Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to expand the statutory obligation for local authorities to include welfare advice.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities in England have a duty to establish and maintain information and advice services relating to care and support for all people in their area.

Local authorities must ensure that information and advice services established cover more than just basic information about care and support; and that they cover a wide range of care and support related areas. The Care and Support Statutory Guidance states that local authorities must ensure that the subject matters covered by their information and advice available to people in their areas go much further than a narrow definition of care and support, including:

• availability of intermediate care entitlements such as aids and adaptations;
• eligibility and applying for disability benefits and other types of benefits;
• availability of employment support for disabled adults; and
• availability of carers’ services and benefits.

Therefore, there are currently no plans to review the Care Act 2014 or the supporting Care and Support Statutory Guidance.