Overview of support for adults

Social care, unlike health care, is not free to everyone.

Councils only have a limited amount of money, and cannot provide services for everyone. That's why we use the Government's Fair Access to Care Services criteria to help us make decisions, and you can find more details of this in our FACS pages.

If your needs do match the level set by the council, we will also want to carry out a financial assessment. Depending on your income, savings or assets, such as your home, you may have to pay for some or all of your support.

There are also government guidelines on how much you can have in savings or assets before you will be asked to pay for your care.

You can find out more in our contributions pages.

You may find it useful to get some independent financial advice before deciding how to manage your money. Always make sure the firm you use is on the Financial Services Authority (FSA) register. You can check this by going to http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/register  or calling 0845 606 1234.

You may also want to talk to a solicitor, for example, if you want to set up a power of attorney to let a relative or friend act on your behalf.

Even if your needs are low, or you have to pay for your own support, we are able to give you information and guidance about the kinds of services that would help you. These may be from the private sector, voluntary organisations or charities, and are listed on our MyManchesterServices, our online service directory, by following the link below.