How to Prepare for a Dementia Care Needs Assessment in Scotland Without a Solicitor

You do not need a solicitor to prepare for a dementia care needs assessment in Scotland. The assessment is conducted by a social worker from your local Health and Social Care Partnership, and the process is designed for families to navigate directly. What you do need is organised documentation, a clear understanding of what the assessor checks, and the confidence to describe your parent's daily care needs in the language the assessment framework uses.

The families who get the best outcomes from care assessments are not the ones who spend £300 on a solicitor — they're the ones who arrive with a prepared file showing exactly what care their parent needs and why.

What the Assessment Actually Involves

A care needs assessment under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 evaluates your parent's ability to carry out daily activities and determines what level of support the council should fund. The assessor looks at:

• Personal care needs — washing, dressing, toileting, eating, medication management
• Domestic tasks — cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping
• Safety and risk — falls history, wandering episodes, fire risks, ability to use a phone in an emergency
• Cognitive function — memory, orientation, decision-making capacity, ability to manage finances
• Social and emotional wellbeing — isolation, anxiety, depression, relationship with carers
• Carer sustainability — whether the current informal care arrangement is sustainable or at breaking point

The assessment determines eligibility for funded home care, day care, respite, equipment, adaptations, and — if home care is no longer sufficient — residential placement.

Step-by-Step Preparation (No Solicitor Required)

1. Document Your Parent's Typical Day

Write a 24-hour diary covering a normal day and a bad day. Record every task where your parent needs help or supervision, including overnight disturbances. Assessors work from what you describe — if you forget to mention night-time wandering or medication refusal, it won't be factored in.

Include specific incidents: "Mum left the gas on three times last month" is more powerful than "she sometimes forgets things in the kitchen."

2. Prepare a Medical Summary

Gather your parent's current diagnoses, medications, and recent hospital admissions. If your parent has had a formal cognitive assessment (GPCOG, ACE-III, or a memory clinic evaluation), bring the results. A letter from the GP confirming the dementia diagnosis is helpful but not required — the assessment is needs-based, not diagnosis-based.

3. Compile a Falls and Incident Log

If your parent has fallen, wandered, or had a safety incident in the last six months, document each one with the date, what happened, and the outcome. This evidence directly influences the risk assessment and can be the difference between an assessor recommending basic home care and recommending 24-hour supervision.

4. List Current Care Arrangements

Detail who currently provides care, how many hours per week, and what tasks they cover. If you're providing unpaid care, quantify it — "I visit three times a week for four hours each time, providing personal care, meal preparation, and medication supervision" gives the assessor a concrete picture of what would need to be replaced or supplemented.

5. Understand Self-Directed Support Options

Scotland offers four Self-Directed Support (SDS) options, and the assessor should explain all four:

• Option 1 (Direct Payment) — you receive money to arrange your own care
• Option 2 (Individual Service Fund) — you choose the provider, the council pays them directly
• Option 3 (Council-Arranged) — the council selects and manages the provider
• Option 4 (Mix) — a combination of the above

Knowing these options in advance means you can ask informed questions during the assessment rather than having choices presented cold.

6. Prepare Financial Documentation (for the Means Test)

If the assessment leads to funded services, a separate financial assessment follows. Having these figures ready saves time and prevents delays:

• Bank and savings account balances
• Pension income (state and private)
• Property ownership details
• Any existing benefits (PADP, Carer Support Payment, Pension Credit)
• Capital assets including ISAs and investments

The current capital thresholds for 2026/27 are: upper limit £36,750 (above this, your parent pays full cost) and lower limit £22,750 (below this, the council funds fully, subject to an income contribution).

Common Mistakes That Cost Families

Underplaying care needs. Parents with dementia often present well during a one-hour assessment — they may be lucid, polite, and appear capable. The assessor needs to hear from you about what happens the other 23 hours. Request that the assessment takes place at a time when your parent typically struggles (late afternoon if sundowning is an issue, for example).

Not requesting an Adult Carer Support Plan. Under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, you have a statutory right to your own assessment — an Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP). This evaluates your own needs as a carer, including physical and mental health, work impact, and access to respite. The ACSP runs alongside your parent's care needs assessment and can unlock additional funded support.

Accepting the first decision without challenge. If you disagree with the assessment outcome, you can request a review, make a formal complaint through the council's complaints process, or contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). The assessment is not final — it's the starting point for negotiation.

Who This Is For

• Families preparing for their first care needs assessment after a dementia diagnosis
• Carers who want to advocate effectively during the assessment without paying solicitor fees
• Adult children who suspect their parent's care needs have increased and want to request a reassessment
• Families approaching the assessment with anxiety about the means test and what it covers

Who This Is NOT For

• Families where the parent has lost capacity and needs a Guardianship Order — this requires a solicitor and a Sheriff Court application
• Situations involving adult protection concerns (neglect, financial abuse) — contact the council's adult protection team directly
• Families seeking a care fees adviser for complex estate planning — the assessment preparation is a different question from long-term financial strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to attend the care needs assessment with my parent?

You have the right to be present and to provide information. For a parent with dementia, your input is essential — the assessor needs to understand the gap between what your parent says they can do and what they actually manage day to day. If you cannot attend in person, request to participate by phone or ask a local family member to attend with your written notes.

How long does the assessment take?

Typically 60 to 90 minutes for the initial assessment, though complex cases may require a second visit. The assessor should contact you within 28 days of your referral request, though waiting times vary by council area.

Can I request a specific assessor or a dementia-trained social worker?

You can request that the assessment is carried out by someone with dementia experience, though councils are not obligated to comply. If you feel the assigned assessor does not understand dementia-specific needs, raise this with the team manager before the assessment takes place.

What happens if the assessment says my parent doesn't need support?

If you believe the assessment underestimates your parent's needs, document the specific gaps in writing and request a formal review. You can also contact PASS (Patient Advice and Support Service) for independent advocacy support. Keep your incident logs and daily diaries — they are evidence for any appeal.

The Dementia Care in Scotland guide includes printable worksheets for every step described above — financial assessment preparation, care needs documentation, and a complete checklist for the assessment meeting.

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