This review looked at the ways councils responded to people who required help, support or advice about social care.
What does 'first contact' mean?
‘First contact’ was defined as the point when a person had the opportunity to discuss their needs following an initial review. This included the period when the council:
- decided whether to refer the person on for further assessment.
- commissioned services in response to the person’s needs.
- ‘signposted’ the person to further information or services.
Therefore, ‘first contact’ was not necessarily the first conversation a person had with a member of the council.
What did the review focus on?
The review looked at services provided to people aged 18 or over. It asked three key questions.
- Do councils provide first contact services that are easy to use, supportive and which treat people with empathy and respect?
- Do councils ensure that people get an opportunity to have their needs thoroughly explored before the council makes a decision about their eligibility or before they signpost them to other services?
- Do councils provide clear and up-to-date information to people who make contact? And do they follow up on people who they previously sign-posted to other services?
A survey of councils and a mystery shopping exercise were conducted during the review.
Results of your local council
Councils have published their outcome on their own websites. You can find out more about the results in our report.
Find out more
Visit The National Archives to read the documents we used throughout the review.