You are a carer if you are someone who provides unpaid help and suport to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour who has a disability or other difficulty, such as a mental health difficulty or frailty associated with old age.
If caring has a major impact on your life, then a carers assessment could help you.
Adult Social Care services
1 Grey Friars, Leicester, LE1 5PH
0116 252 7004
0116 252 7011 (Minicom/TextBox)
customer.services@leicester.gov.uk
What is a carer's assessment?
How can a carer's assessment help?
How do I get a carer's assessment?
Preparing for a carer's assessment
Who else can help?
The Carers Act say that peole who are eligible for a carers assessment are those who have "regular and substantial" caring responsibilities for someone who "may be eligible for community care services".
Ther person you are caring for does not have to be actually receiving services for you to request an assessment of your own needs as a carer.
Leicester City Council interprets 'regular and substantial' as being roughly equivalent to 10 or more hours per week spent in giving practical assistance or supervision support. If caring is having a major impact on your life, we are not going to quibble about the number of hours.
A carer's assessment looks at the help you are giving at the moment. The assessment will include discussing how you might be helped to carryon caring (if that is what you want to do), but also look at the wider effects that caring has on your life. This is sometimes called the "impact" of caring.
You can still have a carer's assessment if the person you are caring for is not receiving any help – for example, they may have refused a community care assessment or services.
The Carers Act says that an assessment of your need should cover the following points:
- Your ability and willingness to carry out your caring role.
- The effects caring has on your own health and wellbeing.
- The effects that caring has on your ability to take part in work, trainig or leisure (your 'life outside caring').
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A carer's assessment looks at the help you are giving at the moment. The assessment will include discussing how you might be helped to carry on caring (if this is what you want to do) - but it will also look at the wider effects that caring has on your life. This is sometimes called the ‘impact’ of caring.
Examples of some possible effects or impact of caring:
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Your sleep or health is affected.
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Your social life is restricted.
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You are not able to work the hours you want, or perhaps you are not able to work at all.
The assessment should also look at the positive side of caring, and how to help you carry on with the things you are willing to do. In some cases though, carers will think that they cannot carry on, and help will be needed to consider alternative arrangements in cooperation with the person being cared for.
As a result of having a carer's assessment, you should:
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Feel that your role in caring is recognised and understood.
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Be able to consider options for the future.
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Have a better understanding of the help available.
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Be able to look afresh at how caring ‘fits’ with other family or job responsibilities that you have, and have considered ways of using support to achieve a balance.
A carers assessment is not a guarantee of getting lots of extra help – although many carers find that existing services are adjusted, or they are put in touch with new sources of advice and support. At the very least it gives you an opportunity to have your needs considered.
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If the person you are caring for already has a social worker, you can get in touch with them.
If the person you are caring for does not have a social worker, you will need to speak to an access worker – if the person cared for has not had an assessment him/herself, it is usual for that person’s needs to be assessed either with, or separately from, those of the carer. Remember, you might be entitled to an assessment even if the person you are looking after doesn’t want an assessment.
In any of these situations, you can ask to see a social worker privately, away from the person you are caring for – and of course they can ask for their assessment in similar privacy.
Contact details are at the top of the page.
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Before your carer's assessment it is a good idea to sit
down and list the key issues in your situation. The checklist below may
help you to do this, even though there might not be an easy solution to
every problem.
Remember that these are only examples – many might not
apply to you, and you might have other questions that are not on this
list.
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What difficulties do you have in caring e.g., dressing, bathing, lifting the person you care for?
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How much time does caring take? Are there things you would rather not do?
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Do you get enough sleep? Is your health affected in other ways?
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Do you get any time for yourself?
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Has caring stopped you seeing people, or doing things that are important to you?
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Do you understand the needs/condition of the person you care for?
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Have you someone to help you in an emergency?
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Do you feel you have much choice in your caring role?
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What would help you have more choice or flexibility?
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What would happen to the person you care for, if you were no longer able to provide care?
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Do you receive support from social services or
health staff? Does this support meet the needs of the person you care
for? Does it fit in with how you want to live your life? Does the
support fit in with other responsibilities you might have, such as being
a parent or having a job?
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Are you in touch with any voluntary
organisations or carers’ groups who would understand how you feel and
might be able to offer additional advice/support?
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Are you sure you have claimed all the benefits and allowances you are entitled to?
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The Adult Social Care has the legal responsibility for carrying out carers assessments. A voluntary sector organisation such as CLASP
can advise you about assessments, and might provide a staff member to
be present at your assessment, if you think this is necessary.
You should always inform a doctor or nurse involved in
the care of the person you look after that you are a carer. There are
limits of confidentiality that affect how much medical staff can tell
you about the condition of the person you care for, but they should
always consider your needs, for example, when the person you care for is
coming out of hospital.
CLASP (Carers of Leicestershire Advocacy and Support Project)
Carers Centre
Unit 19, 4th floor Matrix House,
Constitution Hill, Leicester, LE1 1PL
0116 251 0999
www.claspthecarerscentre.org.uk
Further information and advice for carers is available from
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