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ROC HandbookCare and support in England, read from the law and dated.

England, adult care and support

ROC Handbook

In England, what an adult can ask a council for is written in one Act of Parliament and in one set of statutory guidance. This handbook reads both, prints the section number next to the sentence it supports, and dates the version it read.

Last checked on 3 September 2026

  1. Step 1What the law is trying to achieve, in section 1 of the Care Act 2014.
  2. Step 3Asking for an assessment of your needs, in section 9.
  3. Step 7The national eligibility criteria, in section 13 and the 2015 regulations.

Six doors into the handbook

Each door opens on the same method: a direct answer first, then the section of law the answer comes from, then the date of the version that was read.

  1. A dark blue front door with a brass numeral four, a smooth concrete ramp rising to the threshold and a worn grey doormat

    Home & housing

    Supported living, a tenancy of your own, a registered care home or Shared Lives: the housing routes open to an adult who needs support in England.

    8 pages

  2. A creased white letter folded in three on a pale pine table, beside a black ballpoint pen and an empty white mug

    Money & rights

    What an adult in England can ask for: an assessment, eligibility, a care and support plan, a personal budget, direct payments and independent advocacy.

    9 pages

  3. A college corridor of half open grey lockers, a white overhead direction sign and worn green linoleum down the middle

    Work, learning & leisure

    College after 16, an EHC plan, supported employment, day activities and accessible days out: how the week is filled once housing and support are settled.

    7 pages

  4. An empty waiting room with blue chairs lined against a cream wall, a wall mounted gel dispenser and a potted plant in the corner

    Health & wellbeing

    The annual health check, the GP learning disability register, reasonable adjustments in hospital and what the yearly NHS figures actually measure.

    3 pages

  5. A wall whiteboard covered with a rota grid of half erased lines, a black marker in its tray and a key ring on the nail beside it

    Working in care

    What support work involves, what the law requires of the organisation you work for, what CQC registration covers and how people enter the sector.

    2 pages

  6. A wall calendar open on a blank page, a red drawing pin pushed into the wall above it and the sharp shadow of a window frame

    Notes

    A dated register of changes to the statutory guidance, to the yearly NHS learning disability figures and to the CQC data files, each with its reading date.

    1 pages

The two pages to keep open

One reference table for the whole journey, one page of plain words for the term everything else depends on.

  1. A paper leaflet opened out concertina fashion on a dark table, its folds worn and the grain of the paper raised in low light

    The Care Act route map

    Fourteen steps from first contact to appeal, each with the Care Act section, the statutory guidance chapter, the time limit and what to do when it stalls.

    Reference

  2. A cloth bound dictionary open on a dense double page, a black handled magnifier lying across the right hand column

    What a learning disability is

    In England the two terms do not mean the same thing, and the American wording is different again. What each one covers, and why the difference matters.

    Reference

Six pages to begin with

The questions that come up first when a home, a plan or a budget is being decided.

  1. A brushed aluminium wall of numbered letter boxes in a beige tiled hallway, one white envelope standing out of its flap

    Supported living

    A tenancy in your own name, support bought separately, and two bills that never mix. What supported living is, who arranges it and who pays for each part.

    Home & housing

  2. A bound volume of statutes lying open flat on a wooden lectern, its top edge dusty and a red fabric bookmark hanging

    Your rights under the law

    Well-being, the right to an assessment whatever your means, the national eligibility criteria and the duty to arrange an advocate, each with its section.

    Money & rights

  3. A grey desktop calculator with large keys resting on a printed statement of columns, a curl of till roll beside it

    The personal budget

    How a personal budget is worked out, what the financial assessment looks at, what the money may be spent on and why rent is never part of it.

    Money & rights

  4. A terrace of red brick houses with front doors painted different colours and wheelie bins lined along the pavement

    Kinds of home and area

    Renting, shared ownership, Shared Lives or a registered home: four housing routes in England, and what the area itself decides about support and transport.

    Home & housing

  5. A staff changing room of numbered light grey metal doors, a wooden bench in front and a high visibility vest on a hook

    Work and jobs

    Supported employment, job coaching, Access to Work and the adjustments an employer owes. What earning actually does to benefits, and where to check it.

    Work, learning & leisure

  6. A ring binder of procedures open on blank headed pages, shelved among other binders on a grey metal shelving unit

    What a provider must do

    The duties that follow a support organisation: meeting assessed needs, registration with the CQC, what the four ratings mean and what happens on a concern.

    Working in care

What changed, and when

Dated notes on the sources this handbook reads. Newest first.

