What Is a Care Plan? A Guide for Families

Topic cluster: Legal & Financial Planning | Reading time: 5 min

A care plan is a written document that sets out exactly what care and support your parent receives, how it is delivered, and why. It is the foundation of good, person-centred care — and your parent (and you, as their family) should be actively involved in creating and reviewing it.

What a Care Plan Contains

A care plan typically covers:

Personal details — your parent's name, date of birth, GP, emergency contacts
Care needs — a clear description of what support your parent requires and why
Care goals — what the care is intended to achieve (maintain independence, manage a condition, improve safety)
How care is delivered — what tasks are done, when, by whom, and how
Preferences and wishes — how your parent likes to be addressed, daily routines, cultural and religious preferences, food preferences
Medical information — diagnoses, medications, allergies
Risk management — identified risks and how they are mitigated
Emergency and out-of-hours contacts
Review dates — when the plan will next be formally reviewed

Who Creates a Care Plan?

Care plans are created differently depending on the care setting:

In a care home: The registered manager or a senior carer leads the assessment and creates the plan, with input from your parent and family. Nursing homes involve qualified nurses in creating the nursing care element.

For home care: A care coordinator from the home care agency, often supported by a social worker if council-funded, creates the plan.

Local authority: When the council funds care, they create a personal budget and care and support plan as part of the assessment process.

Your Parent's Rights in the Care Planning Process

Under the Care Act 2014 (England), your parent has the right to:

Be involved in the creation of their care plan
Have their own views, wishes, and preferences documented
Have a family member or advocate support them in the process (with their consent)
Receive a copy of their care plan
Have the plan reviewed when their needs change

A care plan imposed without your parent's involvement is not compliant with the Care Act. Person-centred care is not optional — it is a legal and regulatory requirement.

How Often Is the Care Plan Reviewed?

Care plans should be reviewed:

At regular intervals — typically every six to twelve months in a care home
After a significant change in health or circumstances — a fall, hospitalisation, change in diagnosis
When your parent requests a review
When a family member raises concerns

Ask the care home or home care provider when the last review took place and when the next is scheduled. If you have concerns about whether the plan reflects your parent's current needs, request a review in writing.

What If You Are Unhappy with the Care Plan?

If the care plan does not accurately reflect your parent's needs, preferences, or wishes:

Raise it informally with the key worker or care manager
Put your concerns in writing if the response is unsatisfactory
Request a formal review
If council-funded, contact your parent's allocated social worker

For Parents with Dementia

Care plans for people with dementia should include a life history or 'this is me' document — recording personal history, interests, relationships, favourite music, occupation, and how the person likes to be addressed. This information helps carers provide truly person-centred support and can reduce distress.

Good care homes will have gathered this information from family members before or soon after admission. If they haven't asked, proactively provide it — it makes a real difference to daily care.

Search care homes committed to person-centred care at homeformum.com