INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. HUMAN UNDERSTANDING.
When you are unsure what care is needed, an independent social worker can help you make a clear next decision. We assess the person’s day-to-day needs, strengths, wishes and risks, then explain the support that would help. Choose an assessment on its own, or an assessment with a written care plan setting out practical recommendations and cost assumptions.
When you are unsure what care is needed, an independent social worker can help you make a clear next decision. We assess the person’s day-to-day needs, strengths, wishes and risks, then explain the support that would help. Choose an assessment on its own, or an assessment with a written care plan setting out practical recommendations and cost assumptions.
For adults, families, attorneys and deputies across England and Wales. Assessment £1,080 including VAT; assessment with care plan £1,320 including VAT.
Adults who need a clearer picture of their care and support needs
A written independent care needs assessment
Practical recommendations with indicative costs
£1,080 including VAT, or £1,320 including VAT with a care plan
England and Wales
You can enquire directly as an adult or family member, or instruct us as a professional. We confirm the right service and scope before booking.
You can contact us directly. We explain the options and fees before instruction and keep the person’s everyday life and wishes at the centre of the work.
The instruction, evidence, analysis and limitations are set out clearly. You can identify the questions that need answering and the intended use of the report.
Nellie Supports provides independent social work services across England and Wales through a permanent employed team. Our work brings together the person’s views, relevant evidence and clear professional analysis. Written social work reports are peer reviewed before delivery. Learn about our private social work practice and professional standards.
It is a structured assessment by an independent social worker of the support an adult needs in everyday life. We consider what the person can do, where they need help, what matters to them and how their current arrangements are working. The result is a written professional view to support informed care decisions.
A care plan takes that assessment a step further. It sets out the recommended support, the tasks it should cover, how and when it could be provided, and the assumptions behind indicative costs.
You can use the findings to discuss options with your family, a care provider, an attorney or deputy, or a public body. We explain any evidence gaps and further specialist input needed rather than treating a diagnosis as a complete picture of someone’s life.
Care decisions often arrive before families feel ready to make them. Someone may be struggling at home, returning from hospital, living with dementia or disability, or relying on a relative who can no longer do everything. An independent assessment helps establish what support is needed before you choose providers or commit to a care arrangement.
You can also ask for a second opinion where an existing assessment feels incomplete or circumstances have changed. We work with the adult at the centre of the decision and consider relevant information from people who know them. Self-funders can instruct us directly, and professionals can agree the questions and scope before the assessment.
Daily routines, personal care, meals or getting out are becoming harder and you need to understand the support required.
You need a clearer picture of likely support after discharge and how proposed arrangements could work in everyday life.
The person’s needs are changing and a familiar arrangement may no longer provide the right support.
A relative is providing more help than they can sustain, or their health, work or other responsibilities have changed.
You want a focused professional assessment of gaps, differing views or assumptions in an existing care arrangement.
You need clear evidence of care needs and practical options to inform decisions within your legal authority.
We agree the scope around the adult’s circumstances. The assessment looks beyond a list of tasks to understand how support affects safety, independence, relationships and quality of life.
A clear assessment helps define the care you are looking for. If you also want us to approach and compare providers, our care finding and brokerage service is a separate next step.
The right level of support depends on the person’s actual needs, choices and circumstances. A preference to stay at home, a diagnosis or a family disagreement is not enough on its own to decide what care should be arranged.
In England, the Care Act 2014 provides the adult social care framework. A local authority must assess an adult who appears to have care and support needs, regardless of their finances. Our privately instructed report can contribute evidence; statutory decisions remain with the responsible authority.
We agree who is instructing us and the basis for involving the person, obtaining records and sharing the report. A need for care does not itself mean someone lacks capacity. If there is a specific capacity question, we identify it and explain whether a separate assessment is needed.
England: Care Act 2014 and Care and Support Statutory Guidance. Wales: Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and Part 3 Code of Practice. Decision-making: Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Read the supporting guidance
We discuss the situation, location, existing assessments and deadline, then confirm the assessment or care plan scope and fee in writing.
We agree consent and information-sharing arrangements, request useful records and identify communication or access needs.
The assessment explores daily life, strengths, wishes, support and risks. We agree a suitable format and setting, including an in-person visit where needed.
We bring together the evidence and recommendations. Written social work reports are peer reviewed before delivery.
Where commissioned, the care plan sets out practical support and indicative costs. We explain the findings and identify any separate work you may want to consider.
We help the adult contribute to the assessment in a way that suits their communication, energy and circumstances.
We consider fatigue, distress and concentration when arranging the assessment and discussing breaks.
Tell us about language, sensory or communication needs so the appropriate arrangements can be agreed.
With appropriate consent or authority, people who know the adult can describe everyday support and concerns. Their views are identified separately.
We agree where and how the assessment should happen so the social worker can understand the person’s circumstances.
You do not need a perfect bundle before contacting us. We will explain what is useful and how relevant information can be shared appropriately.
Council, NHS, private or provider assessments and care plans, where available.
Daily notes, visit schedules, night-time support and examples of what happens when help is unavailable.
Information about conditions, treatment and functional difficulties that affect care, with clinical questions referred to the right professional.
