Social services (or Adult Social Care) at a local council can provide various types of assistance to adults living in the community who have care and support needs and can also take action when an adult with care needs is at risk of abuse or neglect.
Types of assistance that social services can provide include:
Social care services are not classed as a public fund for immigration purposes and can be accessed by person regardless of their immigration status, including a person who is subject to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) condition.
A council can also provide accommodation and financial support to an adult with no recourse to public funds where this is necessary to meet the adult’s care and support needs, although restrictions may apply depending on the adult’s immigration status. See our information about social services’ support for adults with no recourse to public funds.
Home Office guidance on asylum seekers with care needs sets out the process that needs to be followed when an asylum seeker who is being accommodated by the Home Office requires care and support. If a particular type of property is required to meet the asylum seeker’s care needs, this should be sourced by the asylum accommodation provider. The Council will usually only be responsible for providing accommodation to an asylum seeker when residential care is required, such as a care home placement, or whilst a needs assessment is being carried out when the person is not already accommodated by the Home Office.
A person who has made a claim to the UK government for protection (asylum) under the United Nations Refugee Convention 1951 and is waiting for a decision from the Home Office or final decision from the appeal courts (following a refusal).