  1. The revised text of the Act now carries the date 2 September 2026

    The version of the Care Act 2014 published on legislation.gov.uk is marked Latest available (Revised) as at 2 September 2026. Its contents page also states that amendments made by the Health and Care Act 2022 have not been applied. Both facts are printed in the source line of every page here that quotes a section.

    Care Act 2014, contents page, version Latest available (Revised) as at 2 September 2026. legislation.gov.uk, read on 3 September 2026.

  2. The monthly care directories carry an August version, the weekly file a September one

    The Care Quality Commission publishes its Care Directory weekly and its directories with filters and with ratings monthly. The versions listed when the page was read were 4 August 2026 for the two monthly files and 2 September 2026 for the weekly file. Nothing is counted from them here yet.

    Care Quality Commission, Using CQC data. cqc.org.uk, read on 3 September 2026.

  3. Annual health check coverage reached 81.5 per cent in 2024-25

    The yearly statistics on the health and care of people with a learning disability were published on 4 December 2025. They record that 81.5 per cent of patients with a learning disability had an annual health check in 2024-25, against 79.6 per cent in 2023-24, and that 0.55 per cent of registered patients were recorded by their GP as having a learning disability, against 0.54 per cent the year before.

    Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, 2024-25, NHS England, published 4 December 2025. GOV.UK, read on 3 September 2026.

  4. A third of people on the learning disability register also had an autism diagnosis

    The same publication records that 35.3 per cent of patients with a learning disability also had a diagnosis of autism in 2024-25, against 33.3 per cent in 2023-24 and 21.4 per cent in 2017-18. The series is comparable back to 2017-18, which is what makes the movement readable rather than anecdotal.

    Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, 2024-25, NHS England, published 4 December 2025. GOV.UK, read on 3 September 2026.

  5. The yearly report on the care workforce was published on 15 October 2025

    The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England was published on 15 October 2025, on 2024/25 data. Its figures live in the report and in a visualisation tool rather than on the landing page, so no number from it is quoted on this site until the report itself has been opened.

    Skills for Care, The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, published 15 October 2025. skillsforcare.org.uk, read on 3 September 2026.

  6. The annual health check page was reviewed on 24 September 2025

    The NHS page on annual health checks for people with a learning disability was reviewed on 24 September 2025, with the next review due on 24 September 2028. The check is open from the age of 14 to anyone on their GP practice register.

    NHS, Annual health checks, learning disabilities, page reviewed 24 September 2025. nhs.uk, read on 3 September 2026.

  7. The Care and support statutory guidance was last updated on 22 July 2025

    The guidance councils in England work from was first published on 29 July 2016 and last updated on 22 July 2025. Advice given before that date may describe a version that has since changed, which is why the update date is printed next to every mention of it here.

    Care and support statutory guidance, Department of Health and Social Care. GOV.UK, read on 3 September 2026.

  8. The Personal Independence Payment page was updated on 6 November 2024

    Benefit amounts change and this handbook does not reprint them. The page for Personal Independence Payment was last updated on 6 November 2024, and the rates it carries are the ones to read.

    GOV.UK, Personal Independence Payment, page updated 6 November 2024, read on 3 September 2026.

  9. The adult social care activity and finance report for 2023-24 was published on 31 October 2024

    The report that records requests for support and what councils spent was published on 31 October 2024 for the year 2023-24. Its tables are the source to open before any sentence on this site describes what councils do at scale.

    Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report, England 2023-24, published 31 October 2024. GOV.UK, read on 3 September 2026.

  10. The Attendance Allowance page was updated on 21 October 2024

    Attendance Allowance is the benefit most often confused with care and support arranged by a council. The two are decided by different bodies under different rules. The page carrying the current conditions was updated on 21 October 2024.

    GOV.UK, Attendance Allowance, page updated 21 October 2024, read on 3 September 2026.

  11. The Universal Credit page was updated on 17 October 2024

    Universal Credit is a payment from the Department for Work and Pensions and it is not a personal budget. The page setting out how it works was last updated on 17 October 2024.

    GOV.UK, Universal Credit, page updated 17 October 2024, read on 3 September 2026.

  12. The Code of Practice was last updated on 14 October 2020

    The Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice was first published on 22 July 2013 and last updated on 14 October 2020. It is the document to read alongside the Act whenever a decision is being taken for an adult rather than by them.

    Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice, Ministry of Justice. GOV.UK, read on 3 September 2026.

Every page names its source, its section or chapter, and the date of the version consulted. The method, and the reasons some cells here deliberately stop short, are set out in how this handbook works. Corrections go to the desk.