Ordinary Residence Procedure

Under the Care Act a person with care and support needs:

1. Can only be ordinarily resident in one area, regardless of whether they have a second home elsewhere; and
2. Local authorities cannot share the legal responsibility for meeting their needs.

When a person is known to have more than one home in more than one area:

1. A decision must be made about which of the areas the person has the strongest links to; as this
2. Will determine which they are ordinary resident in; and therefore
3. Which Local Authority is responsible for meeting their needs.

Links could include:

1. Work links;
2. Education and learning links;
3. Family, friends and other important relationships;
4. The person's own views about where they are most 'settled'.

When a decision about ordinary residence is made it is the legal responsibility of the Local Authority in which the person is ordinary resident to meet:

1. Eligible needs whilst in the area; and
2. Eligible needs while staying in the other area.

If urgent needs for additional care and support arise when the person is staying in their home outside of the Local Authority area the Local Authority where they are present may:

1. Meet any urgent needs they may have; and
2. Seek financial adjustment for doing so from the Local Authority where they are ordinarily resident (in line with their local policy for doing so).

Split accommodation

A student's ordinary residence should be determined in the same way as a person who has more than one home when:

1. They attend University in another Local Authority area; and
2. They spend term time in that area; and
3. They spend holiday time in their original area.

Permanent university accommodation

If a student spends all of their time in the University area (term time and holiday time) their ordinary residence will change to that of the Local Authority in which the University is located (unless they have been placed into regulated care provision by the first Local Authority area).

This is because they will have:

1. Adopted residence there voluntarily; and
2. Are there for settled purposes as part of the regular order of their life; and
3. Do not spend any time in another area.

If, after University the person chooses to move back to the original area they lived their ordinary residence will be likely to change back to that area.

Regulated care provision

If the student:

1. Requires regulated accommodation in the University area; and
2. They have been placed into that accommodation by the original Local Authority area; then
3. Their ordinary residence will remain in the area of the placing Local Authority.

Regulated provision under the Care Act is:

1. A residential or nursing home;
2. A hospital;
3. A Shared Lives Scheme; or
4. A Supported Living Scheme.

Travel to University

If a student travels into another Local Authority area to attend University on a daily basis, but does not stay in that University area overnight their ordinary residence will not change to the area where they attend University.

Establishing carer's ordinary residence

Under the Care Act the ordinary residence of a carer is always determined by the ordinary residence of the person they care for. This can pose a challenge when:

1. A carer provides care to more than one person; and
2. Those persons live in different Local Authority areas; because
3. The carer will be ordinary resident in more than one area under the Care Act.

Care Act guidance

The Care Act places the responsibility on all of the local authorities involved to:

1. Communicate with the carer and each other; and
2. Co-operate with each other; to
3. Decide who is best placed to assess the carers needs; and
4. Decide who is best placed to arrange any support they need.

There could be a range of possible outcomes, including:

1. An agreement where one Local Authority arranges all of the support and services the carer needs but is reimbursed by another Authority so that the cost is shared;
2. An agreement where each Local Authority assumes a different role in the process of assessment, support planning or review so as to evenly distribute their resources;
3. An agreement where one Local Authority agrees to undertake any reviews due to being located nearest to the carers home;
4. An agreement to complete joint assessment, support planning and review processes.

The importance of local policy and guidance

It is important that you familiarise yourself with, and have regard for any available local policy and guidance, as this will set out:

1. How arrangements should be made to support carers when they care for more than one person across more than one Local Authority area; and
2. Any local requirements for managing disputes.

There are specific ordinary residence arrangements for people who are detained in prison. See Prisons and Approved Premises Procedure, Ordinary Residence.

For guidance on ordinary residence for people in receipt of Section 117 Aftercare see: Section 117 Aftercare (Ordinary Residence). 

The Care Act does not specify different ordinary residence rules for armed services personnel, therefore normal rules apply.

Military accommodation

If a serving member of the armed forces lives in military accommodation and is posted to military accommodation in another area of the country their ordinary residence and the ordinary residence of any family members that live with them and also move would change.

'ordinary residence refers to a man's abode in a particular place or country which he has adopted voluntarily and for settled purposes as part of the regular order of his life for the time being, whether of short or long duration'.

Civilian accommodation

Some military personnel choose to live outside of the base where they work, for example to buy or rent their own home.

