To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to councils on transitioning from Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential social services to the Care and Support Statutory Guidance.

The Care and Support Statutory (CASS) Guidance was published in October 2014. Section 23 of the Guidance covers the transition to the new legal framework and paragraphs 23.14 and 23.15 focus on issues for financial assessments. In addition, the Department has arranged for answers to the most frequently asked questions about the CASS Guidance to be published on the Local Government Association’s website.

However, the arrangements under the Care Act are broadly the same as those under the previous legislation. Local authorities design their own local charging policies in consultation with their local population for care outside a care home and have considerable discretion in the design of these policies.