Published in Social Care on 27/03/2026
The Care Act 2015 came into effect in 2015. It represents the most important reform of care and support in over six decades, enabling people and those who care for them to be in control of their care. The Care Act 2015 was introduced as a combination of previous legislation to modernise adult social care in England. It puts a single and consistent law in place, putting vulnerable people and their carers at the centre of their care.
What Are the Key Principles of The Care Act?
By following Care Act principles, a vulnerable person’s wellbeing and needs are centralised. 6 key principles in the Care Act inform these processes that aim to eradicate detached approaches and empower vulnerable adults in their own care and safeguarding.
Empowerment
The principle of empowerment encourages the support of vulnerable adults to allow them to confidently make their own decisions and give informed consent around their care. Those providing care should ask the service user what outcomes they wish to see from their care. The provided answers should then make up a considerable proportion of the foundation of the actions taken to benefit the individual.
Protection
As a principle, protection aims to provide service users with simple, clear information about how they can recognise signs of abuse and when to request help. Protection means immediately responding to concerns and acting to liberate vulnerable persons from dangerous situations.
Prevention
Following the prevention principle means being consistently proactive in preventing safeguarding concerns from developing. Prevention is critical to care, as even once an individual is in a safe and encouraging environment, needs can exacerbate or develop if factors are unnoticed.
Proportionality
This key principle refers to ensuring the utilisation of preventative measures and responding to safeguarding issues in a managed and non-invasive way, as much as is possible. This includes consideration of the level of need an individual has. It is important to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach as this may be insufficient or overbearing depending on the level of need of the individual.
Partnership
Caregivers need to partner appropriately with their communities and local services to help prevent, detect and report abuse, neglect, or other forms of harm. This is critical as when multiple authoritative bodies can recognise a safeguarding issue and report this, reactions can be swift and confident, and the risks can be minimised more abruptly.
Accountability
Accountability is a vital principle in the Care Act and in care settings in general. It is important to be transparent about safeguarding processes and take responsibility for safeguarding practices used to support vulnerable people. Critically, the vulnerable individual or their nominated person should always be informed of the roles of all those who are involved in their care plan and should be reachable if this is required.
Key Provisions
The Care Act 2014 transformed adult social care in England as it created a single modern framework focused on wellbeing, prevention, and personal choices. The core provisions set out how local authorities should assess needs, support carers, safeguard individuals and make sure that funding is transparent and fair. These principles underpin the everyday practice of the sector.
Eligibility
Eligibility determinations can only be made based upon an official assessment of needs. When a determination of eligibility is conducted, local authorities should consider whether all three conditions are met. The three conditions referred to here include:
Needs have arisen from physical or mental illness or impairment.
Where an adult is unable to achieve two or more specific outcomes.
Where there is, or there is likely to be, a significant impact on the well-being of the adult.
Assessment Duties
Section 9 of the Care Act 2014 covers the duties that local authorities have in assessing the care and support needs of those who need it. It informs how to assess anyone who presents a need for care and support. The assessment process must also involve the individual being assessed, and in cases where appropriate, must include a nominated person or carer.
Personal Budgets
Personal budgets are a significant part of the Care Act 2014 that contribute to person-centred care and support systems.
Having this personal budget helps the person to know how much funding has been allocated to meet the care and support needs as has been assessed.
Safeguarding
Local authorities obtained new safeguarding duties under the Care Act 2014, such as establishing Safeguarding Adults Boards. This includes police services, NHS services, and the local authority, which develop, share, and implement joint safeguarding strategies. As well as arranging for independent advocates and supports for those who are subjected to safeguarding reviews or enquiries, if needed.
Advocacy
The duty to provide independent advocacy applies to the following individuals:
An adult who requires support and care.
Carers of adults.
Carers of children who are in transition.
Children who may be approaching the transition into adult support and care.
Deferred Payments
Deferred Payment Agreements were legalised through the Care Act 2014, Sections 34 to 36. This establishes a universal deferred payment scheme from when it came into place in April 2015.
Section 34 of the Act empowered the creation of regulations that govern DPAs (Deferred Payment Agreements) and loans for care costs. Section 35 enhanced local authority powers to offer DPAs in certain circumstances.
The Care Act 2014 and CareCubed
CareCubed helps to support compliance and best practice in social care by assisting organisations with the understanding of care costs and translating information so that high-quality, affordable care can be delivered consistently. It also ensures that care is delivered, meeting statutory requirements and expectations of those who rely on the support of these services.
