, evidence, information sharing and clear records.
- NHS: needs assessments Web page
Who may assess, preparation and the distinction from care charges.
- Care and support statutory guidance Web pageFuller information
Involvement, advocacy and person-centred planning.
- NHS: Mental Capacity Act Web pageFuller information
Support for particular decisions, capacity and best interests.