If they are then posted to work at another base they may:

1. Remain living in their home and commute to that base (in which case their ordinary residence will not change); or
2. Stay temporarily on the base (e.g. Monday to Friday) but spend some time with their family at their own home (in which case the rules about people with 2 homes set out above apply); or
3. Move into military accommodation with their family and either sell or rent their own home (in which case their ordinary residence will change).

Under the Care Act any Local Authority has the power to meet the urgent needs of a person (or carer) that is:

1. Present in the area; but
2. Ordinary resident in another area; so long as
3. It notifies the Local Authority where the person (or carer) is ordinary resident of its intention to do so; and
4. That Local Authority does not agree to meet urgent needs.

As the meeting of urgent needs is a power and not a duty, it is important that you familiarise yourself with, and have regard for any available local policy and guidance, as this will set out the local position regarding meeting the urgent needs of people who are not ordinarily resident in the area.

Under the Care Act, when a person appears to have urgent needs, you are required to notify the Local Authority where the person is ordinarily resident so that:

1. They are aware that the person/carer has urgent needs; and
2. An agreement can be reached about the best way to meet those needs; and
3. An agreement can be reached about any financial adjustment.

If the person (or carer) is already receiving care and support (or support) in the other Local Authority area it may be more appropriate for that Local Authority to meet their urgent needs, especially when they are not too far away or are known to have access to services in the area where the person (or carer) is currently present.

If the Local Authority where the person (or carer) is ordinarily resident agrees to meet their urgent needs, you should:

1. Provide them with any urgent assessment of need carried out; and
2. They must give regard to this when meeting urgent needs.

If it is not possible for the other Local Authority to assess urgent needs or make arrangements to meet them you should:

1. Assess urgent needs (in line with the Care Act duty); and
2. Arrange to meet urgent needs (in line with local policy); and
3. Agreed any financial adjustment (in line with local policy).

When the person is known to the other Local Authority, you must have regard to their views about the best way to meet urgent needs, and to any current Care and Support Plan (or Support Plan).

Care and Support processes

When arranging to meet urgent care and support needs you should refer to relevant sections of the general procedure for Actions and Next Steps, Urgent or Interim Support.

When arranging to meet the urgent support needs of a carer you should refer to the relevant section of the carer's procedure for Actions and Next Steps, Urgent or Interim Support.

Financial assessment

Normal charging rules apply when urgent care and support (or support) is to be provided to a person (or carer) who is not ordinarily resident in the area. It is important that you:

1. Understand the local position on charging people who are not ordinarily resident; and
2. Provide information and advice about charging to the person (or carer) when arranging to meet urgent needs.

In line with the dispute process set out in the Care and Support (Disputes between Local Authorities) Regulations 2014 legal advice and support should always be sought when a decision is made to raise a dispute.

You should also consider the need to take legal advice when:

1. A person is present in the Local Authority area; or
2. A person is planning to move into the Local Authority area; and
3. They are claiming ordinary residence in the area; or
4. Another Local Authority is requesting Continuity of Care arrangements; and
5. You believe that the person may not be ordinarily resident in the area; or
6. You believe the person may not become ordinarily resident in the area;
7. Before deciding to dispute ordinary residence.

See the Legal Services Procedure, which explains the process for requesting legal support.

The process set out in the Care and Support (Disputes between Local Authorities) Regulations 2014 must be followed by all parties whenever ordinary residence is disputed.

See: Resolving Disputes about Ordinary Residence for an outline of this process.

It is important that you familiarise yourself with, and have regard for any available local policy and guidance, as this will set out any local requirements for managing disputes.

First and foremost the Care Act is clear that any person (or carer) affected by a dispute must not go without the care and support (or support) they need whilst ordinary residence is being disputed.

The Local Authority where the person is present is legally responsible for meeting their eligible needs during any period of dispute unless:

1. Another Local Authority is already meeting their needs; in which case
2. That Local Authority must continue to meet their needs; until
3. The dispute is resolved.

Under the Care Act the Local Authority is legally entitled to seek reimbursement from another Local Authority when:

1. It has been meeting the needs of a person present in their area; or
2. It has been meeting the needs of a carer present in their area; and
3. That person/carer is not ordinarily resident in their area.

This includes:

1. Urgent needs met while a person is present in the area; and
2. Needs that are met during any ordinary residence dispute.

It is important that you familiarise yourself with, and have regard for any available local policy and guidance, as this will set out:

1. Any local circumstances when financial adjustment should be sought; and
2. Any circumstances when it should not be sought; and
3. The process for seeking financial adjustment from another Local Authority; and
4. The process for responding to a request for financial adjustment from another Local Authority.