Their preferences, priorities, usual routine and experience of the current support.
Specific examples from people who know the adult, including differing views and the context for them.
Relevant consent, attorney or deputy documentation where someone is helping to instruct the work.
The assessment explains the evidence, needs and professional recommendations. If you choose the care plan option, we also translate those findings into a practical support plan with indicative costs and stated assumptions.
Assessment only is £1,080 including VAT. Assessment with a written care plan is £1,320 including VAT. The care plan option is a total fee, not £1,320 including VAT added to the assessment fee. Travel, where applicable, is confirmed separately.
All travel is charged separately at £48 per hour including VAT (£40 excluding VAT). The travel cost and any additional work are confirmed in your written quotation before booking.
£1,080 including VAT
£1,320 including VAT
When you need to establish the care required
When the care brief is clear and you need a provider
When care is in place and you want to check how it is working
£1,080 including VAT
Displayed fees include VAT. Any travel and additional work are confirmed in writing before instruction.
The situation
A family notices that an adult living at home is missing meals and relying increasingly on a relative. They are unsure whether more home support or a different living arrangement would help.
How the service could help
An assessment explores the adult’s wishes, daily routine, overnight concerns, existing support and the relative’s ability to continue helping. A care plan can then set out recommended tasks, timing, contingencies and indicative costs.
The useful next step
The family has a clearer brief for conversations with providers and the council. If they want help finding a provider, care finding and brokerage can be instructed separately.
Illustrative example only. This is not a client testimonial or a promise of a particular outcome.
We work with attorneys, deputies, solicitors and other professionals who need independent evidence for an adult’s care arrangements.
Explain the care decisions to be informed and whether you need an assessment alone or the additional care plan.
Provide current assessments, care plans and a concise chronology, identifying gaps or conflicting accounts.
Explain the instruction, consent or decision-making arrangements and who can help coordinate the assessment.
If the work is for legal proceedings or requires expert costings, tell us at the outset so it can be scoped under the appropriate court report service.
Our permanent employed team combines independent social work analysis with practical recommendations that you can understand and use.
You can contact us directly. We explain the options and fees before instruction and keep the person’s everyday life and wishes at the centre of the work.
The instruction, evidence, analysis and limitations are set out clearly. You can identify the questions that need answering and the intended use of the report.
Your instruction sits within an established private social work practice with shared professional standards.
Recommendations are based on the evidence and the person’s circumstances, including where the evidence challenges an initial assumption.
A second professional reviews written social work reports before they are delivered.
We connect the assessment findings to the support being considered and the questions still to resolve.
The assessment option, care plan option, travel and any additional work are agreed before instruction.
Where a separate capacity, CHC or court report question arises, we explain the relevant service and scope.
The assessment is £1,080 including VAT. Assessment with a written care plan is £1,320 including VAT. Any travel or additional work is set out in your written quote.
The assessment identifies needs and provides a reasoned professional opinion. The care plan turns the findings into practical recommendations for support, including tasks, frequency and indicative cost assumptions.
Yes. A council needs assessment is free. Our service is a private option for people who want to instruct an independent social worker directly or obtain a further professional opinion. You can still approach your council.
No. The service is for adults with care and support needs, including younger adults living with disability, illness or injury, as well as older people. We confirm that the scope fits your situation before booking.
No particular funding outcome is guaranteed. The report can provide relevant evidence, but the responsible public body makes its decision under the applicable framework. Specialist CHC support is a separate instruction.
We can assess the person’s needs and examine relevant gaps or differing views within the agreed instruction. If you need formal complaint representation, legal advice or litigation evidence, tell us so that the right scope can be identified.
We agree a suitable assessment format and location, including an in-person visit where needed. Tell us where the person lives and about access, communication or other practical requirements.
No. It sets out recommended support and indicative costs. If you want help sourcing and comparing providers, care finding and brokerage can be agreed separately.
We consider how to support the person’s involvement and clarify consent or authority. A diagnosis does not by itself settle a capacity question. A formal assessment of a specific care or residence decision is a separate service when required.
Tell us about the situation and any deadline when you enquire. We confirm availability, the assessment arrangements and report timetable before booking, then identify the records that are useful.
What to consider when choosing a professional for your situation.
Understand the funding questions to explore alongside care planning.
How a care plan can contribute to a wider picture of care needs.
Questions to consider when a discharge plan raises care and funding issues.
Understand why these are separate decision-making questions.
Choose the service that matches your next decision. We will confirm the right scope before you instruct us.
Turn an agreed care brief into a focused provider search.
Check whether an existing care arrangement is meeting current needs.
A separate assessment where the person’s ability to make a specific care decision is in question.
This is a privately instructed social work service. It does not replace a council’s statutory assessment or determine NHS funding. Provider searches, formal capacity assessments and court expert reports are separate instructions. Ongoing case management is not currently offered.
Tell us where the person lives, what is becoming difficult and whether there is a deadline. We will explain whether an assessment alone or an assessment with a care plan fits, and confirm the scope, fee and available appointment arrangements.
Timing, travel and the work included are confirmed before you book.
A GOOD PLACE TO START
Tell us what is happening and what you need help with. We will listen, explain the options and help you find the right starting point.